Horror at Va. Tech one more time

[Blueridge Believer]

Shock from killing ripples through Tech - Roanoke.com

Seven people -- customers and Au Bon Pain staff -- saw the attack and fled the restaurant. Two people called 911.

Flinchum said, as far as he knows, no one tried to intervene in the attack. He declined to answer questions about whether Haiyang yelled anything before or during the atttack.

 

[Archlute]

Shock from killing ripples through Tech - Roanoke.com

Seven people -- customers and Au Bon Pain staff -- saw the attack and fled the restaurant. Two people called 911.

Flinchum said, as far as he knows, no one tried to intervene in the attack. He declined to answer questions about whether Haiyang yelled anything before or during the atttack.

Assuming that there was at least one healthy young man among the seven in the cafe (which admittedly may not have been the case) I continue to be surprised by the lack of courage that our society shows in situations such as this.

I remember watching a video, taken a few months back, in which a LEO was grappling with a drugged out fellow on a busy sidewalk in some city (I think that it was either Boston or Chicago), and they were going at it for something like five or six minutes all locked up. The cop was getting worn down, and the druggie began going for the officer's sidearm. Finally the officer started punching him in the kidneys, eventually broke the grapple, and took him down. The absolutely stunning part of this was that during the entire five or six minutes you can see business men, and others, just walking by, giving a worried glance at the scene, and moving on without pausing to offer any assistance at all, and it was obvious that the officer was on the side of needing some.

I guess that all of the bravado our society gains from playing First Person Shooters doesn't transfer over into real world scenarios....

 

[Poimen]

Shock from killing ripples through Tech - Roanoke.com

Seven people -- customers and Au Bon Pain staff -- saw the attack and fled the restaurant. Two people called 911.

Flinchum said, as far as he knows, no one tried to intervene in the attack. He declined to answer questions about whether Haiyang yelled anything before or during the atttack.

Assuming that there was at least one healthy young man among the seven in the cafe (which admittedly may not have been the case) I continue to be surprised by the lack of courage that our society shows in situations such as this.

I remember watching a video, taken a few months back, in which a LEO was grappling with a drugged out fellow on a busy sidewalk in some city (I think that it was either Boston or Chicago), and they were going at it for something like five or six minutes all locked up. The cop was getting worn down, and the druggie began going for the officer's sidearm. Finally the officer started punching him in the kidneys, eventually broke the grapple, and took him down. The absolutely stunning part of this was that during the entire five or six minutes you can see business men, and others, just walking by, giving a worried glance at the scene, and moving on without pausing to offer any assistance at all, and it was obvious that the officer was on the side of needing some.

I guess that all of the bravado our society gains from playing First Person Shooters doesn't transfer over into real world scenarios....

What might happen if someone got involved? Would the police officer take kindly to the help? Misinterpret it?

Perhaps people are worried about getting sued?

Please note I am just asking aloud. I agree with the tenor of the post.

 

[Archlute]

Shock from killing ripples through Tech - Roanoke.com

Seven people -- customers and Au Bon Pain staff -- saw the attack and fled the restaurant. Two people called 911.

Flinchum said, as far as he knows, no one tried to intervene in the attack. He declined to answer questions about whether Haiyang yelled anything before or during the atttack.

Assuming that there was at least one healthy young man among the seven in the cafe (which admittedly may not have been the case) I continue to be surprised by the lack of courage that our society shows in situations such as this.

I remember watching a video, taken a few months back, in which a LEO was grappling with a drugged out fellow on a busy sidewalk in some city (I think that it was either Boston or Chicago), and they were going at it for something like five or six minutes all locked up. The cop was getting worn down, and the druggie began going for the officer's sidearm. Finally the officer started punching him in the kidneys, eventually broke the grapple, and took him down. The absolutely stunning part of this was that during the entire five or six minutes you can see business men, and others, just walking by, giving a worried glance at the scene, and moving on without pausing to offer any assistance at all, and it was obvious that the officer was on the side of needing some.

I guess that all of the bravado our society gains from playing First Person Shooters doesn't transfer over into real world scenarios....

What might happen if someone got involved? Would the police officer take kindly to the help? Misinterpret it?

Perhaps people are worried about getting sued?

Please note I am just asking aloud. I agree with the tenor of the post.

The video was posted by a former-military LEO in a backroom forum on a military based website. He says that stuff like this happens all the time, and that his fellow officers would appreciate folk stepping in when they see an officer about to go down. But in the video, people were not even pausing to see if he might come to a point where he really needed their help.

I am sure, though, that people worrying about their actions being misconstrued, or getting involved in a lawsuit, plays into this some.

 

[Mushroom]

I would think one could announce to the officer that he was there to help, even ask what the officer would want him to do. Sad.

As for the VT situation, it sounded like a sudden and at least outwardly unprovoked attack. If the nut went straight for the throat, as it appears he did, help might have been too late no matter what. But a chair across the head would have been called for, anyway.

 

[MrMerlin777]

... But a chair across the head would have been called for, anyway.

Indeed.

 

[Abd_Yesua_alMasih]

Shock from killing ripples through Tech - Roanoke.com

Seven people -- customers and Au Bon Pain staff -- saw the attack and fled the restaurant. Two people called 911.

Flinchum said, as far as he knows, no one tried to intervene in the attack. He declined to answer questions about whether Haiyang yelled anything before or during the atttack.

Assuming that there was at least one healthy young man among the seven in the cafe (which admittedly may not have been the case) I continue to be surprised by the lack of courage that our society shows in situations such as this.

In the city I used to live in there was an incident that showed the difference between our cultures. A woman was walking along the street when two men on a motorbike pulled up, grabbed her necklace and then sped off. A nearby driver saw what happened and gave chase. They sped through the streets and slowly the car caught up (not sure if the riders saw it or not). Anyway as they were cresting a bridge the car rammed the back of the bike and both vehicles ended up in a wreck. One of the thieves was killed out right. The other was paralyzed and will be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. The driver was okay.

Anyway the police praised the driver for his courage, but the surviving criminal took the driver to court. The judge threw out the case saying the driver was doing only what had to be done

 

[BJClark]

Well, I guess I am not surprised, I've witnessed men standing in stores and parking lots yelling at their wives and girlfriends and other men just walking by ignoring it..why should I be surprised they are not going to come to the assistance of a young woman at a college campus?

It makes me ill to watch men walk past another man who is berating the woman he's with and the passersby say and or do nothing..

People tend to think it's "not my business" to get involved.."I called the police, but I'm not going to try to stop this man--what IF I GET KILLED??" Or "What IF He turns on ME??"

They are so afraid of something happening to them..that they won't step in and help.

What's sad is when a woman will speak up when they hear a man berating a woman, and none of the men walking past will..

But this is what our society has become..and it doesn't appear to be getting better...so sad..

 

[steven-nemes]

Reminds me of the Canadian bus incident... ugh...

 

[MrMerlin777]

Well, I guess I am not surprised, I've witnessed men standing in stores and parking lots yelling at their wives and girlfriends and other men just walking by ignoring it..why should I be surprised they are not going to come to the assistance of a young woman at a college campus?

It makes me ill to watch men walk past another man who is berating the woman he's with and the passersby say and or do nothing..

People tend to think it's "not my business" to get involved.."I called the police, but I'm not going to try to stop this man--what IF I GET KILLED??" Or "What IF He turns on ME??"

They are so afraid of something happening to them..that they won't step in and help.

What's sad is when a woman will speak up when they hear a man berating a woman, and none of the men walking past will..

But this is what our society has become..and it doesn't appear to be getting better...so sad..

Sad, very sad indeed.