Citizen Criticized for not Intervening in Sexual Assault

[Natasha]

I know everybody will have their view on this...but that this woman is getting criticized for not intervening and putting herself in harm's way is ridiculous. Sorry, but we've come a LONG way from the Kitty Genovese days and expecting someone to confront an attacker is just ludicrous.

Ohio Police Chief Defends Driver Who Didn't Intervene in Roadside Rape

TOLEDO, Ohio — An Ohio police chief is defending a driver who called 911 but didn't do more to stop a woman from being raped along a street in broad daylight.

Toledo Police Chief Mike Navarre says the witness did the right thing and could have risked her own safety if she tried to intervene.

In an interview with The Blade published Saturday, the driver said she feels guilty and hasn't been able to sleep well since the Tuesday attack.

On the 911 call, the driver describes a man removing the pants from a woman lying on a sidewalk. Police say several other people called 911 but they weren't sure if it was a fight or something else.
Police have charged a 15-year-old with rape and robbery.

 

[Dana]

She did the right thing

 

[HottyToddyChick]

At least she did *something*! How many people drove by and didn't call? The kid could've had a gun so even if she'd just stopped and honked or yelled from her car or something, she could have been in a lot of trouble!

 

[Jessica]

yes she did the right thing

 

[Ryder]

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

 

[dt3]

Smart move.

 

[Jessica]

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

I know. it said 'man' so I thought maybe the 15 was a typo. but it isn't..

 

[JanieDough]

i would've ran my car up on the sidewalk or something


i am one of those people who will endanger myself to help some one in that situation, bad shit be damned

it's a lot harder to shoot two people than one.

 

[PoopaSwoof]

i would've ran my car up on the sidewalk or something


i am one of those people who will endanger myself to help some one in that situation, bad shit be damned

it's a lot harder to shoot two people than one.

That's why you're my badass consigliere.
Janie Justice.


I do understand however why the woman was reluctant to interfere.

 

[Natasha]

i would've ran my car up on the sidewalk or something


i am one of those people who will endanger myself to help some one in that situation, bad shit be damned

it's a lot harder to shoot two people than one.

I will have to say that I don't know if I would be as smart as this woman was and I may have done something stupid and got myself hurt...but I'd like to think I would know better. I guess you never know until you're put into that situation.

We had a situation around here a few years back that made the papers...an officer was on a traffic stop and the violator tried to get his gun away from him. A citizen across the street actually ran over and intervened. No doubt about it, he definitely helped save that officer's life. If I were to see that type of situation going on, I'm pretty positive I would intervene w/o a second thought simply b/c I know there's already an officer there and there's probably 2000 more coming, LOL

 

[cam elle toe]

I'm like janie.......if I lived over there I'd probably be shot dead already, but here we/I dont even think that "oh, they might have a gun" (good thing really, coz very few WOULD have a gun....more likely a knife or something)

A fellow was killed here in Melbourne a year or so ago when he and about 4 others tried to stop some arsewipe assaulting his girlfriend. Unfortunately on THAT occasion, there was a gun.


yeah I would have stopped and done "something".

 

[JanieDough]

That's why you're my badass consigliere.
Janie Justice.

Some one else has called me that before - was it you?





I don't know. I just think I exist to help people and be compassionate, and even if it seems stupid, I would jump at the chance to help people.

If the world hits me back, then c'est la vie, I tried.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

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?

 

[Accountable]

It didn't seem like anyone criticized her at all, except possibly the reporter who wrote the piece.

 

[Tuffdisc]

How can that woman be criticised? She would of put herself in harms way, therefore may not be alive to give witness to the actual offence

 

[Peter Parka]

She did the right thing. Anyone who critisises her for not putting herself in danger of a rapist is a bit of a cunt.

 

[JanieDough]

Let the record show I was not trying to criticize her, just saying what I would do...

 

[Accountable]

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

 

[cam elle toe]

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.

 

[Laure]

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.