Classifying your neighbors before SHTF

If the idea is to know your surroundings and your neighbors, for security reasons, then it is inline with the discussion. Knowing something about those around you, by what they let slip, is not really avoidable. After all, everything mentioned has been posted openly, and mentioned obscurely. It should ring a cord with the writer, as to it's source.
I have no Axe to grind, I simply felt he was being rude to moto, and not as careful as he believes.
This thread is more in line with situational awareness, just on a larger scale. Learning what is obvious about your neighbors, just makes sense.

Every night, a plumbing truck parks down the street, it's pretty likely he is a plumber. Does he have a garden? Looks like he does, a large one. Trash shows he gets large boxes from some mountain house place, looks like he's putting in a fish pond, and those look like fruit trees......what does this say to you? This is simple observation, not sneeking in to peek in his windows, or following him about. (Those are creepy) this is just what observant people do automatically. Charting it out is just plotting out what you have already picked up though casual contact.

 

Knowing your neighbors and neighborhood is just common sense. Here, we're all in the woods on some acreage and we get together occasionally to talk, eat and just be friends. We all have individual gardens, but come Spring we're going to put in a large communal garden as a result of our get togethers. Some of us are better prepared than others, but we share knowledge and help each other with some projects and chores. That can be being prepared or just being good neighbors, it's all the same to me.

We're on a dead end road off of another dead end road and this is our BOL. Barring a wildfire we will presumably be here if SHTF. Knowing who is who, what they're like and what they're capable of could be the difference between life or death.

 

You should bring out that board game 'Scruples' at your next get-together, but, put in some questions of your own. Survival Scruples.

 

Wow, a necro-thread. It's still a great topic.

 

Interesting basic idea. We generally do not know our neighbors, like we did when I was growing up.
So, my basic MO is:
1 - remain "The Gray Man". Nobody knows I prep, or that I am a patriot. No yard signs, visible flags or bumper snickers. Keep my 'toys' hidden. Load/offload the van behind the privacy fence.
2 - Remain alert. I identify those neighbors given to walking around the neighborhood - they will key on something about me before the stay-at-homes. Know the oldsters, the employed, the probable welfare cases, the kids.
3 - Stay quiet and unassuming. Don't give them a reason to notice me or feel they need to 'report' me.
4 - Have a defensive plan, including the possibility of having to eliminate them. No threats, just be ready. In Nam, Afganistan, etc., it is the woman or kid carrying that hidden grenade that can ruin your day.

If I come off 'creepy' or like 'that guy', tough. I plan to live. All others are potential enemies/targets.

 

I am a little late to this party, but hey I am new here. I found this a good topic and one that can be looked at from several angles. How you look at says more then you think about your self. I look at it as nothing more them Situational Awareness. If you don't know whats going on around you, you missed the boat.

 

Like Cato's system of classification. I probably have different criteria for my categories and I appreciate the simplicity of the color system and the visual. TXS for sharing it.

If we are all really honest with ourselves about this we automatically classify our neighbors whether we know them well or not.

I really like Cato's classification system and the exercise in consciously setting a criteria for who you might trust and who to write off right away. And then deliberately continuing to get to know them