Would you be a 'good samaritan'?

[Bushman]

A terrible story has emerged in Melbourne about a young bloke of 29 who intervened in a fight in Brunswick on the weekend. Four guys from the fight which he tried to break-up then followed him in their car (a Mercedes nonetheless) and stabbed him to death! Sheer barbarism. This happened in the 7-11 car park on the corner of Sydney Road and Brunswick Street, a store that I have frequented on countless occassions.

So the question is, would you ever step in and try to break-up a fight? Is it the end of the Australian tradition of helping strangers?

I have given this issue serious thought given the trend of kids carrying knives and weapons. I have a wife, two kids and a baby on the way and I do not think that I would step in into a group fight like that. The consequences for this poor brave bloke have been so dire. It makes me very sad that this is the state of play in our society today. How did we end up with a 'dog-eat-dog' society! Where have all these gangs come from with their complete lack of respect for another human life?

Poor bloke - RIP. To those cowards who did this to him, there is nothing tough about 4-on-1 and taking a life over nothing.

 

[Julia]

Bushman, I think most people are more and more sharing your reluctance to get involved. And yes, it's a sad reflection on the fear that we realistically need to have about the sort of violence that's becoming almost routine.

Personally, I wouldn't dream of going anywhere near a physical confrontation such as you described, but I still always intervene when I see an animal being mistreated. One day this might land me in trouble.

 

[Mr J]

It makes me very sad that this is the state of play in our society today. How did we end up with a 'dog-eat-dog' society! Where have all these gangs come from with their complete lack of respect for another human life?

Society has always been dog eat dog. It may have been less in the decades after the war (the baby boomers certainly make it sound that way), but it may have just been less visible. People have been talking about society going down the drain for thousands of years. My guess is that little changes.

 

[Prospector]

I have always been a good samaritan, probably because of previous career, but these days, so many good samaritans end up badly hurt, or worse, killed. Like Julia, I think one day I might end up in trouble. It is also really hard to 'educate' two young sons who hate seeing injustice (whether it be person or creature) and who would most likely try to rectify the situation. What do you say to them?

 

[Bushman]

It is also really hard to 'educate' two young sons who hate seeing injustice (whether it be person or creature) and who would most likely try to rectify the situation. What do you say to them?

Our little blokes are 5 and 7 - you want them to grow up respecting others and protecting those in need. But, as you say, what do you say to them about a situation like this?

 

[Calliope]

The Perils of being a Good Samaritan in California

The Supreme Court of California has ruled that one good deed may very well not go unpunished ”” unleashing a debate not only on who is a Good Samaritan but also who shouldn't even think about being one. On Dec. 19, the court made a decision in the case of Alexandra Van Horn v. Lisa Torti. The case alleged that Torti worsened the injuries suffered by Van Horn by yanking her "like a rag doll" from a wrecked car on Nov. 1, 2004, thus rendering Van Horn a paraplegic. The court found that Torti wasn't protected from legal action under California's current Good Samaritan laws.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1871331,00.html

 

[MACCA350]

The Misses told me about this last night, very sad
We lived just a few houses up from that 7-11 on Brunswick road for a few years with our grandfather and used to frequently walk past it..........most Friday nights drunk as a skunk
Our grandfather used to grab his smokes from there many times late at night, it gives one pause to think that something like this could occur right on your doorstep.

One of our friends son was stabbed by a group of thugs, in broad daylight no less, coming out of our local library a few months ago. He had no hope of defending himself, he is lucky he was not fatally wounded.

Disgusting

 

[Mr J]

I remember that story from a while back (being sued for helping). Pretty disgusting really. Maybe that Van Horn character is just looking for someone to blame, but a lot of people will do anything for a buck. Slipping in supermarkets, fake witnesses etc.

 

[investorpaul]

As part of my work with a property company I did a course on Shopping Centre OH&S andevacuation.

If there is a fire in the building and you see someone in a wheel chair you have to ask them first if its ok to wheel them out to safety. If you dont ask (even if you are saving their life) you can be charged with assault. The grey area though is if they have trouble communicating or dont speak English. I was when they told me

 

[Knobby22]

I once stepped in when 2 guys were going to rape a girl in a city park (Alexandra Gardens). She ran away and the guys walked either side of me. I just ignored them and walked into a well travelled environment.

You have to do something. Just try to limit risk to yourself.

As for the guys that killed him. They should each get 25 years minimum.

 

[Farencue]

I was at a junior rugby carnival yesterday.
Sitting nearby was a teenage girl about 15 years old who spent a lot of time texting on her phone - as you do.
After the text session, she turned to the 5 or 6 adults in her "camp" and loudly informed them of her friends' goings on the previous night.

Apparently they were at a party and, unprovoked, bashed an Asian guy, smashed a chair over someone else's head and got into a another fight on the way home.
As horrified as I was overhearing this, not one of the adults in the group expressed alarm, disgust or dismay at this turn of events.

I would be a good samaritan yes, this kind of thing sickens me.

 

[seasprite]

I would be a good samaritan yes, this kind of thing sickens me.

kids have no respect nowadays , too much of this new age sensitive rubbish let's them get away with everything. Both parents out working trying to pay the mortgage , while these hyped up little s..ts run rampant on society. Get them out digging holes , I say , to burn off some of excess sugar and preservatives they are chucking down their throats.

back on topic , yes I would at least try something.

 

[Happy]

You have to do something. Just try to limit risk to yourself.

As for the guys that killed him. They should each get 25 years minimum.

This is why I would be happy to have DEATH SENTENCE to be revived.

Of course corpse can be carved to save some lives if recipients don’t mind to have part of thug in them.

 

[Timmy]

This is why I would be happy to have DEATH SENTENCE to be revived.

In a case such as this one in Melbourne I have to agree with you. Cold-blooded, the victim was followed, hunted and murdered. Death sentence is a no-brainer here.

Oh, and yes, I have been a good samaritan many a time, including breaking up 3 men attacking a woman. Would I do it now? Hard to say, don't really know now.

 

[michael_t_f]

I broke up a fight between a young scrawny bloke, who I was friends with, and an older big guy. Got me a good insight into the justice system and a holiday. So no I would not break up another fight.

 

[Smurf1976]

ASo the question is, would you ever step in and try to break-up a fight? Is it the end of the Australian tradition of helping strangers?

I have given this issue serious thought given the trend of kids carrying knives and weapons. I have a wife, two kids and a baby on the way and I do not think that I would step in into a group fight like that. The consequences for this poor brave bloke have been so dire. It makes me very sad that this is the state of play in our society today. How did we end up with a 'dog-eat-dog' society! Where have all these gangs come from with their complete lack of respect for another human life?

I'm only 5'6" tall so no way would I consider getting involved in a physical fight unless it's amongst a bunch of kids. I'd call the police instead since that's the best I could realistically do under such circumstances.

As for the general issue, I think it's truly sad and it's been going this way (slowly but surely) for years now. Violence on Friday and Saturday nights grabs the headlines, but there's a lot more to it than just alcohol - we've had pubs and clubs open late for years but only recently has there been so much trouble.

In local terms, my own view is that Melbourne is a place I really just don't like to visit and this is a big reason why. I remember years ago walking through the city at 3am and not thinking much of it apart from avoiding side streets. But now I'm going there to see a concert next month and I'm going on Thursday, coming back on Saturday. I'll keep my tourist $ and spend them somewhere else with a bit less trouble... (though we're fast running out of "safe" places in this country).

 

[Mr J]

kids have no respect nowadays

Sorry, yes, we're responsible for everything that is wrong in the world, and it never, ever, happened before us.

 

[seasprite]

Sorry, yes, we're responsible for everything that is wrong in the world, and it never, ever, happened before us.

did you get offended by a comment in general.

 

[sammy84]

I once saw a man beating a passenger of a car senseless down chapel st, and I was straight involved. I did enough to scare the guy away. What worried me however was that afterwards I looked around and noticed that there were about 30 people watching. Some even with their phones out recording the incident.

What has our society come to when we are too scared to stand up for whats right. There will always be isolated examples of when stepping in had resulting in a sorry ending, but think of how many beatings, rape etc would have occurred had it not been for everyday bystanders. Events such as the shooting in melbourne city and the article here do make me worry, but that should not scare us from helping. Imagine if it was your child being assaulted, you would hope that someone would be there to protect. We are now too reliant on the police, yes they are there to help, but there will also be certain situations when there are unavailable and it is therefore ultimately our responsibility to protect our community welfare.

 

[Farencue]

Ah Sammy, thats another issue of these modern times: supplying fodder for youtube via mobile phone cameras.

A few weeks ago a lady at my son's judo class broke her arm and was in absolute agony waiting for the ambulance. No worries - to pass the time 2 older kids whipped out their mobile phones and filmed her!
Of course I told the kids that wasnt appropriate and got a mouthful for my trouble.

High school gang bashings that are initiated for entertainment purposes via the internet are on the increase around here too.