[Trigger warning: violence]

When I was 15 or 16 years old, I bought my first pair of steel-toe boots. I was on a budget and could only afford a pair of German army boots at the sketchy* army surplus store.
I had two reasons to get these boots:
1. They completed my outfit as a metalhead.
2. They protected my feet from bruises while I had fun in mosh pits during rowdy shows.
For a couple of years, I wore steal-toe combat boots for style and the aforementioned practical reasons — not having bruised toes after moshing hard at a show was kind of nice.
Then, it might have been in 2000 or 2001, one night changed my motivation for wearing combat boots. It was late, about midnight, and I had taken the last train from the big city to the cozy suburb I lived in. I don’t remember what event or party I attended, but what I remember is being chased by two skinheads across town.
As the only person disembarking the train, I left the platform through the barely lit underpass. Walking across the bus terminal, I noticed two skinheads beating the shit out of a person of color. I shouted at them from a distance and proceeded to insult them. My memory is foggy about the exact words I used, but I think I called them “cowards” and “nazi pigs”. Being called out, they decided to come chasing after me instead of beating the person who was already down.
I think I ran for about 1/4 of a mile or so until they stopped hunting me. I didn’t talk to my parents, I only told two close friends about what happened, and there was nothing in the local news about skinheads attacking somebody. I don’t remember why I didn’t call the police; maybe I didn’t have my mobile phone with me or its battery was empty?
Anyway, after that night, I decided to wear my combat boots with a new purpose. If someone was going to kick me, I would at least kick back as hard and painfully as I could. Over the following years, wearing combat boots all the time might have been one reason why people started fucking with me a lot less, though I don’t know for sure. Over the years, I ended up kicking people while wearing them only a couple of times, and only as a last resort – I find any violence revolting and am usually a de-escalator and peacekeeper.
Eventually, I went back to wearing my combat boots mostly for style reasons and occasionally to prevent bruised toes from shows.
Starting today, I’m going to wear my combat boots for personal protection. It’s time to figuratively and literally wear them again. Neither I or my community will be fucked with by fascists without me giving them the kicking of their life.
* I’m calling the store sketchy because it was run by people who fetishized the military. It was the only place that I know of that sold boots like this.