This is HORRIBLE!!

[ducklite]

Thanks for posting this. What a horrible story. But that is not the case I was talking about. The only details I am sure of is that it was in broad daylight, there was a relationship between the attacker and victim and I think it was on the west coast in the early 80's maybe?

There was also the one with the actress that was murdered in the LA area at her home by some psycho. She had just started a new sitcom and was a real rising star.

Anne

 

[Maleficent13]

There was also the one with the actress that was murdered in the LA area at her home by some psycho. She had just started a new sitcom and was a real rising star.

Anne

This is the one I keep thinking of when you describe it, PAW. I can't think of her name though.

ETA: there were 2 actresses I was thinking of: Rebecca Schaeffer and Dominique Dunne

More links to the "Bystander Effect":

Deletha Word

Bystander Effect

 

[BuzzBoyMom]

Sometimes the world is just so sad!

 

[PaulaSue]

OP why did you go for the police and not pull the lady off the kid? She could have killed the DC while you were going for help.

 

[CathrynRose]

OP why did you go for the police and not pull the lady off the kid? She could have killed the DC while you were going for help.

The OP is a kid himself.

Even if he wasnt a child - there's a time and place for taking the law into your own hands, and in many cases it *is not* a good idea.

He did the right thing.

 

[chell]

OP why did you go for the police and not pull the lady off the kid? She could have killed the DC while you were going for help.

Probably because he is only 14. I think he made the right call.

 

[PaulaSue]

The OP is a kid himself.

Even if he wasnt a child - there's a time and place for taking the law into your own hands, and in many cases it *is not* a good idea.

He did the right thing.

I am sorry, I didn't read the whole thread or know OP was a kid. I didn't know kids would post on this board and how would the OP even get to Target if OP was 14. Why wasn't a parnet with him?

 

[dcgrumpy]

LOL, thanks Anne...I was starting to think I just made it up in my mind. I do remember they made a TV movie out of the story and for some reason I think there was litigation or some sort of uproar about the crowd not doing anything...re laws about civic responsibility or something.

I don't remember the bride story, that is awful.

It sounds a little like Tracey Thurman, her estranged husband stabbed her and beat the crap our her in front of police. But she didn't die and it was CT not CA., so it's probably not the same story.

 

[Maleficent13]

I am sorry, I didn't read the whole thread or know OP was a kid. I didn't know kids would post on this board and how would the OP even get to Target if OP was 14. Why wasn't a parnet with him?

The very first sentence of the OP says:

Me and my mom were coming out of target

 

[Rajah]

Hollister, good for you! Y'all did exactly the right thing.

I can believe that people would be so stunned they'd not be able to react. Me, in that situation... I'd like to think I'd have either called the police, gone for security, or stepped in.

 

[momsgonwild]

I wish there was some type of facility where we could lock up the child beaters with the child molesters, and murderers. No cells, no bars, no security between them. They would deserve whatever happens to them.

 

[Mom2Ashli]

I am disturbed that a woman would beat her child...but equally disturbed that no one around felt the need to pull her off of the poor child. What the heck is wrong with people?

It really makes you wonder doesn't it.....

There is no way in HECK I would have just stood around. I probably would have yelled "I can't believe you idiots didn't stop her" as I made my way to the women.

Very sad day when nobody will help a child in need.

OP I am glad that you did something to stop the madness.

 

[agnes!]

I understand the desire to physically step in and confront the criminal(In my more foolish days I did something sort of along those lines, confronting some kids who were trespassing in a neighbor's empty house), but that might not be the best thing to do. Think about it...you step in, physically put your hands on the abuser, probably beat them up a little and now *you've* turned into someone who has committed assault. And you better believe that this crazy woman would press charges.

Any of the following might be better than a physical altercation - getting a police officer to intervene, yelling at the woman to stop while getting help, calling "911" on your cell phone while honking your car horn...
if you physically *stop* all the hitting before getting the authorities, how will charges be pressed against the woman who attacked the child? Wouldn't it make bringing this criminal to justice easier if police officers actually saw the crime physically being committed?

hollister, you did the right thing, you got help. In Red Cross training, I've always been told that the most important thing is to break what others call The Bystander Effect and get help - call "911" or the police or the ambulance - DO something, don't just stand there!

agnes!

 

[UnderTheMistletoe]

O.M.G.

I hope that child protective services has stepped in. If this is going on in public, I don't want to know what's going on at home. Case and point is proved again that people would rather stand around and watch it happening instead of stepping in and doing something about it- Kitty Genovese and Bystander Intervention Model at it's finest.

I hope the poor thing is all right and that the authorities can make the right decision regarding her emotional, physicial, and social wellbeing.

 

[Paging Tom Morrow]

That woman would be on her last leg if I had seen it.

 

[poohandwendy]

I understand the desire to physically step in and confront the criminal(In my more foolish days I did something sort of along those lines, confronting some kids who were trespassing in a neighbor's empty house), but that might not be the best thing to do. Think about it...you step in, physically put your hands on the abuser, probably beat them up a little and now *you've* turned into someone who has committed assault. And you better believe that this crazy woman would press charges.

Any of the following might be better than a physical altercation - getting a police officer to intervene, yelling at the woman to stop while getting help, calling "911" on your cell phone while honking your car horn...
if you physically *stop* all the hitting before getting the authorities, how will charges be pressed against the woman who attacked the child? Wouldn't it make bringing this criminal to justice easier if police officers actually saw the crime physically being committed?

hollister, you did the right thing, you got help. In Red Cross training, I've always been told that the most important thing is to break what others call The Bystander Effect and get help - call "911" or the police or the ambulance - DO something, don't just stand there!

agnes!

Huh? Police officers do not need to witness a child being beaten, especially when there are bystanders who witnessed it.

The problem with not doing anything to actually physically stop it is that you have no idea how long the police will be and a child can be killed from being beaten. I agree that using the car horn and yelling at her might get her to stop, but I would not allow fear of being arrested stop me from physically stopping anyone who is beating a 4 yo. Let her press charges, take me to jail....if I weigh jail against living watching a child be beaten and not putting a stop to it...jail is better in my opinion.

 

[MrsNick]

What an awful story. Kudos to the the OP for acting.

I can believe that a group of bystanders would just watch . There are two main reasons:

1) Diffusion of Responsibility (akin to "bystander effect"). My Psych 101 professor described the Kitty Genovese case as a classic example of Diffusion of Responsibility where each person in a social group thinks that someone else will act. They either think someone else MUST have already called the police, or that someone else surely WILL do something about it, so therefore, they don't need to. Also, the "I don't want to get involved" syndrome.

2) In emergencies, some people simply freeze and fail to act. No one really knows why, but it has been demonstrated in disasters such as plane crashes. Some people in a plane crash act immediately to get off of a plane that has crashed, where others will sit, even when they are clearly in danger. I read an article about this and one woman says that the reason she lived was because her husband grabbed her and told her to get out of there. The woman's friend froze, and subsequently died because she didn't get off the plane.


I hope if any of us are ever unfortunate enough to witness an adult abusing a child that none of us will "just stand there like a dummy," like so many people did in the OP's story.

 

[tink74]

that is awful!

I don't know what a child could do to make someone that mad to beat them up like that! I hope she gets what is coming to her! I feel for that poor little girl!

 

[ducklite]

I understand the desire to physically step in and confront the criminal(In my more foolish days I did something sort of along those lines, confronting some kids who were trespassing in a neighbor's empty house), but that might not be the best thing to do. Think about it...you step in, physically put your hands on the abuser, probably beat them up a little and now *you've* turned into someone who has committed assault. And you better believe that this crazy woman would press charges.

She could try, although I can't imagine a prosecutor persuing charges against an individual who steped in to help the victim of a physical assault. In some states there are various good samaritan laws that would protect the person who intervened.

Any of the following might be better than a physical altercation - getting a police officer to intervene, yelling at the woman to stop while getting help, calling "911" on your cell phone while honking your car horn...
if you physically *stop* all the hitting before getting the authorities, how will charges be pressed against the woman who attacked the child? Wouldn't it make bringing this criminal to justice easier if police officers actually saw the crime physically being committed?

First of all, in some areas it can take five minutes or more for police to arrive. Police can detain on most misdemeanors and all felonies based on witness statements, generally without a warrant. They do not need to see the crime occur. From that point evidence including witness and victim statements and physical evidence are gathered and an arrest is made.

Anne

 

[Teejay32]

hollister, you did the right thing, you got help. In Red Cross training, I've always been told that the most important thing is to break what others call The Bystander Effect and get help - call "911" or the police or the ambulance - DO something, don't just stand there!

I agree it was exactly the right thing for the OP. I had Red Cross training too, and we were told in those situations to pick someone in the crowd: "You, call 911" or "You, go for help," because a lot of people don't know what to do in medical emergencies and they freeze there. I really didn't think this case applied though, I think a lot of people would have thought to at least grab the kid and get her away from that.