Walking down Main street in Salt Lake City this afternoon. I see a homeless guy standing between the planters yelling about burning Salt Lake down. As I try to pass, within 5ft, of the guy I look him straight in the eye. He steps out in front of me and says "“F"ing chubby old man you have an a$$ whopin coming”. I have years of martial arts training and I also carry everyday everywhere. I take a defensive posture, open hands up in front of my face, elbows in tight, quarter turn knife stance, and I say “Go back over there” pointing at his stuff piled in a wheel chair. He backs away, toward his stuff telling me how he’s goin to kill me blah blah blah. By now a couple of guys run up to intervene. He grabs his wheel chair and pushes it off down the street yelling about how the “Father from the West and Brother from the East” were going to get me. When I got to my wifes store and told her she ask the $10,000 question, “Did you draw on him?”. “Of course not” he was an aggressive loud mouth for sure but in the United States you can say anything you want, even threaten people as long as you keep your hands to yourself. Not to mention going hand to hand with this guy would have been a very short experience for him.
@Mike164, you did the right thing. First of all you can’t draw down on him even though he stated he carries every day and he could be lying and just wanted to intimidate you. You can also figure out that there is some type of mental illness going on. Best thing to do in this situation is walk away and ignore. If he continues to curse and act belligerent and comes towards you and puts his hands on you, you defend yourself with your fists. Don’t let anyone hook you into making a bad decision.
I was threatened with “gun violence” by a homeless person here in Charlotte a number of years ago downtown (please stop calling it uptown).
My downtown has it’s fair share of homeless, and many of them suffer from mental illness. Others are simply drunks, or are down on their luck. But those with mental illness, you see them talking to people who aren’t there, or blabbering nonsense. A few can get aggressive. I have had to get between them and my family on a couple of occasions, but if I’m being honest, I don’t want to lay hands on them. First, they’re dirty. But more than that, they’re not right in the head. If it can be avoided, I don’t want to punch a person suffering from mental illness any more than I want to kick a paraplegic. I’m not saying I wouldn’t shoot someone who was a present threat to my own life or that of my family, but I would feel simply awful if I had to shoot someone who didn’t really understand what was happening around him.
I wish I had an answer for the atrocious state of mental health in my city.
Thanks Mike164 for sharing; And thank you Johnnyq60, I cannot add onto the eloquence of your reply. I did stumble across a related post I linked below.
Attached is a link to a blog which discusses how to react when facing a threat. Although the author focuses on the homeless, he brings to light being careful not to over react.
What resonated with me the most, is if ever one should place their hand on their weapon, brandish, or even draw? I’ve heard other schools of thought to never do either, but either do not shoot, or shoot (God forbid we ever have to).
The author of this blog, Pike, wrote “Are the Homeless a Threat? By and large, no. Homeless people are much more likely to be victims of abuse than to abuse”.
However, within the general population, what do other authors or articles write about placing our hand on our firearm, brandishing, or drawing, Vs. doing none of the above, but in a worst case scenario — shooting Vs. not shooting approach?
I realize this topic can be sensitive and controversial, as it can encompass legalities, varying techniques or strategies. Since you’re on a public forum, and all can see your comments, please consider framing your comment not in terms of what you would do, but instead refer to a third party resource or share a link which is not necessarily your own opinion.
Blog: The Homeless and Self Defense - GAT Daily (Guns Ammo Tactical)
Just start arguing with yourself, they run away😉
I learned to look through people, not at people. Eye contact was an issued challenge. One you didn’t need.
@Karacal 's advice is truer than some may think.
Or start undressing while saying I love nekid wrestling 
Could backfire if the other person ends up being into naked wrestling as well;)
Look at the ground and tell them you just dropped $ 20. Bucks as your walking away.
You did the right thing. However, as a smaller individual, I’d have had my OC gel in my support hand. So long as he complied and didn’t advance, he wouldn’t feel the burn of the Blessing of the Hot Sauce.
Nice job Mike, thanks for sharing! The gun is always the last resort, I think it’s great that you kept you head and did the right thing. I’m not trained in martial arts like yourself. I do always carry pepper spray along with my EDC.
You did the right thing. Your life wasn’t threatened. It was just a deranged lunatic trying to instill fear in you and you stood your ground and didn’t act irrationally knowing you had the upper hand to do so. Good job!
Good job sir. You did the right thing!
So glad you walked away from the situation without any level of force being needed to defend yourself, @Mike164.
Playing devil’s advocate here, why didn’t you cross the street so you didn’t have to get within 5 feet of him? 
Most self-defense situations happen at very close range, keeping distance can be critical in your self-defense. The extra steps might take longer, but they can make a huge difference (and I know I can use the extra steps every day. 
~Dawn
If I had a nickel for every time someone said they were going to kill me, I’d be a fabulously wealthy man. If I had a dollar for every time I went for my firearm in response, I wouldn’t even be able to buy a cup of coffee.
We talk about this all of the time. The fact is, down here where I live, if you walk outside you are exposed to the homeless. They are everywhere, both sides of the streets and in some cases they work as roving groups walking around asking for money, cigarettes, food, lighters… For us, here in downtown Salt Lake City, we have to live with them in close proximity all of the time.
I found laughing and saying “cool” in an enthused manner seemed to get the antagonists wires crossed…along those lines, had a dog, nice Shepard, sicced on me one day. Dog comes charging at me, I clapped my hands on my knees and said “here boy”…and the dog.got.confused…and the guy got pissed…and I got away.
Psychology can work miracles. I learned in Miami, late '70’s living on the street during the Cuban influx and the height of the cocaine trade, and a year later, homeless in San Francisco…good times 
Luckily I’ve never had that happen.
Possibly because I’m 6’6”, 360, all tattled up, ear gages,lol
Welcome to the community @Jer66ome !
Sounds like you can diffuse a lot of threatening situations just by walking down the street;)