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UER Forum > UE Tutorials, Lessons, and Useful Info > In these unprecedented American times... (Viewed 2743 times)
C E C 


Location: Atlanta
Gender: Female
Total Likes: 27 likes




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In these unprecedented American times...
< on 7/17/2020 1:34 AM >
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Posted on Forum: UER Forum
I have found myself feeling increasingly unsafe in the rural south.

I am a queer butch woman and unfortunately stick out like a sore thumb in many areas. In the current political climate, rural southerners seem to becoming ever vigilant against outsiders.

I am no novice explorer and would consider myself to be capable, brave and invisible. As a result, I am rather accomplished in regards to the quality of abandonment I patronize. It is frightening to me how frightened I feel these days. I have been caught before and have had the police roll up as well. I did not feel this way until recently.

In the last four months (in general out and about circumstances), I have been followed, glared at, loomed over while dining, and called names. While at a small cemetery about a month ago, someone across the street started screaming at me and shot a shotgun into the air. I almost passed out. I am a polite, respectful and well-dressed person. I cause no harm and trouble... I just look very gay.

Guns are everywhere here and Stand Your Ground Laws are real as fuck. Ahmaud Arbery was lynched for jogging in a white neighborhood just a few hours from me.

What scares me most is rolling onto a house that looks abandoned but is not. It is very common in AL and GA. Does anyone have a procedure or line for this that they don’t mind sharing? Any positive stories of how things have turned out okay?

Do any other explorerS experience these fears? Do you have any safety tips or precautions? If you are queer, how do you feel safe?

Our community is the best for many reasons. Thank you in advance for reading.




Explorer Zero 


Total Likes: 2026 likes




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Re: In these unprecedented American times...
< Reply # 1 on 7/17/2020 3:12 AM >
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Avoid peoples private residences.

Bad idea for anyone regardless of how they fit or dont fit into our society.

I live in a remote rural area I know. There is nobody to protect us so thats why we all have guns.

People out here wont tolerate prowlers and thieves. The concept of urban exploring does not register with these people and wont work as an excuse.

If caught and you were not shot on sight, most rural sheriffs offices will refer you to the county attorney for criminal trespass charges.




Aran 


Location: Kansas City
Gender: Male
Total Likes: 1839 likes


Huh. I guess covid made me a trendsetter.

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Re: In these unprecedented American times...
< Reply # 2 on 7/17/2020 3:54 PM >
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Posted on Forum: UER Forum
I've done my share of rural farmhouses, but those are usually pretty identifiable as abandoned- front door off its hinges, roof caving in, extremely overgrown, etc. It's a pretty good guess that nobody's living in them, and up here in the upper Midwest people aren't quite as trigger happy as I imagine they are down south.

I still won't do urban abandoned houses though, because I don't want to play a game of "abandoned, crackhouse, or poverty-stricken family renting from a slumlord?" There are plenty of houses in Chicago and Milwaukee that are all boarded up and poorly maintained but still occupied, and the usual signs of abandonment don't apply.



[last edit 7/17/2020 3:54 PM by Aran - edited 1 times]

"Sorry, I didn't know I'm not supposed to be here," he said, knowing full well he wasn't supposed to be there.

Bygone Era 


Location: Tucson AZ. East Coast Boy At Heart
Gender: Male
Total Likes: 32 likes




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Re: In these unprecedented American times...
< Reply # 3 on 7/17/2020 4:16 PM >
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Posted on Forum: UER Forum
Posted by Aran
I've done my share of rural farmhouses, but those are usually pretty identifiable as abandoned- front door off its hinges, roof caving in, extremely overgrown, etc. It's a pretty good guess that nobody's living in them, and up here in the upper Midwest people aren't quite as trigger happy as I imagine they are down south.

I still won't do urban abandoned houses though, because I don't want to play a game of "abandoned, crackhouse, or poverty-stricken family renting from a slumlord?" There are plenty of houses in Chicago and Milwaukee that are all boarded up and poorly maintained but still occupied, and the usual signs of abandonment don't apply.


I think it is really important to get a sense of wealth or poverty of an area before going an looking for these types of places. In my home town, which is a fairly wealthy town, I was pretty easy to find places that were abandoned because most of the people living in town are young families taking advantage of the school system we have in our town, which is really good. The differences between the houses that were abandoned and the ones that were not was very distinct, and allowed me to not have any really serious encounters with police or home owners because I made a mistake about whether a place was abandoned or not.
I think a good way to find out where these places are is to talk to people who have lived in a town for a very long time and have been around town a lot. I myself know a former cop from my town who knows a lot about the history of places in town and knew a lot of the places before they were abandoned. He has lived in the town for about thirty years and has when I've talked to him, pointed out/confirmed places that I thought were abandoned to me and has made it a lot easier finding places.
Anyway that's just my thoughts,
-Bygone Era




-Bygone Era
Floodway 


Location: Colorado Springs
Gender: Neither
Total Likes: 35 likes




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Re: In these unprecedented American times...
< Reply # 4 on 7/17/2020 6:57 PM >
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Posted on Forum: UER Forum
I'm also very queer, and very punk, which makes me stick out a lot. I definitely feel fear consistently when exploring, especially at night, in a conservative town. My best line of defense so far has been disguising my queer and punk-ness when exploring, as much as it sucks to do so... I cover up my colored hair with a baseball cap and wear blue jeans and a normal t-shirt, try my hardest to look like an "average joe". I also carry a pocket mace with me. Chances are it wouldn't do much against an angry bigot with a gun, but you never know when you'll need it, and it looks a lot less suspicious than having a knife or something with you if you're caught exploring by LEOs.

Even though I have a hard time following this advice myself, it would probably be a good idea to get some exploring buddies if you're feeling unsafe. There's a lot to be said for safety in numbers!




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UER Forum > UE Tutorials, Lessons, and Useful Info > In these unprecedented American times... (Viewed 2743 times)


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