When Will It Stop? Will It Ever Stop?
Posted: Tuesday, March 23, 2010
by Brianna Popsickle
I was on the elliptical at the gym, watching people on the street making their way to work. Parents were laughing with their children as they walked them to school. It was a beautiful sunny, spring day and everyone seemed to have a skip in their step.
As much as I tried to get lost in the music pounding through my headphones, and feel that same sense of energy, my thoughts kept returning to my friend, whose daughter was murdered on Valentines Day.
Time passes by, but my friend's pain remains. Sorrow, helplessness, rage, no one can truly understand what he and his family must be feeling. There's no right thing to say, there's nothing can be done to ease their pain. It's a sad, helpless situation.
Someone got on the elliptical next to me, smiled and said hello. I turned off my iPod and we talked about the beautiful, sunny day. Then I shifted my focus to the TV's mounted before me; sports, weather, news
"Oh my God!" I exclaimed, as I watched in disbelief. A surveillance video showed a man in a wheelchair entering an elevator, followed by another man. The next scene showed him thrown from his chair. He was stomped, kicked and beaten and left lying alone on the floor. I was shocked and felt sick to my stomach. I couldn't stop the tears from running down my face. I made a quick exit to the change room.
Why? I wondered. How could someone do such a thing? What happened to the man in that video and to the man who murdered my friend's daughter, to make them so evil, so heartless? When will it stop? Will it ever stop? Isn't it enough, people struggled with starvation, earthquakes, and sickness, without humans inflicting pain on humans? It's unfathomable.
Potentially, we're all targets of crime. But when it happens to those most vulnerable, a trusting young girl or the disabled, it's especially hard to bear.
Years ago I assisted an elderly woman who'd had a stroke. Her daughter would leave their door unlocked and a couple of times a week I'd go help her get dressed, make her breakfast and read to her. I remember seeing her lying in bed waiting for me to arrive, recognizing just how vulnerable she was. She could barely speak and anyone knowing her situation could have walked through that door those mornings.
Another incident pointed out just how vulnerable the disabled can be.
It was the end of summer and we slept with the window open. It was around 3 a.m. when I thought I heard someone cry for help. It was very faint, but clear. I looked out to see a young man in a wheelchair on the side of the road across the street.
I woke my husband, grabbed our phone, and ran out to help him.
It was a Saturday night and he'd been making his way home from a bar quite a distance away. It was a cool evening and his hands had become so cold he couldn't push the button any longer to activate his chair. He'd been yelling for help for about ten minutes. He didn't want to come in the house so I pulled some gloves over his thin, cold hands. I brought him a cup of tea to warm him up. We sat and talked with him on the side of the road. He told us he'd encountered a group of teens earlier, but rather than assist him, they ridiculed and taunted him. We listened as he poured his heart out to us. Once his hands were warm enough to work his chair, my husband walked him home.
What can we do to help prevent crime and protect people around us?
A start would be to look out for those most vulnerable and to treat people with the respect they deserve. Get involved. If we're aware of domestic abuse, report it. Care for elderly neighbours when their children can't be there. Keep a protective eye on children whose parents can't or don't watch them. Instead of turning a blind eye to troubled teens, or depressed souls, seek help for those who can't help themselves.
Is it ever going to stop, the senseless crimes that affect not only the victims and their families but the families of the perpetrator as well? Not likely, but if we all do everything we can to prevent crime, report crime and care for victims and their families, we will be one step further.
Murder, robbery, rape, it happens to other families in other cities until it doesn't, until it happens at home.
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More commentsThis is a touching article, thanks.You're welcome Jennifer.
Good article and good advice...hope you and yours stay safe.Thank you Steve.
Strictly a sign of the times. It's everywhere. People just plain ole don't give a damn about anyone and especially the religious nuts out there who claim to be so righteous. Have a good day and it is what it is!!!!!!Yes, it is what it is. It's a mess. People need to give a damn. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Brianna, you've presented two troubling questions. On a larger scale will wars and man's inhumanity to man ever cease? The answer, of course is "not likely." The world in which we live is imperfect and always has been. That's not to say we can't make it better. Here is a small ray of hope. I recently read that "bullying" in school has declined over some defined period of time. That's certainly a step in the right direction.Best to you, JohnOne step at a time, we can make a difference. Thanks for reading and commenting John.
Whenever I hear or read about incidents like you describe, I have to wonder "What kind of a person would do such a thing?" Whether it's cruelty to humans or to animals, it sickens me. All we can do is to do all we can do to take care of others.Exactly. Thanks for reading Janet.
Hi Brianna a gripping piece you have wrote here, and I support all you say, however as society is as it is today even the gallant are now scared to intevene to offer help. You hear of so many deaths of the hero. Its sad the way we have to live, but being vigilant for them around who are powerless to defend, and for ourselves may just save life.Keep wellKacy.It's sad but true, sometimes it's diffiuclt to know whether or not to intervene. Thanks for reading and commenting Kacy.
Great article Brianna. Tune into PBS on April seventh for the beginning if series that will answer many of your questions. Key in "The Buddha on PBS" for a preview.
Best.....eI checked out the preview on line and it looks very interesting. Thanks Raymond, I'll be sure to check it out if we get it.
It really gets to me too...children, the elderly, animals... It's hard to imagine what goes through evil-doers minds.I'm sure many who commit crimes against others have been victims themselves, but that's not always the case. Thanks for reading Tammy and for joining my fan club!
How many children are affected and grow up to be these brutal adults - some would say it's environmental, some would argue is medical. It doesn't matter how they get that way - they are who/what they are - and it is up to us as a community to stand up to these people.
In some cases I think it's parenting gone bad - ie not enough parenting done, but what can you expect when both parents have to work, or it's a single parent family?
In other cases - it used to be the way it was. Nature is, by far and large, survival of the fittest. It's quite strange as I sit here and ponder the statement I just made, that I think of Survivor (a show I love) and how often it's not the brute force that wins - but the calculating, the sneaky, the manipulative. So, for us 2 legged creatures - is it the survival of the fittest, or the sneakiest?
It really doesn't matter - we as a community - should be stopping violence. We should be taking a stand for what's right, for our convictions, our beliefs, our morals and our ethics (for those of us who have them). Instead, most people just stand around and say 'it's not my business. I don't want to be involved.". I think that's where society, our communities, fail each other so miserably.I agree Tammy. Thanks for reading and commenting.
A very gripping and thought provoking article. Makes one wonder what has happened to not only our society, but thi entire world.Thanks for reading Bob, and taking the time to comment.
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