She cried rape — and no one helped

[Dion]

Woman attacked on subway platform as workers looked on

The young woman had been attacked in full view of a New York City subway clerk, then dragged down the steps onto a deserted platform where she was raped and raped again, the assailant not stopping even when a subway train pulled into the station.

Now, after nearly four years of constant nightmares, bouts of depression and anxiety, the woman has been told by a judge that two transit workers who saw her being attacked had no obligation to do anything to help her other than to signal their superiors that police were needed at the station.

She told the judge in the civil suit she filed against the Metropolitan Transit Authority that she and the clerk looked at each other for a full five seconds.

“I actually was thinking, ‘Oh, thank god, I’m saved. Someone’s here that can help me. This is going to be done in no time and I’m finally safe,’ ” she told Vieira.

The clerk pushed a button that notifies central command that a police officer is needed. Maria said he could have gotten on the intercom and scared the attacker off. But he did nothing else as she was carried to the bottom of the stairs screaming and crying.

During the attack, another train pulled in and departed. She caught the eye of the train’s conductor. He, too, notified the command center that police were needed. But he didn’t stop the train or do anything else to stop the rape.

Did transit workers do enough in subway rape case?

I say no. Bunch of gutless cowards if you ask me

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/30105703/?GT1=43001

[Mayer]

Maybe by law they aren't required to anything, but how about as a human being? This kind of thing makes me sick.

It's shameful.

[Peanut]

Union workers, I tell ya...

Seriously though, that is pretty messed up. Maybe they see scary crime all the time working in the subway, so are just trained to push the call button and not get involved? Especially since people are likely armed with guns/knives/whatever that are committing the crimes. It's *sort of* understandable why they might not rush to her aid considering the weapons. But still... I can't imagine in the case of the ticket clerk, just sitting there, hearing it happening, and not doing anything other than pushing the "police" call button. Yikes.

[alan21]

Those "men" should have their testicles removed. They don't seem to need them anyways. This is the kind of story that makes me think we're all doomed. Now to offset this, someone please post a story about puppies playing in a field!

[Cliche]

Another"sin of Omission." and entirely related to the Catherine "Kitty" Genovese incident.

All it would take was just one word, usually to prevent something like this. Most of the emergency courses say that when you witness an emergency and no one is helping the victim, to pick one person out of the crowd to alert the authorities.

[Phanuthier]

Her boyfriend let her take the subway at 2am in New York?

A friend, girlfriend or even classmate who's name I don't even know, I always walk a girl to their car or home at night, 1 block or 20 blocks.

Also, I remember a few years ago, I was one of those schmucks working at the Calgary Stampede and one of the houses across the street from the Stampede Grounds, some guy was beating the crap out of his wife/girlfriend(?) on his front lawn and there was a crowd of 20 people just standing there watching for a few minutes. Nobody saying anything, stopping him, calling the cops, etc and I'm thinking wtf? I went and called the cops. (No I didn't do anything, but I was also 15 at the time and he was probably triple my weight)

[Russic]

This is one of those brutal situations where the outcome is unfortunately rather common. I remember back in my university days I had a prof who was particularly interested in the fact that people will tend to claim that if they saw something like this they would do something, but in actuality there is plenty of evidence that the opposite is true.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by Russic

This is one of those brutal situations where the outcome is unfortunately rather common. I remember back in my university days I had a prof who was particularly interested in the fact that people will tend to claim that if they saw something like this they would do something, but in actuality there is plenty of evidence that the opposite is true.

yes... very true...

I think alot of guys have "superhero complex" and think if they ever saw anything, they'd swoop in to save the deal. The reality is, I've seen people get abused (physically or verbally) before, and the best I've ever done is call the cops. I'm pretty sure 95% of the guys here would do the same thing. The only time I've ever "stood up" for someone getting abused was for my (now ex) girlfriend.

[Daradon]

A woman (or anyone for that matter) is far more likely to get help if there are one or two passerbys than hundreds.

While at first glance this would seem stupid, as tens or hundreds could more easily overpower the wrongdoers than one or two who might get hurt or killed, it all comes down to mob mentality and how the human brain works.

If you're in a crowd, and something is going on, you're more likely to try and ignore it for two reasons.

One, you figure someone else will probably help out. Someone who might be more qualified than you (see bigger, tougher, has law enforcement training, etc.) or someone just more willing to get their face beat in.

Two, the longer things go on without anyone helping, you're more likely to think. Jeez, no one else is helping. I'm probably wrong in thinking I should help. Maybe I should think this through. If it was easy or right surely someone would have helped by now.

When you're on your own (or relatively alone) your far more likely to have your survival instincts or protection instincts kick in. When your with others, your mob instincts kick in.

Now I know not everyone is like this. I've stepped in to help women, and once a cabbie who was getting mugged (got my nose broke for the trouble when the assailant turned on me, and worse yet, the cabbie fled instead of trying to help me overpower the guy!) but unfortunately, the human brain still does work on a lot of old instincts.

[albertGQ]

I heard if you were getting raped in a dark back alley you should yell "fire" instead of "rape". You're more likely to get help this way

[FireFly]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

I heard if you were getting raped in a dark back alley you should yell "fire" instead of "rape". You're more likely to get help this way

Women are actually told this because a fire can spread to other people's property so other people would be concerned. Rape apparently only has one victim at a time.

[flylock shox]

Originally Posted by alan21

Those "men" should have their testicles removed. They don't seem to need them anyways. This is the kind of story that makes me think we're all doomed. Now to offset this, someone please post a story about puppies playing in a field!

I tried to find you a happy puppy video, but all I could find was this.

http://www.alldogsnews.com/archives/85

It's awful. Note how the dark kitten does nothing to help the light kitten.

Originally Posted by Daradon

A woman (or anyone for that matter) is far more likely to get help if there are one or two passerbys than hundreds.

While at first glance this would seem stupid, as tens or hundreds could more easily overpower the wrongdoers than one or two who might get hurt or killed, it all comes down to mob mentality and how the human brain works.

If you're in a crowd, and something is going on, you're more likely to try and ignore it for two reasons.

One, you figure someone else will probably help out. Someone who might be more qualified than you (see bigger, tougher, has law enforcement training, etc.) or someone just more willing to get their face beat in.

Two, the longer things go on without anyone helping, you're more likely to think. Jeez, no one else is helping. I'm probably wrong in thinking I should help. Maybe I should think this through. If it was easy or right surely someone would have helped by now.

When you're on your own (or relatively alone) your far more likely to have your survival instincts or protection instincts kick in. When your with others, your mob instincts kick in.

Now I know not everyone is like this. I've stepped in to help women, and once a cabbie who was getting mugged (got my nose broke for the trouble when the assailant turned on me, and worse yet, the cabbie fled instead of trying to help me overpower the guy!) but unfortunately, the human brain still does work on a lot of old instincts.

In psychology, the phenomenon of one person choosing not to act because of the presence of others equally well positioned to act is termed "diffusion of responsibility." This is one of the things that really stuck with me from psychology, because it's so horrid but there are so many instances of it every year. The most famous example is the Kitty Genovese case (which you can read about at page 250 of this book if you use the preview feature: http://books.google.ca/books?id=lOyNoKk3h20C ).

This case sounds slightly different, since it doesn't seem there were a ton of potential helpers around. More likely a case of people just being afraid and the old instincts of self preservation kicking in, just as you suggested.

[Kidder]

^^^^ That was also one of the few things that stuck from my psychology days, but I learned it as the bystander effect.

[Devils'Advocate]

Okay, so we file this under "humans suck and the universe would be better off without them" and move on?

[flylock shox]

Originally Posted by Kidder

^^^^ That was also one of the few things that stuck from my psychology days, but I learned it as the bystander effect.

I think, as far as cases like these go, the two terms are almost the same. The product is the bystander effect, and the primary reason is diffusion of responsibility. Mind you, there could be more to it than that - it's been a loooooonngg time since I was taking psychology.

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by FireFly

Women are actually told this because a fire can spread to other people's property so other people would be concerned. Rape apparently only has one victim at a time.

I've heard the "fire" thing as well. But I'm not sure it would really help in this case since people actually witnessed the act? So clearly, not a fire. Just people not knowing what to do, and so choosing to do nothing.

[twotoner]

I saw a guy getting rough with his gf downtown once near eighth and eighth. Stared right at him and pulled out my cell phone to call 911. That stopped him right away ... still though, wonder what happened when they got home.

[Sparks]

Originally Posted by flylock shox

I think, as far as cases like these go, the two terms are almost the same. The product is the bystander effect, and the primary reason is diffusion of responsibility.

Yeah, the famous case that many of us learned being that of Kitty Genovese, who was sexually assaulted and murdered while being offered no help from witnesses.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Genovese

This new case isn't really all that surprising.

I think everyone should be educated about the bystander effect so that people understand their own natural reactions in these situations and act contrary to them. "Someone else" is probably not going to help out.