I also watched many people walked by and stare but didn't say or do anything to this man. Many people "gasped" and said "Oh My Gosh" but they didn't do anything at all. Noone bothered to pick up their phone to even call the police anonymously.
So, my question is if you were a witness to this act of violence what would you do?
I feel I have a duty, as both a woman and a HUMAN BEING, to contact the police. It is disturbing to read that absolutely nobody helped this poor woman, and just proves how either desensitized or afraid of each other people have become.
ReplyDeleteNobody deserves to be abused, physically nor emotionally.
I am very sorry to read this post, but grateful you brought it to public eye. I hope that more stories can be written/discussed so more people will think to act to protect some of humanity's most basic rights.
Living near townies at Witt can be a full time job. Honestly I think the real story here is that Wittenberg during its new student days does not address the fact that people living around this campus can create conflict. We need to teach our students to call the police, even if its only to check a situation out. I walked by a house last year late at night to hear very loud aggressive yelling and I called the police and just told them they might want to look into it. The call took under a minute to complete. I think it is worth that minute to potentially save someone from a terrible situation.
ReplyDeleteCiara, your lead really grabbed me, but I wanted more info. What were the circumstances? Who were the people involved (not names, but some description. Were they really "townies," as Justin assumes?)? Who were the people who did nothing?
ReplyDeleteI think Justin's comment is problematic in many ways:
ReplyDeleteFirst, the term townie, while referring to people who live in Springfield, is not merely a geographical nickname--but a classist slur that implies superiority other those that it is used to describe. "Townie" is merely slang for people who are materially poor. One certainly never hears it used to describe the Wealthy white business owner from the north side of the town.
Second, I find it very paternalistic to suggest that it is us--privileged Wittenberg students--who are working a full time job by living next to other people. It is as if the surrounding population is a heavy burden to bear, a population that we must watch over. On this point, it is worth note that they are the ones who work full time jobs as we attend a few daily classes, and retire to our posh, well-furnished, dorms. It is indeed tough to be a college student and be surrounded with the every-day lives of other people who do not share our privilege. Poor us.
I hope this comment was not read as a personal attack, for I think the points I raised are relevant to our entire community. Which is to say, the "Townie" language is not a Justin issue, but a Wittenberg issue. I expect to write more on this issue later.