To what degree would you be willing to intervene to help a crime victim?

[Liberal_in_LA]

You see a group of teenagers raping a teen...

RICHMOND, Calif. (CBS/AP) For two hours they watched the alleged gang rape of a 15-year-old girl outside her high school homecoming dance.
They pointed. They laughed. They took pictures, say investigators.
But no one among the approximately two dozen gawkers called the police.

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/10/29/crimesider/entry5449972.shtml

[Poll_Blind]

1. Kitty Genovese. n/t

PB

[Justitia]

4. I instantly recalled the Kitty Genovese murder when I heard of this incident.

I will never understand someone not picking up a phone at the minimum.

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. The young woman who called should be named a 'CNN hero"

Amazingly, she heard of the crime when two males approached her boyfriend to offer him his chance at raping the girl. Amazing! Not just victimizing someone but strolling along offering victim up to others. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sandnsea]

2. I would personally intervene

Especially in that case. Something goes snap in my head and I don't even think of the consequences, and somehow I just think most men/boys respond to "mama" going off on them. They all have so far.

I really can't imagine not trying to stop a rape, I just can't.

[lunatica]

11. same here. I just barge right in or start yelling for them to stop

Once though I saw a man dressed in a suit and tie being wrestled to the ground by someone in jeans and I yelled for him to stop. He didn't stop pushing the man down, but he did tell me he was the cop arresting the thief.

[Skittles]

3. I would do everything I could

I cannot bear anyone being in distress

[Tim01]

5. Provided it is obviously rape, not gorup sex,

go for broke to save the girl. A bunch of guys can be very dangerous to a would-be rescuer, teen-agers or not.
It might end up with the good guy on the ground getting kicked into a coma.

But you pays your money and you takes your chances. We all have to live the rest of our lives with the decisions we make.

[jonnyblitz]

6. my sister and I rescued an elderly lady getting roughed up and

her purse snatched in broad daylight on a busy street near shopping malls and stores in Revere, MA. around 11 am in the morning. I jumped out of the car and helped her to a Wendy's where i called the police while my sister followed the thief in her car and got the license plate number of the getaway car he jumped into. later on we went down to the police station to identify the suspect. it was disturbing to see a elderly woman getting beaten like that. my sister was SCREAMING. but he got caught.

[Liberal_in_LA]

9. Good for you. Many people don't even want to be witnesses

[jonnyblitz]

16. it was disturbing to see an elderly woman getting beaten.

just awful. :(

the cops acted surprised we were so pro-active and cooperative. One cop asked if we were from around there and wasn't surprised that we were from a tiny town in Maine for some reason. I guess they figure the locals would be indifferent.

[Jackeens]

13. A story to cheer the soul, good on both of you.

[jonnyblitz]

17. we sent her flowers at the retirement home she lived at and they

sent us a thank you note. she was a frail little thing, too.

[Jackeens]

19. I'm sure you and your sister's humanity & courage helped towards restoring her faith & confidence

And that is priceless.

[snagglepuss]

31. Kudos to you and your sister.

:applause: :yourock: :applause:

[polly7]

8. I would intervene too, without thinking of the consequences.

Growing up with five brothers might have something to do with it, but I can't stand watching someone in pain.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. I would probably just yell and make a lot of noise

hoping that element of surprise would make them stop.

I don't know though. I can't begin to imagine what it would have been like to see this. Or to be the victim.

It's hard to say what I would have done.

I do know that I would never have watched it or walked away. No way. At the very least I know for sure I would call 911.

[Jackeens]

12. Good sense says call 911, but I suspect rage would make me intervene

I suppose you don't make your best decisions when rage takes over, and I doubt a physical intervention by me against a group of teenagers would do much good, but I still suspect it's what I'd do. But who knows what any of us would do until we're in the situation. That story, though, was shocking beyond belief.

[valerief]

14. Like Congress and their masters, laughing at the dead peasants. nt

[blues90]

15. I've done , got the scars to prove it.

I do recall in the mid 80's when I HAD A KNO\IFE PULLED ON ME BY THREE GANg MEMEBERS WHO WANTED CIGS RIGHT OUT IN front od\f corner store and when I asked the store owner to use their phone they would not allow it. Just because they did not want any trouble . well what if my wife was there or someone else, not many care until they are the target.

Afew year back an older women with two bags of groceries fell in the street off the curb sand I saw quite a few car steer around her. From where I was I got out of my car but people were blowing their horns telling me to get out of the way . Brfore I got to her some fellow in a older expensive car picked her up . But what the hell is that , it's plain sick.

[robinlynne]

18. I would certianly intervene if I had the strength to change the situation, if not call for help.

[L0oniX]

20. This was a "forcible felony" and anyone with a cwp could shoot them in Florida.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

21. Who knows where a violent rape can lead? Homicide?

Rape is a crime of anger against women and the victims are often roughed up and even murdered. Anyone with the audacity to rape someone in the streets is not going to hesitate to kill the victim once their blood is up if that's where their bent minds lead them. At my age, I just don't have the reflexes or strength to get physical anymore. I'd try to call the police, but that can take time. But if I had a gun, I'd shoot it in the air first and promise to put the next bullets through the perps' heads. I'd really hate to have to kill someone but I would not like to stand by and watch an innocent person get killed or very seriously injured, either.

[Iggo]

22. In that specific situation...

...I would've made as much noise as I could and waded right in, crackin' skulls.

EDIT: Too much info. Suffice to say I'd try to stop it.

[sam sarrha]

34. i'm 60, got one hand, bad back.. i just got a concealed carry permit, and updated the caliber of my

security system.

next spring i'm taking a week long hand gun lethal force and critical decision making training course for my vacation.

[Kali]

23. I would kick ass until they let her go or got me too

I have broken up some fights and even knocked down a drunk with bad intentions (in Mexico, no less)

I'm big, but female and so far (knock on wood) the element of surprise at a woman on the attack has been a plus for me and I've never been hurt.

[anonymous171]

24. Physical Intervention, but only if the victim's life is in danger

or if they are being physically harmed in some way. I am not going to risk my life to save someone's property.

[katanalori]

25. I would intervene

IF the victim was a child or elderly person - but, if victim is a gang-banger being attacked by another gang member, I would call 911.

[rebecca_herman]

26. I would call 911

I do not have the physical ability to stop a violent crime so intervening would likely just lead to another victim. I would go somewhere safe and call 911 on my cell phone.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

27. I have physically intervened in the past, got a few scars.

Call me old school but I will simply not tolerate violence against women in my presence. More tolerant if it looks like a couple of alpha males are sorting out who really is the bigger dog. Protecting women has gotten me in trouble with PETA, the local mosque, and the occasional drunk.

[recoveringrepublican]

28. It would depend on if my kids were with me or not

If they were, well a phone call to the police would have to do, sorry.

If my kids were somewhere else. Well I would LIKE to say I would physically jump in and try to stop. I've only been in an emergency type situation 3 times, and all 3 times I jumped right in, but my life wasn't at stake in any of the situations.

Hopefully I could think quickly enough, decide if calling 911 would bring about better results for all.

[flvegan]

29. Were I sure it was a gang rape?

I would intervene to the limits of my physical abilities.

I'd dial 911. Then, whatever piece of shit was currently on top of that girl would be made a violently graphic example of.

I've experienced blackout rage once before, and that was in a rape situation. I believe it might be likely that would be the result in the posted scenario as well.

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. However people answer here in theory, there is plenty of research

that proves otherwise... Genovese case....

I know I would... because I have... but I also am aware that human behavior is really weird. I have spoken to social scientists over this, and they said that less than 10% of people will actually do that... and usually those people are medics (not all medics), and cops (not all cops either)

So I would not be too sure of any answer given here, and even though I have... well then, there is this human behavior and group behavior...

[sam sarrha]

32. i was a security guard at a dance,a 6'10"Columbian hit man knocked th other guard down took his gun,

i kicked it out of his hand. he proceeded to try to kill me... he was a look alike for the Giant james bond villain with the steel teeth.. i'm 6'6" and he was way bigger than me. i had studied Tai Chi and we fought in circles for about 10 minutes.. the cops showed up and he took off. good thing cause i was really tired from slapping those HUGE fists out of my face. some mexicans later told us he was a Columbian hitman who was supposed to kill a guy there in public.. but the place was a dance floor and so over crowded it was sholder to sholder.

another time about 8 guys tried to abduct a female friend of ours who was drunk, just outside a local concert in '71.. 3 of us grabbed her pulled her out. they surrounded us, we got back to back with her in the middle, pulled our buck knives. one of them said, "those guys are really serious". and they left.

3 of us were walking to the liqueur store at night, 5 guys step out of the shadows one pulls a big knife and demanded our money. Curt, a really mild mannered shy guy kicks the knife out of the guys hand and it sticks in the outdoor strip mall overhang over the wide sidewalk.. then he yells, "come on.!! lets bust up these Fuck'n panzies..!!".. and they run away. he jumps up and grabs the knife, folds it, puts it in his pocket, walks off into the store like nothing happened.

[Feron]

33. Depends on the situation.

Sometimes intervening may escalate a situation and make things worse.

At a minimum though, the police should be called.

[27inCali]

35. that the first choice isn't at a 100%

makes me want to puke.

[Marr]

36. It's awfully easy to say you'd do something on an internet forum.

In real life, everything happens fast and you're not sure of anything. I once stepped in to help a woman who was being beaten by a man rather severely at a gas station, and do you know what happened? As soon as I knocked him down, she attacked me, and demanded I leave her man alone. Not good.

Years later, I witnessed something similar occurring, and I called the police instead of getting directly involved.