What’s scarier: The slaying, or the bystanders who heard and did nothing?

[ericrwalker]

'cause even I didn't get to be in a place where human life was in danger and where police/firfefighters/ambulance was not already there.

What?

Are you saying help is always there when someone is in need?

Who are you directing this towards?

 

[notjustjay]

if there is accident people come watching , even park their cars in the middle of the road to have a closer look and take pictures with their mobiles instead of helping , same happens if someone get beaten to death .
People are more concerned that their mobile phone battery is charged then interested in helping someone in need .

Well, sure. Because if you're the guy who got the video footage of the incident, you could become famous. YouTube, CNN, late night TV... Who wouldn't want that kind of fame and fortune?

Wait, really? Is this really how people think...? I've called 911 tons of times. Sometimes upon being the first person to see it occur, and sometimes being part of a crowd. If someone says "Someone call 911" my phone's always the first one out. I really don't understand why *everyone* wouldn't be calling...

I would probably reach for my cell phone in order to call, but if I saw that amongst the crowd other people were also calling, I might not proceed any further. The risk is that the other person who sees me thinks the same thing... I guess the safest thing to do is task one specific person to ensure that it gets done.

 

[japasneezemonk]

In the mid-90's I lived in Chicago's South Side but attended Lane Tech up in the North Side(Addison/Western), and so it was that I would sometimes ride the Blue Line train down and then ride the bus down to my house. On one of those days as I walked over to the Bus Stop two men who were about 6 feet tall came up to me and started kicking me and punching me for no reason (I was 14, 5'3", skinny, nerdy and was reading some Kurt Vonnegut.) They then slammed my head against a brick wall a couple of times and laughed at me while asking me, "What the ***** are you going to do?" Obviously nothing, I was outnumbered and these men were stronger and at least a foot taller than me. The whole ass kicking didn't come as a surprise, I should have known better. Walking through sketchy parts of the city can sometimes be dangerous, but I enjoyed exploring. What really bothered me was the fact that while getting beat up, people who I recognized because we rode the train togheter on a daily basis did nothing. There must have been about 10 people who I could recognize and they either walked away or acted as if notning was happening. I did learn my lesson though, only ride the Orange Line.

 

[slow911]

what would you have done ? the same thing the security guard did no doubt.

and this is on north Michigan ave. on the Mag Mile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JgrVJcZv_vw

 

[SpeedFleX]

Sad, sad world :,(

I hope in a situation like that I would do something to help....

"The video of a Chinese toddler being hit by two trucks as witnesses did nothing spurred international debate about China’s character. Perhaps it’s a nation whose moral fiber is decaying because capitalism has grabbed hold of its soul, we pontificated."

What does this have to do with anything?

 

[Sanveann]

It's like this case in the social sciences where this lady in a NYC suburban apartment was being raped and was killed at the end,

Police reports said that over 20 people heard the screams for help but nobody called for help because they each thought somebody would dial 911 but nobody did.

That's the Kitty Genovese case. What actually happened has been greatly exaggerated -- this article goes into detail: http://www.psych.lancs.ac.uk/people/uploads/MarkLevine20070604T095238.pdf

 

[GFLPraxis]

I would probably reach for my cell phone in order to call, but if I saw that amongst the crowd other people were also calling, I might not proceed any further. The risk is that the other person who sees me thinks the same thing... I guess the safest thing to do is task one specific person to ensure that it gets done.

I've had the 911 operator have me verify the location and then tell me they had already been called and had someone on the way. They don't act rude about it or make you feel embarrassed. Who does it hurt to have multiple callers? Just be calm and summarize the situation quick on the phone so they can tell you fast if they already know.

What kind of ultra-violent neighborhood do you live in, actually? Or what is your occupation?

'cause even I didn't get to be in a place where human life was in danger and where police/firfefighters/ambulance was not already there.

It's not even my neighborhood...only once (a gunshot wound, actually) was in my neighborhood. Well, another time was in my old neighborhood (neighbor's house caught on fire). Then there was a time I found a girl in the middle of a road near a friend's house lying in the street, a guy I found unconscious bleeding in the street downtown with a head injury (possibly a fall), the time I saw a head on car crash in front of me on black ice on a highway at 6 AM with no other cars on the street...the bank robbery I witnessed was in another city entirely, actually, I was on vacation.

I work in IT. Definitely unrelated.

 

[MacNut]

They want you to call 911. The more calls they get will show just how serious a problem it is. The number is there for a reason, its to report emergencies no matter how big or small you think it is.