Deëscalation tip #26

When an escalated individual is in a crowded space, one person should attempt to deëscalate while another clears an exit path for the person. If a person suddenly decides "enough!" and turns to leave, only to be blocked by the crowd, that is a situation that can lead straight back to escalated emotions and actions. 

That is sometimes when you can see a weapon appear as the person boomerangs from the tentative deëscalated state back to even more elevated escalatory behaviors. A line of sight to the exit (the door or a far less crowded area) is the job of the second member of a peace team--whether that's an official peace team or a simple ad hoc momentary collaboration. 

We were taught this by the late Genny Nelson, founder of Sisters of the Road Cafe, a place for street people to eat a cheap nourishing meal, and a place frequently extremely crowded. Genny reminds me of the best eulogy I've ever read--that of Philip Noel-Baker made for Gandhi: "His greatest achievements are yet to come." Genny changed street culture in Portland and she planted the seeds of nonviolence that can still sprout and flourish.