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How about an interesting new topic for discussion
sjwsti:
To me there is a significant difference between a crime involving property and one were someone may be seriously injured or killed.
Its not my responsibility to arrest or punish petty criminals. Would I stand by and watch a robber run out of a store? Yes. Why should I risk my safety and the safety of those around me to retrieve property that should be insured anyway? I will be a great witness and stay out of the way.
--- Quote from: dark 45 on October 25, 2011, 08:47:30 AM ---my ex chased a robber out of a store she was working at, people just watched. lazy self serving people feeling self entitled. i was rather upset no one helped her
--- End quote ---
Im curious as to what her plan was if she caught him? Was this a guy who, once caught, would simply lay down and quit? Or was he a stone cold killer who wasnt going back to prison? And if she caught him and started getting her a$$ handed to her someone like you or I would step in and help. And I would be pissed if I got inured or killed helping her out of a jam that she could have avoided.
I can understand being angry at being victimized and wanting to make sure the guilty are punished. As far as Im concerned, when it comes to petty crime, that is what the Police and the Justice system are for.
--- Quote from: dark 45 on October 25, 2011, 08:47:30 AM ---
i witnessed a man walk after a girl cussing and screaming, he then grabbed her. by the time i got there he was hitting her dragging her away, the entire time people across the street just watch as i alone took this man to the ground. later when the police arrive 20 minutes later they found he had a knife on his person with warrants for assault and rape.
--- End quote ---
Now this is something different entirely. Well done. This is a situation were you stepped in and prevented a serious crime. Im not surprised no one helped you. If I ever have to intervene in a situation like this I plan on having to act alone.
Keep in mind it doesnt always work out well for the good Samaritan. Here are just a few examples.
http://www.ketv.com/news/9294234/detail.html
Store owner shot in the legs and head as he chased a robber outside of his store. Luck intervenes and he survives a hole in the head but looses an eye.
http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/2101902.html
Multiple employees chase robbers outside and exchange shots. One employee hit in the head and killed.
No article for this one but I transported a good Samaritan to the hospital who saw a young lady being assaulted. He stepped in to help and was stabbed multiple times for his trouble. Both the female and male turned against him once he got between them. He suffered a lifelong disability from the attack that will keep him from ever working again.
In the aftermath, if you were to ask any of these people or their families if it the actions of their family members were heroic or worthwhile, what do you think they would say?
- Shawn
dark 45:
she did in fact catch the guy as he was getting on his bike. as he attempted to hit her with a bottle of booze he stole she grabbed the bicycle seat she noticed was loose and beat him with it. then he grew pissed getting off his bike dropping the back pack full of stolen stuff. he tried to be aggressive scare her off. she walked toward him and said get out of here, don't come back or your dead. mind you she is 6' Irish blond. with the bicycle seat she just beat him with. there where a few more incidences of things happening but that was one of the few where it went out side in the day time. my favorite part is she gave the dudes bike to some homeless guy.
i had a talk with her afterward about how the guy could be strung out and a problem that her knife might not be able to take care of. she full well knew the risk she was putting herself in, but she was never one to back down out of anything. i can't really say what she did was wrong or right. i just don't see any good in letting people get away with things. i personalty don't fault anyone for not going after someone nor for going after someone. its not about the fact that its petty its about letting people think they can get away with what ever they want and its ok. all the time you hear.. well i have heard many times from my family who are sheriff and local pd, that they known the same guys for years doing the same thing and they keep getting worse and worse a guy my uncle knew started lifting purses and in 6 years ended up stabbing a 16 year old girl for her car keys. a guy i went to high school with shop lifted and sold pot, 8 years later same guy caught for shooting up the local Mexican store killing the guy who ran the place at night. you could say its due to a faulty justice system and not being able to keep guys put away, but in the end its about getting them when you can how ever you can. and if you don't want to risk your safety that is fine i have no issue with it but i think i or libbey(my ex) or that guy who got the purse after shooting that guy should be able to do so. we talk so much about how people want handguns for self defense and about how cops can't be there all the time. well shouldn't a man/woman standing there watching a crime in progress be able to step in, armed or not, if he/she wants to? i see both sides and as much as i agree that a shoot out between a civi and a guy who lifted candy bar is not called for at all. i am just saying a guy who assaulted a woman and took her purse is not the kind of guy that should be running around free to do as he pleased. what happened is the way it should have went down. it could have went down differently. in the man getting shot rather then the scumbag, but i am sure he knew the risk. but i assume you are talking about out side of that, the fact that a stray round could have hit another innocent person. but the same argument comes in when we talk about self defense, me defending myself in a violent situation could mean me shooting someone who might not have been shot if i just laid there and did nothing. all i know is putting a blanket over the situation and saying it is illegal to act is wrong. and i don't ever go into these situations with the idea everything is going to be ok.
i see your point about it turning ugly on good people. but i am supposed to sit and watch as someone drags that poor girl to do god knows what to her? or watch a man hit a woman with a gun and take her belongings? maybe it is because i live with the guilt of letting something happen i know i could have stopped. so its become personal, but i think i rather die doing the right thing then try and live with my self letting it happen, no matter how petty.
DaveB:
I just can't see putting myself in danger for some little crime. If everybody started chasing thugs, when the cops did show up, they wouldn't know which gun toter to shoot, and there is a good chance they will shoot the wrong one. It's hard to be a good witness if you are bleeding on the street by yourself. I didn't get a CCW to do the job of the police, I got it for protection, not aggression. I'm not chasing a guy who just swiped a purse, it's just not worth leaving a wife at home alone to spend my life insurance money.
AAllen:
Some Follow-up commentary and information.
http://www.startribune.com/local/133045923.html
Husker_Fan:
That was a great OpEd.
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