Curious to know how you'd react?

sublauxation

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I wanted to post this earlier but figured I'd take a cooling off period since the rest of our Cub Scout group blew it off. I'm usually pretty rational but this still bothers me so before I report it to the scout camp director I figured I'd run it past you guys to see if I was/am over reacting. Sorry for the long read. You guys are all pretty rational so any input is appreciated.

Last weekend we were tent camping with about 400 others. It was hot so nobody slept well. Sometime early Sunday AM I was awoken by some guy a couple tents over chanting out loud. I immediately recognized the voice as that of a very big guy from a different Den. I couldn't hear him at first but he started walking closer. He was chanting, "somebody gonna die tonight" over and over.

I reached down to look at the time but my phone battery was dead. He paced back and forth in front of my tent and 2 others a couple times still chanting. I rustled around trying to find my glasses, flashlight and knife. He heard me and stopped, dead quiet, about 3 ft from my tent for about 20 seconds, then started pacing again, now chanting, "N$&&a doing my death walk". He then stopped in front of each tent, turned, shined in his flashlight and made shooting motions.

The zipper on my tent was screwed up so there was no quick or easy way out, he was big, and I had no idea exactly what was going on. Somebody from a nearby cabin yelled at him to shut up and I heard him take about 10 steps that direction. I took the opportunity to run out shining the flashlight in his face and yelled for him to sit his backside down and put his hands out. He obeyed which surprised me, then I stood over him with the light in his face and a 2" Scout knife in my other hand asking questions to determine how messed up he was. He was extremely passive. We stayed that way for about 5 minutes until somebody else who couldn't sleep walked by, realized something odd was happening, and sat down next to me.

I quietly chewed his backside explaining how inappropriate his actions were. We stayed right there for 1 1/2 hours til the sun came up and others started coming around. He was mostly quiet the whole time, making me wonder if he was on something or just felt really dumb for what he had done.

I want to give him the benefit of the doubt as he was there with his kid, who he doesn't live with. It turns out the other guy that joined us right away was in his group and they had never met this guy before that weekend. I'm sure he'll tell the other dads. Maybe that's enough, but I'm debating whether I should report it to the camp director, or let things be hoping that he learned a lesson of some sort?
 

roscoe

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Very bizarre behavior.
Well beyond scary campfire story telling.

I'd shout it from the mountain top, just to put everyone on notice to be aware and prepared.
 
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Tnstratofam

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Yeah I'm gonna say that behavior deserves some attention by the camp director. There is a whole lot of crazy out in society right now and if you or I run into it we should point it out to all the sane and rational people around us.
 

tpenfield

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Yes, people within the group that are closer to the situation need to hear about this so that they can take the appropriate steps.
 

littlerayray

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Definitely tell the what is will kill you if he does do something stupid and hurts a kid
 

MTboatguy

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He needs to be reported, I have been through similar incidents when I was in the military and they are never a sign of good things to come, report it and let somebody know what is going on, so the appropriate actions can be taken.
 

gm280

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My take on this is a little different then the previous comments. Not only would I report this to the camp director, but also the local police as well. This was not normal or something to brush off type statement. His actions were over the top and who knows, next time he could act on those ideas and we all will read about it in the national news. We see too many of these type situations these days. I would be reporting this to everyone.. Better to be safe then sorry or dead! JMHO
 

WIMUSKY

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My initial thought was he was just trying to scare the crap out of all the kids. Doesn't sound like he has enough brains to realize you don't do that type of thing, especially these days. He took it to the nth degree. No question you need to escalate the situation.... Better safe than sorry......
 

DeepCMark58A

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That is the problem the crazies never just end their own suffering, they want to take a few innocents with them.
 

jbcurt00

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Odd for sure, his passive nature once confeonted makes me wonder if he sleep walks?

Doesnt mean it shouldnt be well known by others in his group, anyone else camping near by and the staff at the camp.

Definitely not appropriate
 
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jonny rotten

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As a Boy scout when I was a kid Im looking at this a little different.Its all about the kids NOT the parents.Allthough some dads think differently,kind of like little league Dads screaming at the other dads.If this gets blown out of proportion the guys son is going to be the one suffering.He'll be embarrassed in front of the other kids and his trip will be ruined,and that would suck..I would take him to the side with one or two of the dads who witnessed it and see where it goes..Then go from there.For all you know he could have been sippin on mammas cough syrup and be very apologetic..If not go from there...That being said WAYYYY wrong and needs to be addressed.Never heard anything like it in the ten years I was scouting
 

JASinIL2006

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You really have to report this to the director, at least. That does not sound like sleep walking. Who knows why he was doing it or what caused it. Maybe it's just someone with really bad judgment who thought it would be fun to freak out a bunch of kids. (Doesn't sound like it, given his reaction.) In any case, as a parent, I'd be pretty ticked at anyone acting that way around my kids (or any kids) and I'd be really ticked if folks saw something like that, yet said nothing.

There might have been a time where you could excuse, explain away or ignore that kind of behavior, but I don't think in our times it's OK to walk around in the middle of the night in a camp full of kids and make threatening statements.
 

NYBo

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Sleepwalking, intoxication, doesn't matter. This needs to be reported to the camp director, the Scout executive for the council, and probably local law enforcement. He needs to be gone from the camp until a proper investigation is done.
 

Watermann

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This guys abnormal behavior shouldn't be given any excuses. I would however label it as being disturbing and a threat. He's probably lucky that he didn't trip a violent response from one of the other fathers. I bet where this guy lives the law enforcement knows him well. He shouldn't just be allowed to just blend in, meaning shine a light on the guy to everyone who'll listen.
 

sublauxation

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He wasn't sleep walking, we was pacing and listening to his headphones. I thought he was maybe singing along but I looked and can't find any songs with those lyrics repeated over and over and over. I wish it was him singing along as it's more disturbing that those were his own words.

The reason I didn't do more immediately was because of what Johnny Rotten said, I'd hate for this to come back on the kid. In the 1 1/2 hours I sat with him it's clear he lives in a crappy neighborhood about 15 miles from his kid. Maybe this was one of the few things he's done with the kid. He's clearly not a camper and certainly lives a different life than I do. I want to give the benefit of the doubt as maybe he's just oblivious to the normal world around him.

I did explain the inappropriateness of what he did, and that had this been a public campground I would have come out of my tent barrel first. I also let him know that had my phone battery not been dead there's a chance the cops would have rolled up. He seemed to get it, though he didn't say much.

It gets weirder though! In this random world sometimes I think things happen for a reason. Now keep in mind I live in a metro of 1.3 million people.

3 months ago our Scout den went to a go cart track. I bought the tickets but something came up and we missed it. We had never been there before. Today my wife and I took our kids there, it's about 25 miles from our house. I wouldn't have believed this possible but I immediately recognized the guy's kid at the track, looked over and there he was with what must have been the kid's mom. He recognized me, walked over, shook my hand and gave an embarrassed half man hug. I said, "no more singing at the campground" and he sheepishly said, "no more singing".

Now I'm thinking I'll give the camp director a brief overview of the events with no names and recommend that they have some sort of contingency plan in place that is explained at orientation.
 

gm280

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He wasn't sleep walking, we was pacing and listening to his headphones. I thought he was maybe singing along but I looked and can't find any songs with those lyrics repeated over and over and over. I wish it was him singing along as it's more disturbing that those were his own words.

The reason I didn't do more immediately was because of what Johnny Rotten said, I'd hate for this to come back on the kid. In the 1 1/2 hours I sat with him it's clear he lives in a crappy neighborhood about 15 miles from his kid. Maybe this was one of the few things he's done with the kid. He's clearly not a camper and certainly lives a different life than I do. I want to give the benefit of the doubt as maybe he's just oblivious to the normal world around him.

I did explain the inappropriateness of what he did, and that had this been a public campground I would have come out of my tent barrel first. I also let him know that had my phone battery not been dead there's a chance the cops would have rolled up. He seemed to get it, though he didn't say much.

It gets weirder though! In this random world sometimes I think things happen for a reason. Now keep in mind I live in a metro of 1.3 million people.

3 months ago our Scout den went to a go cart track. I bought the tickets but something came up and we missed it. We had never been there before. Today my wife and I took our kids there, it's about 25 miles from our house. I wouldn't have believed this possible but I immediately recognized the guy's kid at the track, looked over and there he was with what must have been the kid's mom. He recognized me, walked over, shook my hand and gave an embarrassed half man hug. I said, "no more singing at the campground" and he sheepishly said, "no more singing".

Now I'm thinking I'll give the camp director a brief overview of the events with no names and recommend that they have some sort of contingency plan in place that is explained at orientation.

Seems maybe you handled this better then I would have. The only reason I take that stuff with a different opinion, is because these days, once something serious takes place, there always seems to be somebody that states they should have reported strange doing by the individual that done something tragic. So I don't give folks much lead way especially when they are making threatening statements and pointing their fingers like a gun and pretending to shoot... But maybe you are a little more level headed then I... :noidea:
 

southkogs

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"In the moment" you did a fantastic job.

I had something very similar happen several years ago, and was unarmed at the time due to where I was at (with all the kids around). Did roughly what you did, and things worked out just fine. EXCELLENT of you to talk to him later too ... that's a big deal in terms of both letting him know you're not out to get him, but also that you haven't forgotten him either. Good job!

I suggest talking with the camp director. If for nothing else, to give 'em an FYI. That could save them some legal bumps in the future.
 

sublauxation

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Seems maybe you handled this better then I would have. The only reason I take that stuff with a different opinion, is because these days, once something serious takes place, there always seems to be somebody that states they should have reported strange doing by the individual that done something tragic. So I don't give folks much lead way especially when they are making threatening statements and pointing their fingers like a gun and pretending to shoot... But maybe you are a little more level headed then I... :noidea:

Maybe better only in hindsight. That's the problem, the line between over reaction and under reacting is thin and one only knows in hindsight. Completely odd that I ran into him yesterday, the odds of that have to be equivalent to a powerball win. Glad I did as I feel better about not doing more. We'd all hate to be the one who comes up short at the wrong time.
 
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