Bystander Effect, Woman Assaulted in Public.

Today was a very unusual day.

I work at a Subway/Exxon, (ghetto I know, it's on a main highway). That's just location of what's about to go down.

The town is a high class, upper class citizens.

After my what 8th hour working my shift alone, I noticed a truck with 4 mexican guys, and a mexican woman holding a baby, avg age is about 25-30 for them all.

Well they all got out went into the gas station and came back.

Problem was (guessing because the truck's stolen) that they were locked out of the car, so the man looks around for a slim jim in the back, gets one and after a minute passes can't get it, so he looks around at everyone.

Then get's really nervous and anxious, because knowing me, i'm just staring at them! Laughin mind you!

The man then goes and finds a hammer, and breaks the window.

The woman with the baby (who I believed was dating the man breaking the window. (note the sun is still out and cars are driving back and forth paying no attention to the man who appears to be breaking into a car!) ) immediatley gets expression wise upset, and steadfast walks toward the man who has begun to what I saw start to hot wire the car to make it start again, while everyone else is in the car, the woman seems to refuse to go with them.

Well when this happens and she's close to him, he grabs the baby from her, (this is where I get upset) she goes to take the baby back, and he kinda pushes the baby toward her, and starts punchin her, (really hard!!!!) in the face and shoulder, then grabs her across him and thrusts her into the car.

This is when I have written down the license plate, and make model everything. He speeds off, while im on the phone with the police.

I find the glass and it has more information about the car specifically on the glass. I call the police back and tell them, they said they had traced the truck, about 60 miles up and have handed the report to the next jurisdiction to handle the assault and possible auto theft.

I was interrogated by the police, kind fellow. He took photos of the glass and etc...

What really upsets me is, that at least 100 people had come and gone, and had seen this, yet anyone who saw it, immediately looked away and went on with their business, I asked a man though.

If I should call the police about it, he told me not to, and that hopefully it'll resolve itself in the future.

Call me a snitch or whatever, but if I see a man punching a woman, especially with a baby, i'm going to do whatever to stop it!!!

Why am I the only person out of everyone to actually, i'll say it, man up, and try to stop an apparently innocent woman from being beaten!


If your worried about guantanomo inmates, and other things, why not worry about something that has happened right infront of you!!! Yet no attention is paid!

I'd like to point you to a online friends newest thread, which I found went great with my message.

WatcherinTheShadows thread. Watchers Tips.

I want to ask everyone, in my position, what would you have done.

Honestly what do you think you would've done, it's very easy to ignore it, because it doesn't involve you, and it's none of your business, but in actuallity, I believe it is my business. Very much so. But what would you of done!

I've asked all my friends, they said they would of done what I did, but I've seen them in these situations, their itching to leave when something is asked of them like that. It's also easy to make up excuses to why you shouldn't.

Depends on if I have my children with me or not. If I do, I call the police.



If I don't - well I probably wouldn't assume they were stealing the car. I'd assume the car was theirs and that they were locked out.

BUT once I saw the next part I'd be heading over yelling about it so as to bring the attention that the guy didn't want to the situation. While calling the police.


I do think that people who talk up and have a view on "snitches" are usually low class dirt bags and I really don't give a rat's behind what they'd think anyways. They want me and you and everyone else to live in a freakin' nasty dangerous gutter for their benefit and not mine or yours. They don't care about YOU so why should you care about them thinking you're a "rat" or a "snitch."

As you can see, this is a personal annoyance of mine.

This makes you merely a good human being. Something that more people should aspire to.

reply to post by Aeons


Honestly I didn't think they where stealing the car, I was actually laughing while watching them struggle.

Then the glass broke and he was beating a woman. That's when my attitude changed.

The guy was in a hurry, and seem very nervous and anxious to leave. He covered roughly 60 miles in about 10 minutes......wow! I don't know how he did it, but wow!

The thing is, he did this in the parking lot, in full view of EVERYONE yet noone thought to do a darn thing about it, it's sickening how people can watch a woman be punched in the face repeatedly with a baby in the hand, and just really not care......or not enough to take action.

I don't know, that snitchin thing pisses me off to no end too! The only thing I fear is that, they'll come after me, but really I think even hard criminals are against this crap right here.

I'm stunned that me just some young college guy, thought hey, I should try and stop this, instead of all the business professionals, and bodybuilders that were around.

I don't know, I saw the tv show "What would you do?" and alot of people stand up, but here not one did anything!

I hope if I'm ever being stabbed in the middle of a mall, someone alerts attention and gets help. Knowing the USA now of today, they'd probably just look the other way.

Being a suit doesn't seem to make people "better" people. The worst people for getting up on the bus for the pregnant woman or the old lady around here are the men in business suits. I can see a punk, another woman, a drunk, a construction worker who has been on his feet all day get up WAY before the guy in the suit.

I'm sorry to tell you. We are the exception.

Most people won't do anything. Sometimes it is fear, or bias. Sometimes it is just that they don't know what to do. I don't suggest you put yourself in harms way, but never be afraid of it either. Many people just freeze - their brains shut down in the face of problems and danger....they'll often claim otherwise, but it is what happens. They shut down and go on autopilot.

If you are really lucky, you'll develop an ability to galvanize the people around you in situations. That when something bad happens, people will look for someone who becomes the barometre for the situation. You get to be the barometre.

While standing alone to do the right thing in a crowd is lonely, and sometimes dangerous, it is also defining. It takes a crowd to be stupid and ignore and ALLOW bad things. But it only takes ONE person to change it.

This is the odd thing about humanity. There aren't many of us who care. And there are fewer who would do anything. But sometimes, being the just one person willing to do the right thing brings out the Human in everyone else.

So don't be oppressed by the crowd. It only takes one person to change the crowd.

"One man with courage makes a majority." -Andrew Jackson

“Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead

[edit on 2009/6/29 by Aeons]

Hats off to you! Great job! I would have alerted the police sure thing and probably would have confronted him physically. But that's just me. i'm not a scumbag who doesn't care.

Good for you for calling the police. I can say that if I were there, he'd be busy picking up his teeth when the police got there. I'm not prone to violence, but beating on a woman will provoke me to it, especially with a baby involved.

It's sad that so many people have a 'it's not my problem' attitude. If you ask me, they lack courage. Anyone who just stood by and did nothing should have to wear this button:

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/8c8b21e6c862.jpg[/atsimg]

[edit on 29-6-2009 by JaxonRoberts]

reply to post by JaxonRoberts


Too funny!

I really thought about doing something physically, but there were quite a few other guys, and I was on the clock, and really, their mexicans and i'm white/caucasion . It'd be considered a hate crime I know it, then they'd sue me for everything and make my life hell.

So I decided just to call the police and let them do it!

reply to post by Republican08


In a way, it would have been a hate crime, as I hate cowards who beat on women, regardless of ethnicity. Given that a baby was involved, I'm pretty sure my law firm; Dewey, Cheatum and Howe, would be able to get it thrown out. However, being as you were at work, you did the right thing.

reply to post by JaxonRoberts


Yep, I know that even though it's subway, i'm in uniform and am a sole representative and image of the Company it is, and that's a big responsibility in these cases!

Trust me, my adrenaline was pumpin hard. I actually couldn't believe it was happening, what sucks is, he's still out their and a baby is being brought into a world watching it's creator get beat.

That's wrong on so many levels.

Originally posted by Republican08
reply to post by JaxonRoberts

 

Too funny!

I really thought about doing something physically, but there were quite a few other guys, and I was on the clock, and really, their mexicans and i'm white/caucasion

. It'd be considered a hate crime I know it, then they'd sue me for everything and make my life hell.

So I decided just to call the police and let them do it!

Self Deception. "I didn't do it because of this, or this, or this.."

I see a man get physical with any woman that I determine to be "offensive" rather than "defensive", let alone a woman with a child, I'm putting the smash on him and anyone that has an issue with that. Even if I eat it, at least I go down a principled person who stepped in when 100 gutless bastards cruised on by with no concern for their fellow man.

My best friend and I in high school had the same photography class. It's December, it's snowing, it's cold and miserable, but we dicked around so long that we were rushing our midterm nature project. We're cruising around downtown in my Mustang, slipping and sliding all around trying to get these snowing pictures. It's probably 9pm on a Sunday night and we're headed down a hill (terrifying in the old 5.0 in winter) and we see a Sebring with skid marks in the snow which lead to a curb, and by the time we get the car stopped, we're like 4 houses down.

There's two people standing to the side of the curb that we assumed were just waiting on a tow truck or something, looking at their car or the damage, whatever...

I walk up there, Ry, waits in the car and I say "Everybody okay?" And they don't say anything, which makes me suspicious, as the car door is wide open on the passenger side where they're standing and it's snowing. I get closer and I can see that it's a man and a woman. I repeat again "Is everybody okay?" and the guy stutters and says "y..y..y..yeah.. We're fine." I get up close and the woman's mascara is running and it seems like he's holding her. That all makes sense so I said, "You sure you don't need anything?" The guy again says "No. We're fine. Thanks."

I'm walking back to my car and as soon as I get in my friend says "Holy #! He just hit her!" and as I look back I can see him holding her coat with his hand raised again as she is now up against the car with her hands protecting her face...

We both pop out immediately and ran up to this tool bag. I 40 yard dash, uphill, in the snow, and tackle this scumbag. My friend Ryan is frantically talking to the woman, and trying to get her out of the way and back to my car. We're rithing around on the ground and I get full mount and this guys' night is ruined in short order.

I called the police and reported an "incident" and the approximate address where it had happened. The woman is still shaken up and as we're giving her a ride home, she tells us that "it's not the first time" and "I was breaking it off with him because he's too controlling." She was a Christian music producer for a pretty well known company here, and it was weird how fast you get to know a random person after you give or recieve help. She seemed like a beautiful person that in no way deserved that to happen to her at the hands of some insecure coward.

Who knows what would have happened if we just left. If we just stood by. If we just let the police deal with it? Right then, she was vulnerable and may have been worse if she was left by herself in that situation.

After that night I became a different person. I will never decieve myself with would have should haves and know in my heart what is right and when it's right.

This isn't saying that machismo always prevails, sometimes it complicates situations, but there has been more than a handful of times where I acted on my (animal) instinct and prevailed.

The great divide between Lion and lambs. I'd rather live as and leave this earth as the first one.




[edit on 29-6-2009 by DeadFlagBlues]

I had parked my car in a small car park out the front of my local Milk Bar as I had to run in to grab a paper and a few small things. Suddenly two cars came into the car park... the second screeched in.

Out of the first car came a small older man, and out of the second came a rather large burly man in work clothes. The burly man started shouting at the older man and then grabbed him. A scuffled ensued... a road rage incident.

I looked around me from the footpath and there were about 3-4 other guys watching (including myself). Due to the size of the burly guy all the bystanders were looking at each other as if to say... well... who's game enough to get involved.

The burly guy started to punch this older man while he was holding him. It was then that I thought..."bugger it" and I ran over and got in between them. I pushed the old man back behind me and held an outstretched arm with an open hand against the burly guys chest to get distance between them.

I said to him.."c'mon... this sort of sh!t is for younger guys... calm down... no one got hurt... just go your separate ways".

The burly guy then tried to throw a reaching punch around my head to try and hit the old man behind me. I pushed him back harder and said "jesus... you nearly punched me then... control yourself mate... calm down... don't make me have to defend myself too".

I thought he started to calm down and I relaxed the arm that was holding him back.... bad move! He lunged again and threw another punch toward the old man that clipped my ear... which bloody hurt!

Without thinking I gave the burly guy an almighty uppercut to the lower jaw, his eye's rolled back into his head and he dropped like a sack of potatoes.... glass jaw!

I told the old guy to just go... leave. But instead he walked into the milk bar. I woke the burly guy up and said no hard feelings... and he was ok with it. He wasn't aggressive toward me at all... probably because he was groggy and disoriented. He walked back to his car and left.

I was shaking a little but I remembered I still had to go to the milk bar myself. I walked inside and it turned out that this old guy worked there (or owned the place) as he was standing behind the counter. I got my stuff and placed it on the counter.

The old guy charged me full price and didn't even say thank you for saving his sorry ass. I paused and waited - but a thanks was not forthcoming. When I walked out of the shop, I turned and said sarcastically... "yeah... no problems mate... anytime"...

I decided then that that would be the last time I put myself in mortal danger to help anyone!


IRM

Grammatical Edit

[edit on 29/6/09 by InfaRedMan]

I would like to think I'd do the same as you, at least go over to them yelling "Hey, don't hit her! Are you nuts!" then call the cops. I know in situations like this, time seems to speed up sometimes as I think may have happened to you, as I read your description:

The guy was in a hurry, and seem very nervous and anxious to leave. He covered roughly 60 miles in about 10 minutes......wow! I don't know how he did it, but wow!

Wow! is right, that's 360 miles an hour! Anyway, Thank You for doing the right thing.

reply to post by InfaRedMan


Remember mate, All the things you do for other people, especially the ones that don't even offer a "Thank You", they add up. It's called Karma, you will ultimately be rewarded...

Kudos to you Op, chivalry lives!

I help out whenever and wherever I can until someone calls the police.
Keep in mind, that it's not worth getting tazed, beat up, or shot over it.

reply to post by Oatmeal


Time was probably messed up for me, but you know those sneaky mexicans, they have light speed on their side!!!

I don't think I could've fought the guy.

It's a you had to be their type of situation.

And if I may insinuate, the guy seemed "tweaked", I highly highly doubt any of them spoke any english at all. Their were also four of them, and one of me!

If he's carrying illegal substances across, I don't want to make my name popular around it! Get what i'm saying. The guy seemed shifty.

If he's willing to break windows and punch women and children in public. I figure it's best to stay a safe distance, and alert the authorities, police have been against me but it felt good to have them doing the right thing.

I'm surprised ats wanted me to fight him! I figured I would of just got a kudos, not a try harder next time attitude!

I am in a bit of legal trouble right now, though, and if you know me well, I did the right thing by not fighting, I could very well be in prison right now.

Just got to stay low....

reply to post by Republican08


I believe you did the right thing and just to add, I do know those "sneaky Mexicans", quite well in fact

Originally posted by Oatmeal
reply to post by Republican08

 

I believe you did the right thing and just to add, I do know those "sneaky Mexicans", quite well in fact

I forgot to add into that! I'm Not Racist!!! At all even the least bit, I joke kiddingly, although I have no mexican friends, It's not by choice, just by lifestyle really. I don't interact much with my hispanic hombres.

Although this guy was awkwardly wearing a wife beater, while, well you know.

That I found ironic.

I'm not racist, when I say sneaky mexicans it's all in good jest, i'm not saying their all women beaters or anything, just this one piece of crap he is, i'll list the license plate if anyone wants to know what to look for, he's definately heading north from ft. worth.

reply to post by Republican08


I married one...

Originally posted by Oatmeal
reply to post by Republican08

 

I married one...

You married a sneaky mexican! LMAO.

Remember, to beware, their a very sneaky of people!

One day theirs three cookies in the cookie jar, then in a split second theirs two, and you see a sneaky mexican 3 blocks down eating a cookie!

SNEAKY.

I've gotten off topic though, but you've made me laugh!

reply to post by Republican08


Why didn't you shoot him?

Surely, just pointing your gun at him would have had the desired effect.


Did an Unconstitutional and illegal law force you to leave your gun at home...


Edit; You did more than most, I am not coming down on your for anything - but imagine how much braver those people would have been had they been armed.... That criminal would not have made into the car; he wouldn't have even considered committing the crime.

[edit on 29-6-2009 by Exuberant1]