Why won't people help? Options

[Chesapeake]

I have just been driving down St Johns Road in Newbury (driving away from St Batholomews shool) with my two children in the car and just as I passed the junction of Link Road and St Johns Road I noticed a comotion on the opposite side of the road. Two girls were fighting each other and I'm not talking just a little push and shove. Their respective 'mates' were standing watching them and shouting at them. I could not believe that people were just driving past and dooing nothing. I rolled down my window and shouted VERY loudly "stop!". The friends stopped shouting and looked in my direction but the girls were too caught up in their fight and whilst still holding on to each others hair they fell into the bushes at the side of the pavement.

One lady in a blue car ahead of me pulled her car into Chesterfield Road as she was also going to help. I jumped out of my car and shouted "I'm going to call the Police!". After a little more shouting from myself about calling the Police and about them stopping, the girls picked themselves up out of the bushes and stood looking at me. I shouted to them that this was not the way to deal with things and one group moved off and the other group shouted back across to me why they were fighting (with the obvious bit of choice language thrown in). They then started also walking away. Fight successfully broken up.

As I climbed back into my car one car behind me tooted his horn at me! I'm not sure if the toot was on praise or because my car was stopping them from moving. The woman in the blue car started walking back towards her car and looked at me as I drove past. She and I exchanged looks of amazement and confusion.

Both of us were willing to step in and break up this fight but none of the other cars going in either direction were.

Why?

[TallDarkAndHands...]

Because they don't want to be followed home and then have their car / house vandalised I am afraid. I agree it's a sad indictment on society and I applaud your actions. However, if the girls had stopped fighting and turned on you would you have fought back and if so would you be happy that you then may have ended up with a criminal record?

[Guest_Bill1_*]

It''s all wrong!

Where has the discipline gone?

Were these teenagers or younger?

My son is 7 next week and when I see him and his mates playing, as well as enjoying them all being so happy, a part of me dreads what future awaits them and worries that their innocence will be taken away when exposed to unruly (to put it mildly) children at their next, much bigger school.

[Chesapeake]

Because they don't want to be followed home and then have their car / house vandalised I am afraid. I agree it's a sad indictment on society and I applaud your actions. However, if the girls had stopped fighting and turned on you would you have fought back and if so would you be happy that you then may have ended up with a criminal record?

There was no possibility of anyone being followed home and having their car or house vandalised! These were young girls of about 13 or 14yrs old, they were on foot and we were all in cars! If they had been able to follow any of us home then they would be possible future candidates for the 2012 Olympics!

I made a CONSIDERED decision to intervene. If my shouting had not broken up the fight and it was just down to me and the other lady to break it up I would have called the Police.

Unfortunately it is attitudes like yours that means that criminals will eventually win the crime-war unless we agree to up our taxes and pay for a substantial increase in the volume of Police Officers on the road.

I am hoping TDH that this is your answer to the "Why" rather than YOUR answer?

[Chesapeake]

I would also like to say thank you to the ONE lady who also stopped to help. If anyone knows who she is then shake her hand as unfortunately people like her are few and far between.

[Biker1]

Did you touch any of them?

If you did then it is YOU that could be prosecuted for assault.

I think this may be one of the answers to your question.

[Chesapeake]

Did you touch any of them?

If you did then it is YOU that could be prosecuted for assault.

I think this may be one of the answers to your question.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear the law on assault really has got some people running away from doing what is the right thing to do.

Thank goodness some of us are doers (and are not frightenedd of our own shadows) and get things done.

Re-read my original post on this subject and then my second post and your question will be answered.

[Biker1]

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear the law on assault really has got some people running away from doing what is the right thing to do.

In my job we are told quite specifically to not touch anybody in a conflict situation because of this.
So the law is wrong AGAIN then? I didn't say what is the right and wrong thing to do - just answering your question.
These people know where the law stands in these instances.

OK so you did not touch anyone but my answer still stands as to why some are not willing to intervene.

[Strafin]

Is it the law that is wrong? Or is it the people upholdong it? I mean those who have a stake, obviously the police for one, but also insurance companies, over zealous health and safety departments, and unions all seem to throw their weight behind ridiculous legislation. How many people actually know of real stories where someone has been sued for intervening in a fight, or touching someone after an accident for example? All I know is if these girls were really were belting the **** out of each other then I'm glad someone stepped in, so well done Ches, I think you did the right thing.

[On the edge]

Well done Chesapeake. Just hope this encourages a bit more public spirited intervention. Most of the 'can't do that' brigade are listening to urban legends. Bit like the 'can't take photographs of people in public' on Radio last night - that's a load of old b******* as well.

[Biker1]

So how come we hear of teachers losing their job because they so much as touch these little darlings?
Or is that a load of old b******* as well?

(By the way - they're not scared of the police.)

[Chesapeake]

So how come we hear of teachers losing their job because they so much as touch these little darlings?
Or is that a load of old b******* as well?

(By the way - they're not scared of the police.)

I should certainly hope not, there is no reason nice, law-abiding teachers should be afraid of the Police. What are you thinking of Biker1?

Anyway, on a serious note, there have indeed been situations where teachers have lost their jobs because of allegedly assaulting a pupil. Those days were hopefully a thing of the past as nowadays teachers (not all) are given special training on how to cope with and how to physically handle unruly pupils. It is similar training to that of the police.

[dannyboy]

Well done Chesapeake. Just hope this encourages a bit more public spirited intervention. Most of the 'can't do that' brigade are listening to urban legends. Bit like the 'can't take photographs of people in public' on Radio last night - that's a load of old b******* as well.

taking pictures is one thing - it is what you do with them after which causes problems...

[spartacus]

(snip)
Both of us were willing to step in and break up this fight but none of the other cars going in either direction were.

Why?

Too many instances reported in the newspapers on a daily basis of passing 'Good Samaritans' who step in, then end up either being the target of the fighting (and ending up getting a good kicking themselves and their 15 minutes of fame as someone videos the kickfest and posts it on YouTube) .....or being interviewed by the police for the next 48 hours over WHY they intervened "That's what the police are for" and "Can you explain why these children ended up with bruises? They said YOU hit them?!"

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/...ttling_assault/ (Rossendale good Samaritan scarred in bottling assault)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10...ed-assault.html (Good Samaritan makes citizen's arrest on yob... and suffers five-month court ordeal after HE is accused of assault)
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/art...gers/article.do (Good Samaritan is beaten unconscious by train teenagers)
http://www.bootletimes.co.uk/news/bootle-n...97007-24108759/ (‘Good Samaritan' assaulted after retrieving stolen handbag on Bootle train)

[Chesapeake]

Too many instances reported in the newspapers on a daily basis of passing 'Good Samaritans' who step in, then end up either being the target of the fighting (and ending up getting a good kicking themselves and their 15 minutes of fame as someone videos the kickfest and posts it on YouTube) .....or being interviewed by the police for the next 48 hours over WHY they intervened "That's what the police are for" and "Can you explain why these children ended up with bruises? They said YOU hit them?!"

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/...ttling_assault/ (Rossendale good Samaritan scarred in bottling assault)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10...ed-assault.html (Good Samaritan makes citizen's arrest on yob... and suffers five-month court ordeal after HE is accused of assault)
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/art...gers/article.do (Good Samaritan is beaten unconscious by train teenagers)
http://www.bootletimes.co.uk/news/bootle-n...97007-24108759/ ('Good Samaritan' assaulted after retrieving stolen handbag on Bootle train)

Ok Spartacus, hats off to you, you must have spent quite some time searching, copying and then pasting these into your post.

Commenting on your links, they were all incidents that happened at night time and they all appear to have tried to tackle the situation on their own.

This incident was 3.30 in the afternoon, a group of 13/14 year old girls in school uniform and there were at least 20 people sat in their cars watching it all happen. Quite a different set of circumstances.

So don't you guys feel capable of handling things? If not surely you can dial 999? Or do you wish to carry on defending your right to ignor!

Ummm, Spartacus? Bootle Times? Is life that desperate these days? Also it seems that Mr Kink is the most able-bodied disabled person I have ever heard of. I wonder what the DLA had to say about that?

[spartacus]

'twas just a two minute Google, typing in 'good Samaritan gets assaulted' then a copy/paste of the Headline... I didn't READ the reports, but it gives a flavour of the dangers of becoming 'involved'.. Leave it to the professionals, they've got stabvests, tazers and pepper spray to play with......

Either way a little daytime catfight between two girls (probably fighting over boyfriends or makeup ) is all character building stuff providing it doesn't go over the top... No need to call the cavalry or dial 999 for such a minor bit of hair pulling is there surely??! Hardly a life or death situation for the police to respond to is it... remember they've got FORMS to fill in y'know......

It used to be fights over David Bowie or David Cassidy in my sister's days at school if I remember rightly

[wabbit]

Well done Ches - very public-spirited and if more people had your attitude and a 'nil tolerance' policy was adopted in society generally - it would be a much better place.

You say they were 'schoolgirls' so I hope you were able to recognise which school they came from and will report the incident to the headteacher?

Brilliant

[lordtup]

" For evil to persist it only requires that good men do nothing "

This is not the first , and may well not be the last , time that I have quoted Edmund Burke , but surely any self respecting citizen would do something in these circumstances . The fact that only two did and in return for their endeavours were treated as pariahs only goes to show that we are getting the sort of society that we deserve .

Maybe it's about time we all stood shoulder to shoulder on this sort of behaviour , after all it is OUR country .

[On the edge]

Well done Chesapeake. Just hope this encourages a bit more public spirited intervention. Most of the 'can't do that' brigade are listening to urban legends. Bit like the 'can't take photographs of people in public' on Radio last night - that's a load of old b******* as well.

Yes - having heard and seen the constant stream of misinterpreted regulations and missives directed at Teachers by 'experts' at Department for Education and the Local Education Authority I'm surprised that any Teacher can maintain any degree of discipline at all. That then reflects on our Society later when the 'untouchables' leave school.

[On the edge]

" For evil to persist it only requires that good men do nothing "

This is not the first , and may well not be the last , time that I have quoted Edmund Burke , but surely any self respecting citizen would do something in these circumstances . The fact that only two did and in return for their endeavours were treated as pariahs only goes to show that we are getting the sort of society that we deserve .

Maybe it's about time we all stood shoulder to shoulder on this sort of behaviour , after all it is OUR country .

Hear Hear