Just before sunrise this morning, I headed out for breakfast.
The streets are pretty empty in San Francisco that early, just some early stragglers who work east coast hours, heading to work.
During my relaxing walk down the street, I heard some screams and noticed a petite Asian girl getting pounded on by 3 black girls. I immediately started running across the street toward them, darting some cars, and I yelled at the girls to stop. They ran off.
The Asian girl was a bit bloodied and quite shaken up. The black girls were trying to steal her purse.
I asked the Asian if she wanted an ambulance and she said, "Yes." So I called 911 and waited with her until the ambulance arrived. But left before the police arrived. From experience I know that dealing with the police in such a situation is a waste of time. They will never find the girls and all you will do is waste time recounting the story to them. I made the 911 call, so if they need to contact me, they will be able to, but it won't happen, unless the case becomes high profile.
I once stopped a big 6' foot plus guy from ferociously pounding away on a girl on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, coincidentally it was about the same time of day, just before sunrise. That time I gave the police my contact info. A year went by without them contacting me. Then the Chicago Tribune did a front page Sunday piece on the guy. He had apparently been beating up women on the streets randomly for years. The Tribune piece detailed many of the attacks, including the one that I stopped. Suddenly, Chicago detectives were calling me, as did a Chicago prosecutor.
They wanted me to fly back to Chicago (I was on the west coast at the time)to testify and were pretty adamant about it. I told them that judging by the Tribune story, there were plenty of witnesses to the attacks and that if I got up on the stand I would relay how slow the police were to respond after I had called earlier about another attack the guy was involved in. They left me alone.
The point, though, is that the police can not stop these attacks and no serious investigations will take place to solve a crime and prosecute, even vicious attackers, unless the case somehow becomes high profile.
Protection of the general public by government police is largely a myth.
-RW
Well done, Sir Robert! Worthy of a gallant knight.
ReplyDeleteAn excellent example of why people should, if they desire, carry a firearm or other defensive weapon. The police cannot, and more honestly, will not protect you. Obviously, I only recommend doing this in states where you can legally do so without risking the remaining freedom you have (that clearly leaves out states like California and New York).
ReplyDeleteGreat story, by the way. It's nice to know there are folks out there who will intervene on behalf of another.
Im a NYer and I carry a gun but I dont advertise it.
DeleteHey, I won't tell anyone! :)
DeleteCarry on!
How did you stop the big guy? Just yelling stop?
ReplyDeleteHe had is back to me pummeling the girl in the corner of a bus shelter, so I kicked him hard in the back of one of his legs, then grabbed the back of his coat and pulled him to the ground, then another guy joined me.
Delete