Everyone remembers the shooting of Michael Brown that sparked unrest in Ferguson. Brown, an 18-year old young man of color, was shot and killed on Aug. 9, 2014, by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, in Ferguson, a suburb from St. Louis.

The event provoked protests that roiled the area for weeks to come. In November 2014, the St. Louis County prosecutor announced that a grand jury decided not to indict Mr. Wilson and that according to the evidence, Wilson shot Michael Brown in self-defense. Turmoil set on Ferguson once again and the announcement unleashed another wave of protests.

The debate was much bigger than the case itself. It set off the battle that African Americans have been fighting for centuries: relinquish all discrimination. This time, it received considerable attention in the U.S. and abroad and generated controversy regarding the relationship between law enforcement and African Americans and also, the use of police force in Missouri and in America.

The movement reached its purpose when in March, the Justice Department called on Ferguson to overhaul its criminal justice system, declaring that the city had engaged in constitutional violations.

According to a Department of Justice report, bias against people of color was repetitive and thorough, affecting “nearly every aspect of Ferguson police and court operations.” For African Americans, the report showed that distrust and fear of the police was well-founded. Just take a look below at the percentages that show police activity in the St. Louis suburb.

Brown’s One Year Memorial Is A Bloody Deja Vu

A peaceful day of demonstrations commemorating the death of young Michael Brown turned into mayhem one Sunday, in Ferguson. On Monday, authorities declared a state of emergency in the suburb from Missouri, to prevent a repeat of the violence that was ignited during the protests that started a national war on race relations. The order was delivered for Ferguson and surrounding areas amid tensions between residents and police after the shooting one year ago.

Tyrone Harris Jr., an 18-year-old St. Louis resident, has been identified as the man shot by St. Louis County Police during the demonstrations on Sunday night. The next day, Tyrone Harris Sr. declared that his son had just gotten out of surgery shortly after 3 a.m. Monday and that his condition was critical.

According to court documents and a surveillance video, county police detectives saw Harris holding taking out a weapon at 11:23 p.m. in the 9200 block of West Florissant Avenue in an exchange of gunfire between two groups. Police said the officers went after him in an unmarked car, with the hazard lights flashing, and that he fired at them, with at least one shot hitting the vehicle. The officers returned fire, pursued him on foot and shot him after he had turned with a gun in his hand.

This time, the accusations fall on Tyrone Harris who is charged with four criminal counts, including “assault on law enforcement” and shooting at a motor vehicle. His bond was set at $250,000.

Since the law has allowed Americans to legally carry a weapon, you should be aware that you can also be the victim of an armed attack. And it is imperative for you to know what to do and how to protect yourself. Here’s the best way to maintain your safety when dealing with an armed attacker.

Self Defense Against Armed Attacks

1. Assume a defense or obedient posture.
Put your hands up in the air and never show an apparent threat to your aggressor right until you are ready to attack him.

2. Try to humanize yourself in the attacker’s mind.
Start by speaking to him. Also, remember that begging for your life or telling him you have a family, won’t dissuade a criminal from killing you, but talking to him may distract and lure him into a superficial sense of safety.

3. Always know your surroundings.
Look around and be certain of the threat you’re facing. Is there just one attacker or are others hidden nearby?

4. Secure your feet into the ground and then act without hesitation.
Hesitation is certain to get you killed. In a life and death situation, you should be prepared to put everything you have into the fight.

5. Be sure the attacker is close enough to so you can quickly reach out to disarm him.
In a knife attack, the opposite is recommended.

Disarming An Attacker

1. Stay out of the discharge line of the weapon.
You should do I suggest you take a step toward the side the gun is being held. It is always slower for a man to aim to the side facing the gun than to the opposite side.

2. Learn to control the weapon.Securing the weapon, hand, wrist, elbow, or arm by using joint locks is the best way to control the aggressor.

3. Strike back.Your counterattack should be rapid and effective. Try to break a joint of the arm, a hit to the head, hurt his eyes, and/or attack the throat or genitals.

4. Disarm the attacker. A great move would be to break the aggressor’s locked joints. Then, induce pain to his arm and take his gun.

5. Finally, dispose of the threat.If you have any training in fighting, go ahead and pin your attacker. Unload and throw away the weapon. If not, call for help, run away, put as many obstacles between you and the attacker as possible.

These are a few basic self-defense tricks that could make a huge difference in a real life scenario. Ferguson isn’t the last incident of its type, and you can never know when you might encounter one, as unlikely as it might sound. Be prepared for the worst, follow these tips and you’ll even find yourself a bit more relaxed next time you’ll be walking on dark narrow alleys in shady neighborhoods.

Did you ever have to deal with an aggressor? Share your experience in the comments section below.