Last evening: A lost 2 year old...

Last night while getting the mail I saw my neighbors and their older girls rushing around the block in obvious terror.

Their low functioning autistic 2 year old son/brother went missing.

I went in search for him along with the police and ambulance crew and of course the family.

When cars passed I stopped them and asked if they’d seen a little boy of his description. They just nodded nope (before I could finish his description) and drove on.

When I knocked on doors asking for help? The doors were closed in my face.

This is a small town. I was dressed very presentably, nothing to fear in me.

No one even tried to help.

What's happened to small town America banning together? Helping for a cause I grant you would be hard to top?

I’m still in a bit of shock. I thought people would be swarming out to help. Someone back at home making coffee and getting donuts for the searchers.

Even the cops said to the mom ‘we can’t keep this up.’

WHAT???

It took hours to find him. We did and thank God he is ok... Maybe I’m the only one who isn’t.

What has happened to America?

Is this how deeply we’ve been split and forced to take sides on religion, politics, sexual preferences we can’t even come together to help a lost child?

peace

a reply to: silo13

Just keep shining your own little light in this world. I'm proud of you, and the many like you Glad they found the boy.

Sounds like you live in a pretty crap town. My neck of the woods, all sorts of people turn out for a missing child search.

And no, emergency services can't spend an entire shift looking for somebody. After the initial search, they have to start releasing units because, shocking as it may be, the missing person isn't the only person that needs help at any given time.

I'd say move. You've got some really selfish, uncaring neighbors. I wouldn't count on them helping me ever if I needed them-in fact, I think they'd turn on me for just about anything. Maybe they're blood-related.

Our society is crumbling. It is thankful that our community can still get volunteer firemen to risk their lives putting out fires. We could not afford to have a full time paid fire department here, there are not enough fires to justify one. Usually there is one person full time to keep things in readyness.

The society we have created is not like it was when I was a kid. Yes, back then we had a few people who were out only for themselves around here, but now it is more like half the people who are like that. On top of that, they actually look down on the people who want to help others nowadays. They want society to pay for protection and do not think people should help. If my neighbor needs help, I will help. I am glad I do not live in town anymore, people there seem to be going backwards faster.

a reply to: silo13

G!ZUS! the panic I would have felt. Dry mouth... breathing rapidly.. OMG!
Lost my Sister Littleburgh in a mall once. She was fine... but i was ready to punch a security guard for telling me to calm down. In the end I was crying. (Wimpy I know)

1: kid was found👌

2: sorry you went through that terror.

3: I would never think that a smaller community would lack in sympathy.

Man I guess Mayberry and Andy Griffith is a thing of the past...

a reply to: Justso

I've wanted to move for a long while.

Just surprises me. This is a ‘nice little town‘. Lots of churches. Parades. People greet each other by name in the stores and pharmacy. Well groomed cemeteries. A nice affordable bus system for ones who don't drive - small vans to go to the doctors or shopping. Pretty little trees along the roads and baskets of flowers hanging in the square. Lots of support for the local athletes. Bake sales. A barber shop.

Watching the demise of America is pretty tough.

Norman Ralkwell is spinning in his grave.

peace

originally posted by: silo13
a reply to: Justso

I've wanted to move for a long while.

Just surprises me. This is a ‘nice little town‘. Lots of churches. Parades. People greet each other by name in the stores and pharmacy. Well groomed cemeteries. A nice affordable bus system for ones who don't drive - small vans to go to the doctors or shopping. Pretty little trees along the roads and baskets of flowers hanging in the square. Lots of support for the local athletes. Bake sales. A barber shop.

Watching the demise of America is pretty tough.

Norman Ralkwell is spinning in his grave.

peace

Do you live in California or Washington state? Attitudes there are worse than here.

a reply to: zosimov

How very kind of you. It was terrifying. Years ago when I worked as a firefighter/emt-I we went in search for a young child and never found him. Broke my heart. But at least then the whole town was behind the searchers.

Thanks again,

grace

a reply to: rickymouse

Back in WA after many years overseas - but I think you know that.

I thought as liberal as it is around here people would be flocking to help. It was 1800, people were home for dinner, etc.

But, nope.

peace

a reply to: silo13

this is very disturbing

A community should have come together to search for a child. I am so sorry.

Compassion is lost to many.

There should have been more people helping than not.

a reply to: silo13

Greetings-

I dislike being the bearer of crap news butt.... Nobody cares unless it is "THEIR ISSUE" and then You're expected to drop everything You are doing and assist in helping them find their (fill-in blank)

As a medically retired cop from 'Merica (Ca.) My views may be skewed as I saw the "best" people at their 'worst' and "bad" people at their 'best', but the cops replying in that manner is distressing to type the least. You certainly NEVER lie to the parent(s) in such a scenario but You certainly don't communicate a lack in resources or something might be more important. Along the same lines Females were taught to yell "FIRE!! FIRE!! FIRE!!" in lieu of "Help!! HELP!! HELP!!" because nobody is going to help but a fire puts bystanders at risk of injury to Self/property...

I hope they get the lil fella some sort of 'tracking device' ?? The Lady who worked w/our P.D. and the Elderly (Elder Abuse; Dementia; Alzheimer's et al.) was successful in getting 'trackers' along w/bracelets which really cut down on searches etc.

Also "Thank You" for giving a sh!t...

a reply to: JimNasium

Sadly, where as I wouldn't have agreed with you even days ago wearing my 'rose colored glasses' - now, I do.

Fire. Fire. Fire.

Yep.

And even scarier? The woman who was comforting the mother when I headed back? She said 'You're going to have to get that boy chipped'. Holy sh!t.

Thanks for your service.

peace

a reply to: silo13

Obviously, your town likes to look and sound pretty, but where's the soul? I bet if a kid was lost in dirty old Brooklyn you'd find more caring people. Looks, especially in this case, are deceiving. That's scary. Sounds like a Stephen King novel.

a reply to: silo13

can you tell me what type of area of town you were in? Its just so hard to believe you experienced this. Not that you are lying at all, its just unbelievable.

Is it ritzy, stepford-like? Trailor town? Middle class, lower middle class, poor?

just curious

a reply to: silo13

Here in Vermont, I bet people would have banded together as you said. Perhaps it is a local thing? Are you in an urban area?

Just be glad they found the boy, that could've been tragic. Good on you for stepping up and helping!

a reply to: veracity

Solid middle class, some upper and a few trailer parks on the other side of town.

I live right next door to a high school and two churches. Like I said before - we're everything here Norman Rockwell painted.

Church picnics, barbershops, walks in the parks with your dog, weekend fishing trips and BBQ’s, small restaurants, 4th of July and Loggers Day parades. People in shops who know you by name. Etc.

Thanks for asking.

a reply to: FamCore

I spent a long time in Vermont before moving overseas. I loved South Strafford, I always think of it as home. Maybe that's why I was so surprised. I expected this-day-in-age towns to be like our towns back then.

Not.

peace & have some maple syrup candy for me!

originally posted by: silo13
a reply to: rickymouse

Back in WA after many years overseas - but I think you know that.

I thought as liberal as it is around here people would be flocking to help. It was 1800, people were home for dinner, etc.

But, nope.

peace

Liberals tend to want to start programs to help people, but they tend not to want to help them themselves personally. Liberals were for starting fire departments and funding medicaid, but they tend not to want to sit up with a neighbors kid or do things where there is any risk. Liberals tend not to act like everyone things, they want a socialist type government where the government pays for services and we pay the government. It is not like in the old churches, when a member was sick the people in the churches dropped prepared food off to help. Now, they make a go fund me page and donate.

The West coast and A few states around New York and in the DC areas are more apt to just watch and not help. Liberals feel the government should run help things. I have to bring Chicken soup to my kids and grandkids a lot when they are sick, that is not a liberal thing, liberals would send chicken soup from a restaurant over. Conservatives tend to understand chicken soup better.

My youngest daughter worked for four months in California about five years ago and got sick and needed real chicken soup. She was staying at a co-workers house, all she had was wine. It cost her seventy five bucks to buy all the ingredients to make a big pot there. Within two days she was up an atom again. It costs me an average of eight bucks to make a huge pot of soup. Enough to treat four or five people and feed them to boot.

a reply to: silo13

Yeah, back in the day, one person could form a search party that would rival any official response to a similar situation.

People cared about people, not isms and things.