DCPS students attacked on the metro

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Were the attackers DCPS students too?

No, they were from PG county and known to the police there.

But were they DCPS/PCS students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the PP 2 posts above who asked whether this whole "I wouldn't intervene" thing is equally fine when it's you or your loved one being randomly beaten.

I'm a 5'4" woman, with a smiley friendly face. In other words, I'm not going to be scary or threatening to anyone in terms of making them think twice about being violent.

And yet I've intervened in at least 5 violent situations (I used to live in NYC as well): 2 were parents beating the crap out of their kid; 2 were domestic violence happening right on a train or train platform (one I just screamed to interrupt it, but the other I physically intervened), and the other 1 was against a man who was groping a young lady. These did not all happen in NYC.

When faced with someone being victimized, I absolutely feel like not doing SOMETHING to stop it is equal to being complicit. Obviously the actual criminals are the cause and the most guilty and should absolutely be held the most accountable. But I ask myself what I'd want people to do if it was my child or me being victimized, and then I do that, even if I'm a little short lady. I've stayed safe, fortunately, and I don't fool myself - I am lucky that I stayed safe. But how can anyone stand around and watch a child get beaten up and do NOTHING? Not even calling to other bystanders to all rush in at once and break it up? Lie and yell that the police are coming down the stairs? Do SOMETHING to interrupt the assault - how can that many people do NOTHING?

Like I said above, I just wonder if all you who say "don't get involved" feel the same rule applies if - heaven forbid - you are the victim?

I would intervene too. Any New Yorker would. We all remember stories about Kitty Genovese. I would intervene and assume that my intervention would trigger others to do the same. Maybe I'm foolish, or maybe I just grew up in a more realistic place; but I can't imagine standing passively by in that situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But the fact is people dont want to get stabbed or pushed onto the tracks. That doesn't mean they don't want this addressed. I would be happy to pay for more police rather than a 600 million dollar multi shelter boondoggle and Bowsers declaration that D.C. will now provide year round shelter. Still, thats DCs priority so I guess it is up to MD and VA to work with wmata on rising metro crime that no doubt impacts their commuters as much as DC residents?

Of course, no one wants to get stabbed or thrown onto the tracks. And solutions like you suggest do need to be looked at.

The question I'm asking is, until those changes are made, heaven forbid it happens again and you're standing nearby, make sure you're just as at peace with not taking action and watching kids get the crap beaten out of them, as you'd be if your child or you yourself were the victim and everyone else stood by and no one intervened. Because it doesn't work to not be willing to act yourself, but to expect others to act when you or your loved one is the victim.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the PP 2 posts above who asked whether this whole "I wouldn't intervene" thing is equally fine when it's you or your loved one being randomly beaten.

I'm a 5'4" woman, with a smiley friendly face. In other words, I'm not going to be scary or threatening to anyone in terms of making them think twice about being violent.

And yet I've intervened in at least 5 violent situations (I used to live in NYC as well): 2 were parents beating the crap out of their kid; 2 were domestic violence happening right on a train or train platform (one I just screamed to interrupt it, but the other I physically intervened), and the other 1 was against a man who was groping a young lady. These did not all happen in NYC.

When faced with someone being victimized, I absolutely feel like not doing SOMETHING to stop it is equal to being complicit. Obviously the actual criminals are the cause and the most guilty and should absolutely be held the most accountable. But I ask myself what I'd want people to do if it was my child or me being victimized, and then I do that, even if I'm a little short lady. I've stayed safe, fortunately, and I don't fool myself - I am lucky that I stayed safe. But how can anyone stand around and watch a child get beaten up and do NOTHING? Not even calling to other bystanders to all rush in at once and break it up? Lie and yell that the police are coming down the stairs? Do SOMETHING to interrupt the assault - how can that many people do NOTHING?

Like I said above, I just wonder if all you who say "don't get involved" feel the same rule applies if - heaven forbid - you are the victim?

I would intervene too. Any New Yorker would. We all remember stories about Kitty Genovese. I would intervene and assume that my intervention would trigger others to do the same. Maybe I'm foolish, or maybe I just grew up in a more realistic place; but I can't imagine standing passively by in that situation.

I totally agree. I Haven't seen any actual studies of it (doesn't mean they don't exist, I just haven't seen them), but my experience and other stories I've heard do show that once people see someone else acting or trying to intervene, more people break out of their "I'm not intervening" and also try to help. But we do have to be ready to be the only ones as well. You just never know if anyone else will help or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But the fact is people dont want to get stabbed or pushed onto the tracks. That doesn't mean they don't want this addressed. I would be happy to pay for more police rather than a 600 million dollar multi shelter boondoggle and Bowsers declaration that D.C. will now provide year round shelter. Still, thats DCs priority so I guess it is up to MD and VA to work with wmata on rising metro crime that no doubt impacts their commuters as much as DC residents?

Of course, no one wants to get stabbed or thrown onto the tracks. And solutions like you suggest do need to be looked at.

The question I'm asking is, until those changes are made, heaven forbid it happens again and you're standing nearby, make sure you're just as at peace with not taking action and watching kids get the crap beaten out of them, as you'd be if your child or you yourself were the victim and everyone else stood by and no one intervened. Because it doesn't work to not be willing to act yourself, but to expect others to act when you or your loved one is the victim.

I have not watched the video - guessing it all happened faster than it appears. How were the police eventually alerted?

[Anonymous]

I have said it on other posts...that many times students from the community get blame for uptick in crime. But when investigated and reported it's the students at the local high-school that are the victims. Easy targets for the criminals... c'mon you see a group of students in similar uniforms and it almost invites the criminal to rob them of their personal belongings.