August 24, 2007
They All Looked Away

by Michael G. Mickey
(8-24-07)

She had screamed for help in the hallway of an apartment building for what must have seemed like an eternity. Eventually, the police arrived to find her unconscious with her clothing pulled up. She had fresh scratches on her face, blood on her thigh and had been badly beaten and sexually assaulted.

As horrific as this story is at face value, there is another side to this story which has been discovered by the police in the aftermath of the attack that makes it even worse. According to a Fox News story:

Video recovered at the crime scene reveals that at least 10 witnesses ignored the woman's cries for help for more than an hour!
Police spokesman Tom Walsh indicated that the video "shows one person looking out of her door probably three times." It also "shows another person walking up, observing what's going on, then turning and putting up the hood of his sweatshirt."
Minnesota law makes it a petty misdemeanor to not give reasonable help to a person in danger of "grave physical harm" but it is unlikely police will pursue charges against the witnesses in this case because they would have to show that witnesses knew the woman was in extreme danger.
I've always considered a man beating a woman to the point that she is screaming prima facie evidence of the fact that she, at the very least, perceives she is in extreme danger. If she didn't perceive that, she probably wouldn't be screaming, right?

How anyone could look out their window and do nothing in a situation like the one described in the Fox News story perplexes me to say the least. How could that happen? HOW?

Ten out of ten people who looked upon this poor woman in her time of need failed to even urge her assailant to stop hurting her! Not one of them wanted to get involved - or even call the police apparently.

They all looked away. Every last one of them.

Matthew 24:12: And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.



..........................................................benny

I don't know how I would react to something like this because I have never been faced with it.

I like to think I would be brave. That I would forget about my own safety, and would rush to the aid of this poor woman. That I would be willing to risk a confrontation with her attacker if I tried to help her.

Doubtless, all 10 of these witnesses wish they could have been more brave as well.

But it is too easy for us to sit back and say "I would have done something... I would have rushed into the hallway, not knowing the situation, not knowing if I may have been attacked". But would we? When such a situation arises, how do you know how you will act?

My prayers are with this woman tonight.

My prayers are also with the people that heard her screams for help, but couldn't find the courage to step into the hallway. Doubtless they will hear her screams for a long, long time, forever reminding them that they lacked the courage to help another human being in a time of need.