HOME DEFENSE

Your home is your base during any emergency. It is where you store your food, water, medical supplies, and your family’s security. When society gets stressed, crime rises. When people get desperate, they look for easy targets. Home defense is not about being aggressive. It is about protecting what is yours and making sure your house is never viewed as an easy opportunity.

What Makes A Home A Target
Criminals look for weakness. Dark yards. Unlocked doors. No cameras. No noise. No visible signs of activity. A house with poor lighting and no security measures looks like an easy win. During a crisis, this becomes even more true. People take more risks when they are hungry or scared. The goal is to make your home look harder to approach than the others.

Securing Doors And Windows
Most break ins happen through doors and windows. Strengthen your doors with good deadbolts, long screws in the hinges, and strong door frames. Window locks should be checked and working. If you live in a risky area or expect civil unrest, window security film adds another layer that makes glass harder to break. Small upgrades make a big difference.

Lighting Your Yard
A dark property is an invitation. Motion lights, solar lights, and porch lights remove hiding spots. When your yard is bright, people think twice before coming near it. Lighting is one of the cheapest but most effective home defense upgrades you can make.

Dogs And Alarms
A dog is one of the best early warning systems in the world. Even a small dog can make noise and alert you before someone gets close. If you cannot have a dog, a good alarm system and some basic sensors help a lot. The goal is awareness. You want to know if anyone is around your home before they get close.

Basic Self Defense Tools
You should have simple tools you can use if someone breaks in. This depends on your comfort and local laws, but every home should have at least something for defense. Even basic items like pepper spray, personal alarms, or a heavy flashlight can stop someone long enough for you to escape or call for help. Defense is not about fighting. It is about giving yourself a chance to survive.

Making Your Home Look Occupied
Criminals avoid homes that look active. Leave a light on at night. Use timers. Keep your yard clean. Do not let mail or packages build up. During a long emergency, make sure it always looks like people are awake and alert. Appearance alone can prevent trouble.

Awareness Inside The Home
Home defense is not only about the outside. Everyone in the house should know the plan. Where to gather if something happens. Which door to exit from. Where the phone is. Where the lights are. Who watches the cameras. A simple plan keeps panic under control.

Home defense is about confidence and control. When your home is secure, every other part of preparedness becomes easier. You sleep better. You worry less. You focus on taking care of your family instead of reacting to danger.

1998, A school shooting in Jonesboro, Arkansas, kills five.

Mitchell Johnson, 13, and Andrew Golden, 11, shoot their classmates and teachers in Jonesboro, Arkansas on March 24, 1998. Golden, the younger of the two boys, asked to be excused from his class, pulled a fire alarm and then ran to join Johnson in a wooded area 100 yards away from the school’s gym. As the students streamed out of the building, Johnson and Golden opened fire and killed four students and a teacher. Ten other children were wounded.

The two boys were caught soon afterward. In their possession were thirteen fully loaded firearms, including three semi-automatic rifles, and 200 rounds of ammunition. Their stolen van had a stockpile of supplies as well as a crossbow and several hunting knives. All of the weapons were taken from the Golden family’s personal arsenal. Both of the boys had been raised around guns. Andrew Golden belonged to a local gun club and sometimes competed in shooting contests.

Because Johnson and Golden were thirteen and eleven, they could not be charged as adults in Arkansas. They were both adjudicated as delinquent and sent to reform institutes. They were to be released when they turned 18, as they could legally no longer be housed with minors, but Arkansas bought a facility in 1999 that enabled the state to keep the boys in custody until their 21st birthdays. Johnson was freed in 2005, but later returned to prison for other charges; Golden was released in 2007 and died in 2019. Arkansas changed its laws following the Jonesboro tragedy so that child murderers can be imprisoned past age 21.
#TrueCrime, #Murder, #Prison,

The Story Of Adriana Olivia Kuch:

On February 1st, 2023, she was beaten unconscious in the school hallway by a group of 4 older girls, one of whom struck her with a heavy plastic water bottle so hard the cap flew off. At least one of the girls even blamed her for the assault! They filmed the whole thing and posted it to Tiktok. By the end of the assault, Adriana was unconscious, bruised, bloodied, and humiliated. She should have been transported to a hospital, but the school nurse decided not to do so, and instead allowed her to call her father once she came to.

Adriana and her father went straight to a police station to file a police report on the attack that she had suffered. But the worst part was yet to come.

Once they got home, she discovered the video, which had gone viral. In the comments section, there were vile statements and comments directed towards her. The video was taken down, but the attackers quickly reuploaded it, along with screenshots of the video and the comments that were made. It took a massive toll on her mental health, and roughly 36 hours later, she hanged herself in a closet.

Adriana Kuch died by suicide at midnight on February 3rd, and by the time she was discovered some six hours later, her body was likely already showing signs of rigor mortis.

Police eventually charged the attackers with aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. But the school’s response shocked everyone. They decided to blame her suicide on drugs and family issues, which was practically a slap in the face to her father. At her closed casket wake, there were multiple instances where a few stupid students decided to mock her family, and it took a call to the police to get them removed. This led to her funeral being cancelled, her body was cremated and as a result of this, she would never get a dignified memorial.

By now, her case had gained national attention, and outlets such as CNN, NBC and even Fox were covering the development of the story. Reporters were stationed at strategic locations, such as outside the funeral home. When they interviewed her friends and family, they said that Adriana was a kind person at her heart, and she would never get into fights with anyone.

In fact, she had even saved the life of a 9 year old girl during the summer of 2022, when she jumped into a swimming pool and lifted the girl up and out of the water when she was struggling to swim. The mother of the nine year old, when interviewed, revealed tearfully that she hadn't told her daughter about Adriana’s death at that time, and we will never know how she reacted to the tragic news.

One year on, Adriana’s parents filed a formal lawsuit alleging wrongful death and gross negligence. They are seeking unspecified damages. As of today, the suit is still pending.

Adriana Olivia Kuch

3/11/2008 - 2/3/2023

Rest in Paradise
#TrueCrime,