dambuster2: >How about pepper spray ? Is that legal in the Netherlands.

pepper spray, mace, they're inadequate although certainly affordable. Ultimately, it just doesn't drop a man instantly, cleanly, all at once and without getting your hands dirty, and there are times you need that. ...legal? well... you're liable if you look viscious in your reaction. Putting 80,000 volts through a briefcase robber is acceptable. Quite a civilized way to solve a nasty situation. Brawling in the streets is likely to end with both parties detained.

Stick around and act polite when the politie show up, they recognise the local thugs and won't have much sympathy for them. It's all in how you behave at the moment it happens, and then afterwards when you stick around and give your statements. A decade ago or so I was commended in a hearing over a physical conflict I was briefly involved in for only hitting my opponent once. They decided I had demonstrated restraint. I let him hit me once first, and I just hit him that once and then it was all over.

> As for the 3am thing, yep, ... Kloveniersburgwal is a nice, safe street. It's anything but a dimly
> lit alley in a bad part of town.

yeah, on another thread I read those middleburough lads stepped out of a bar at 3am into a dimly lit alley in a bad neighborhood. That's what I was refering to.

the last time i went to ams, my frend and i walked down this alley it was pretty late and one kid bumped into me lookin to start shit...but i bumpped passed him n that was it.

as for the pushers...the penalties are lax, much like low level bootlegging here... so i gues the money is there.. but u can just tell them no they will stop. atleast from my experience..

the city is pretty safe =) i will be back perhaps alone....anyone think thats still fun?? lol


-tommy

The street people in Amsterdam are the most aggressive I've seen anywhere. I was walking through the Red Light and this dirtbag standing five feet away from me wobbles over and intentionally bumps into me as I pass him. He immediately starts up, "hey! hey you! you made me spill my cocaine." Stupidly I stopped and didn't keep walking. I said, "I didn't do anything. You bumped into me." So he gets a little louder, "Motherfucker, you made me spill my cocaine! You fuckin owe me money man!!" At that point my adrenaline kicked in and I got up into his face, raising my voice. "I DIDN'T DO SHIT TO YOU MAN!! SO BACK THE FUCK OFF!" My mind was racing. I contemplated bashing his face in with my ipod but raising my voice seemed to take the wind out of his sails. He ended by saying, "Ok. You're sorry then. Ok". And I kept walking.