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M$1 December 19, 2008 12:44 AM

If you witnessed an assault in a public place, would you take action?

If you were in a public place and witnessed a verbal argument turn violent, where one person was the aggressor, and the other person not fighting back, would you intervene on that person's behalf? What actions would you take, if any?
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December 19, 2008 01:03 AM
Ha! I'm a skinny guy who wouldn't, based on the usual rational me, but one afternoon, some years ago, I did get involved in something like that. I stopped a thief in a very public place. I grabbed him by the shirt for a few seconds until he turned around and we both realized that it would be a very uneven fight, with me getting beaten up real bad. But I did stop him enough for others to arrive. Things got violent after that and I walked away. Until today I don't know yet why I did that. My arm just moved on its own.

(By "violent" I mean that everything turned around and cops had to arrive to stop a lynching.)
Source(s):
Experience. Here is the story (as usual) for those who speak Spanish and have nothing else to do: http://kaeso1979.blogspot.com/2008/12/hroe-por-unos-segundos.html



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December 19, 2008 12:51 AM
Not if it was here in Brazil. =/

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edd edd
 
December 19, 2008 12:54 AM
Yes - anyone in need is your neighbor. I would certainly do what I could to help -- at the very least try to distract the assailant while calling 911.

It would be a bit difficult for me to decide whether or not to try to fight them off the victim -- if the victim isn't fighting back, it's unlikely they would return the favor if the aggressor were to start to overpower me. Probably I would look to grab some nearby instruments of pain :) in order to try and scare off the assailant, rather than risk personal injury.

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December 19, 2008 01:03 AM
To me, it's really gender based. Two women fighting, I might say something, and at most try to distract the aggressor to get her off. Two guys, honestly, I'll probably sit back and watch unless the one on the ground looks like he's gotten squishy, then comment. Female on a guy, sit back and watch. Guy on a female, jump in...if I don't think I can take him, bring my pistol.

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December 19, 2008 01:04 AM
I'm there! I'll assist anyway possible... even if it means just a simple scream... my lungs work just fine...
I could assemble a few people to help right away..

put a space between them right away... and help out with the police if nessesary.

It's important NOT to be afraid of "getting involved" THAT's LIFE -- join IN

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December 19, 2008 01:09 AM
I'd call 911 and try to stay back--getting myself killed won't help-I'm 5'2" and chrnically ill--he could knock me over with a pinky--I do carry pepper spray and would consider using it if it was taking too long for help to arrive

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December 19, 2008 01:13 AM
It just depends on the situation... whos around, who im with and whos with the person being harmed. I almost always interfere with a fight. I put distance and tell both of them to chill... if its in a restraunt please take it outside, and not disrupt the biz. if it is already outside, I let them fight.. its entertainment to me. I jus keep it safe, make sure no one is seriously hurt, and it doesnt lead into the traffic/street. If the fight continues and no one breaks it up, then I do so after I feel like it should be over... afterall i dont want a serious beating to happen... just some punchs here and there to make a point clear?

almost everything depends on the situation.

if theres jus a punk who thinks hes a bad ass picking on someone then by all means, ill accept a challenge. im physical myself.. highly active, always been into sports, I hit the gym almost every day, stretchs on the regular and am an ex muay thai fighter... so im always up for the option of defending the helpless.

=)

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December 19, 2008 01:13 AM
If I didn't think the individual had a weapon I would be much more likely to intervene in a physical manner.
There are some situations where I would be too scared to get involved though. If I am outnumbered, I won't help anything by getting involved.

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December 19, 2008 01:15 AM
if someones being beaten and your outnumbered.... grab a sick and start whacking them off one by one. then finally hit the aggressor. i am not scared of numbers or size... to be honest im scared of short guys... they tend to be alot more high paced and active and like most, can throw a damn quick punch.

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December 19, 2008 01:18 AM
If I was with a minor, I would make sure to put him/her in a safe place first. But if I was alone, I would help

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December 19, 2008 01:33 AM
I think I would help, but in reality many people wouldn't.

Oprah performed this experiment to see if people would intervene if a couple was fighting in the park.

Read about it here: http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/oprahshow1_ss_20080423/11

And also here:
http://oprah.about.com/od/oprahshowrecaps/p/whatwouldyoudo.htm

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December 19, 2008 01:33 AM
Absolutely. To ignore violence is to condone it if you are able-bodied enough to intervene.

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December 19, 2008 01:46 AM
In the 1980s there was a man who severely beat his wife outside of his house. The neighbors - many of them - watched as he stomped, kicked, and otherwise battered her while they ignored her pleas for help. No one done a thing.

There was a "made for tv" movie based on the event as well.

After this, psychologists really wanted to know why this happened. Why didn't anyone do anything? Their studies found that the more people there are, the more likely everyone is going to assume that someone else is going to do something. This results in everyone doing nothing.

Hopefully I can respond soon with some sources, but I should be studying for finals tomorrow.. someone else is encouraged to respond with sources before I do.

The bottom line is that although most people would like to believe that they would do something, most people would not.

I'm a psychology major and I'm aware of the social behavior in this setting. Being aware of this would help me think beyond the normal response. Knowing me, I would immediately call 911 and I would describe the situation to the officers to ensure that the assailant went to jail.

Worse comes to worse I do have some martial arts training. Don't take that the wrong way. I am no "tough guy". I would avoid any physical confrontation if at all possible. I've done open sparring before though, and I've been hit hard enough to get a cracked rib. Psychologically and physically I've already been there to some degree and could probably react better than, say, a woman who's getting beat on by her boyfriend or husband.

This is not what I would want to do though. For both legal reasons as well as reasons of personal safety I would prefer to let the officers to take care of the situation.

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December 19, 2008 01:53 AM
I'd probably call 911, but wouldn't physically intervene myself.

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December 19, 2008 02:10 AM
Most definitely. I have in the past although it's scary, I find it to be always the right choice.

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December 19, 2008 02:24 AM
I'd like to think so, yes.

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December 19, 2008 02:51 AM
You have to remember in many States at least in the US the first one that files a police report is the one who wins because police will charge the other person involved.

That means while stepping in that you have a friend call the police using a cell phone and that friend be ready to file the police report.

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December 19, 2008 03:09 AM
That's a tricky question, what is your definition of taking action? If you get involved you can be held liable for your actions. For example, if you were to use force on someone to stop an assault. You also run the risk of putting yourself in danger in that scenario.

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December 19, 2008 04:30 AM
I would call 9-1-1 first and while the police were on their way, i'd try to step in and break it up

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December 19, 2008 04:45 AM
I would take a picture with my camera phone, call 911, and probably yell something from a safe distance and behind a tree if I could find one.

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December 19, 2008 05:39 AM
That depends on whether or not the two people know each other.

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December 19, 2008 10:45 AM
Absolutely. However, it is a lot more thorny issue than most suppose, because any action on your part may lead to both parties charging you with an assault. My actions would be limited to providing defense of the weaker party, or, with the aid of some other similarly-minded bruiser (I'm 6'3", 270#), pull the combatants apart.

If either of the combatants is sufficiently larger than his/her victim, I'd probably be perfectly ok with actually going on the offensive to subdue the larger combatant, but then, I'd be preventing a possible maiming or murder.

Before anyone takes any action, they should consider both the legal ramifications and the possibility of injury. I would recommend not getting involved unless you know how to handle yourself and know the situation actually presents a risk of serious injury.

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December 19, 2008 10:59 AM
In today's world I hate to say it but no, I would not get in the middle of it. To many people carrying weapons these days. If there was violence involved then i would call the cops. But i would call from the comfort of my home and keep my nose out of it.

Now if a child was involved then that is a whole other story!

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December 19, 2008 03:17 PM
Definately!

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December 19, 2008 09:28 PM
Yes I will call 911. Try to offer help. But I may not put my life in danger protecting the one being attacked.

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December 19, 2008 09:50 PM
Me, myself, i would have to. Being served in the military and staying true to the law and all its practices, the Good Samaritan law provides i must take action.

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December 19, 2008 11:05 PM
I would try to intervene unless it posed a life-threatening danger to myself. If I couldn't help out physically, I would definitely call the police and try to get others around to help me with the situation. I think as a human being, it is our instinct to help each other out. If it were me being beat down, I sure would want someone to help me out. It's the Golden Rule.

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xds xds
 
December 20, 2008 05:59 AM
Yes absolutely. And without hesitation. Not only that but with my current line of profession it would be my duty to intervene.

Defending those who cannot defend themselves has been my lifes work.

And i don't care if you are 5 feet taller than me and are armed and dangerous. I'll take it to you .

Ofcoars calling the authorities would probably be the best thing to do first seeing you are of no use to the person if you are blind, bleeding, dieing or dead already.

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December 20, 2008 10:28 AM
yes, if I was in danger a phone call if I felt I could help otherwise I'd step in

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