Being alert can cause a fight?

This was sent by Tim Walker and raises an interesting point. The "cell phone trick" is worth noting.
The USCCA is a concealed carry organization.

How Being Alert Almost Caused a Fight.
by Patrick Kilchermann, USCCA Team Member

Okay, my friend Brad and I were walking down a sidewalk, shooting the bull about his job search since moving to Colorado. He isn't especially "aware" like I am, and was focused mostly on our conversation- something that actually worked to his benefit in this case. I, on the other hand, was carrying my GLOCK 26 under a button up shirt, and was taking careful note at the shabbiness of the neighborhood that we were in.
I generally carry my GLOCK 26 when I'm in a comfortable environment, and my GLOCK 19 with a spare magazine when I'm not so sure, and I was just starting to wish I had my 19 and spare magazine when this bright, shiny, white 1970s Oldsmobile with black tinted windows rolled up on the opposite side of the road, and parked in front of an especially junkie house.
"Don't look now, but I think we've got a car load of gang bangers pulling up to buy some drugs."
Sure enough, all four doors opened, and four stereotypical gang bangers got out. One of them looked right at me as he got out. I nodded, and turned forward, and kept talking to Brad.
I must note... I'm not from the city, and I hate being in cities. I live out in the middle of "nowhere Michigan", and simply have no experience dealing with these types of guys. Where I live, a nod without a smile is another way to say 'don't bother me, and I won't bother you'. Anyway...
My pulse was already up a bit, and I wasn't eased when I turned back 3 or 4 seconds later to make sure we weren't being followed: Three of the bangers were entering the house, and the fourth who I made eye contact with was standing in the driveway, staring at me. I turned forward, and a few seconds later, I turned back again. Now he's standing behind a big bush, partially concealed, watching us. I mention the fact to Brad, and he turns and looks, and is immediately on edge. "Why would they be looking at us?!" "I don't know... let's just keep walking." I said. Well, we walked for another 1/4 mile north, turned west, walked for a block, and were walking south again. I had just began to think it was nothing, when here comes the white Olds toward us. They must had driven south, turned west, and turned north.
We kept walking, but I made eye contact again as they drove by. I was walking as confidently as I could- hoping to project the idea that they should just keep driving. I'm only 5'10" and maybe 150lbs while holding a 5lb dumbell... but Brad is at least 6'3", 200lbs, and looks like he could do some damage. I was hoping that was enough...They drove past, and all four of them stared hard at us. Gulp. "Brad, did you see those guys staring?" I asked, trying to sound confident. "YES! What is the deal?!" He said. He wasn't scared, but bewildered. After two or three seconds, I turned, and my stomach dropped. The Olds was stopped right in the middle of their lane, about 50 yards behind us, and the passenger was leaning out his window STARING at us. I mean... his whole upper half was leaning out of that car window. I made sure he wasn't holding a gun or anything, and turned to Brad: "Dude, they are stopped, check it out!" Brad turned, and quickly turned back again, saying "You must be bad luck! I've NEVER had anything like that happen here, and I jog on this trail all the time! Let's hurry and get the heck home!"
We kept walking, and I turned back 5 seconds later. Same thing. 5 more seconds later, and the car had drive another 50 yards to a stop sign, and was stopped with its right blinker on- except the passenger was still staring back at us. The second the car broke the corner and disappeared, we broke into a jog, crossed the street, and took a different path home.WHEW....
Now fast forward a few weeks....
I've been talking to Joshua Pellicer (body language expert) after the interview I did with him a while back (members got a copy of this here), and I brought this incident up. What he told me opened my eyes in a big way. He said (paraphrased): "These guys obviously didn't want to be noticed- nobody with bad intentions ever does. So Brad never has an issue, because no bad-guys (wolves) deem him to be a threat- they can tell that he's harmless (a sheep). But you set off their own radars, because you noticed them. This is why armed citizens almost encourage attacks in some ways- because the bad guys pick up on their defiant waves, and they almost see it as a challenge." So I asked Josh- How can we remain in condition yellow then, without telegraphing to all the bad-guys in the area "I'm watching you, so you had better shoot me first!" Josh said, "Remember the cell phone trick that we talked about right in the beginning of the interview that we did on body language?" "Yes, of course." I said. "The same rule applies here. If someone is sneaking up behind you, you don't want to turn around and confront them, because then they'll be pushed to act. The same thing applies here! You can look at them to see what they are doing, but you have to look at them in a way that won't trip their radar, which is exactly what that part of the interview was all about."
This was a huge breakthrough for me- I had always assumed that a "wolf" would run at the sign of a "sheepdog", but I guess that doesn't apply if the "wolf" just bought a felonious amount of drugs, and you are on the wolf's turf.