Citizen Criticized for not Intervening in Sexual Assault

[Natasha]

I wonder if her actions would have been criticized if she had done something and gotten shot. I could imagine the police saying "This was a police matter, it's better to call 911 and let officers handle business like this." Seems to me like anything anyone does can be 'criticized' these days.

And if she should of done something, why didn't the person handling her 911 call tell her too?

Mark it on the calendar...I agree w/ Bri. That's exactly why we don't tell people to intervene. We actually advise them not to. Now if they do it on their own, that's their choice...but we never ever tell them to b/c if they were to get hurt they are going to come back and say that we made them do it.

 

[Sneakiecat]

Another forum I was on posed the question.....(not long after the Melbourne assault I posted about earlier in the thread)

"who WOULD get involved" whether it be a domestic...a kids fight....whatever.


I was SHOCKED at the people who said they wouldnt. I would hope that if I was being attacked or raped IN FULL VIEW OF THE PUBLIC...SOMEONE would do something OTHER than ring the authorities


I know I would.

I wouldn't. I would certainly call for help but there's no way I would get physically involved. I know my physical capabilities and I would only be putting myself in danger and in the way of the police when they got there. There's no sense in me getting hurt and not being able to call by putting myself in a situation I stand no chance in.

 

[cam elle toe]

I wouldn't. I would certainly call for help but there's no way I would get physically involved. I know my physical capabilities and I would only be putting myself in danger and in the way of the police when they got there. There's no sense in me getting hurt and not being able to call by putting myself in a situation I stand no chance in.

I wouldnt put myself intentionally in danger either.....but, like Janie said earlier...and I'll use this case as an example.

Just driving right up to the bastard, with horn blaring and lights flashing...calling out to other people who MUST have been around as well..."HEY...whats he doing...someone DO something" THAT in itself may have scared him off.....

ANYTHING to stop the attack......

 

[HottyToddyChick]

I couldn't have endangered myself, but I agree Tracey- draw attention to him and scare him off.

My parents were driving down the road one day and noticed the car in front of them swerving. They could see the outlines of the people in the car, and it looked like they were getting into it. The car pulled off the highway and the guy tackled the lady out of the passenger side. So my dad pulls over, tells my mom to stay, gets out and walks to this couple. They're on the ground, guy pinning her down and choking her. My dad is not a big man, he's 5'8" all of 160 lbs, but he can be scary as f***. He gets the guy off the girl, tells her to get in the car. Another lady has pulled off the road at this time and is calling the cops. The guy makes a move toward his trunk, and my dad steps in the way. So the guy goes for the girl. My dad stood between the two of them for about 15 minutes before cops showed up. I can't remember what he said, but I know he had a few words for the guy. Granted, my dad is a Marine and worked in an MP department for a few years.

 

[cam elle toe]

I couldn't have endangered myself, but I agree Tracey- draw attention to him and scare him off.

My parents were driving down the road one day and noticed the car in front of them swerving. They could see the outlines of the people in the car, and it looked like they were getting into it. The car pulled off the highway and the guy tackled the lady out of the passenger side. So my dad pulls over, tells my mom to stay, gets out and walks to this couple. They're on the ground, guy pinning her down and choking her. My dad is not a big man, he's 5'8" all of 160 lbs, but he can be scary as f***. He gets the guy off the girl, tells her to get in the car. Another lady has pulled off the road at this time and is calling the cops. The guy makes a move toward his trunk, and my dad steps in the way. So the guy goes for the girl. My dad stood between the two of them for about 15 minutes before cops showed up. I can't remember what he said, but I know he had a few words for the guy. Granted, my dad is a Marine and worked in an MP department for a few years.

:clap:clap YAY for Kimmies dad.

I have been lucky.....I have intervened in several fights......never when its just two drunken idiotic men going at it.....they can sort themselves out, but a few when a bloke has been laying into his girlfriend.

they will usually stop the attack long enough to start hurling abuse at me....so I just hurl the abuse back, until the cops come or the girlfriend recovers enough to make her escape.

 

[Accountable]

I know it's not exactly the same situation, but I've been in one similar.

When I was married, my husband and I were moving from one house to another. While trying to load the last few boxes in the back of my car, so I could finally call it a day, I accidentally broke a collectible football helmet he owned. After becoming completely unglued, my husband jumped into the car and sped away, leaving me alone in the driveway. Soon, he came back and I thought he'd calmed down enough for it to be safe for me to get into the car with him.

I did, and as we drove away, he began to scream at me. Then, he pulled over and started hitting me. I managed to get out of the car and run for a few feet, but he caught up to me and dragged me back to the car by my hair, kicking me the entire way. A few people drove by, and one man in a truck slowed down, but I screamed at him to get the hell out of there. My husband was in a bad mood, and there is no limit to what he'll do to somebody when he's in a bad mood. He would have killed somebody who tried to help me, and I would have felt guilty over that for the rest of my life.

Anyway, the point of all this is I can honestly say that, as a victim, I would not want somebody to put their life in danger trying to play the hero with a crazy person. I think what this lady did is exactly what should have been done. If she'd tried to help or intervene, it could have been a lot worse than what it was.

Damn.


Just ...... damn.

 

[JanieDough]

Sorry, the stenographer has gone home for the weekend. You stand condemned until Monday morning at 9.

Damn.


Just ...... damn.

:homo:

 

[Dana]

At least she did something. And a 15 year old committing rape? What the fuck?

gangs... shit happens all the time. Don't you ever watch Law & Order?

 

[Natasha]

Dana's right. See it all the time...those not in public safety tend to just not realize it.