BellaOnline Forums News and Politics Crime What do you do when you see a crime taking place?

I almost always call 911 if I see something going on. Shortly after I left my abuser, i was walking home from the corner store and a guy was standing over this lady who was crying and holding her face as she laid on the ground. I slowed and asked her if she was ok, he swung around and said she's ok. I said I asked HER if SHE is ok. He didn't know what to say, I guess a woman never stood up to him before. My apartment buidling was less then a block away. I called the police and watched her from my porch. She was able to get up and walk away from him. He was screaming and screaming at her. I eventually went to court over it as a witness. She didn't show up to the hearing but because of me being there he went to jail. I don't know what happened to her afterwards.

Definitely summon help, but only after removing myself to a safe distance. I get people not wanting to be physically involved for their own safety, but I don't see why people who could safely call for help don't. The Kitty Genovese story always made me angry and sad. Any one of her neighbors might have saved her life with a simple phone call from the privacy and safety of their home.

I have not really seen any crimes and I live in Tampa, FL.

Definitely a call to 911....most likely from a safe place.

What else I would do....depends on the circumstances and the adrenalin in my system at the time.

ps...BRAVO Ninja and Jeannette!!

Got lost in Tampa trying to find the beach (eventually went to Clearwater0. Even the backstreets seemed very quiet

I get involved and not necessarily from a distance, but I�ve always had more guts than brains.

If I hear/see a child being abused, I make the appropriate phone call. I've never seen a seriously dangerous situation involving children, but I'd grab a baseball bat and jump in for a kid.
If an adult is being injured I intervene unless they all look like drug dealers/addicts, then I see nothing. That�s a loaded statement because of course you can�t always tell �but you know what I mean. Sometimes it�s obvious what the deal is.

I�ve stepped in between domestic violence more than once.

When I was in college I had this great third floor apartment across from the college. I had lived there about a year when drug dealers moved into the apt directly across the street. My great place turned into a nightmare with people coming and going all hours of the night.
Calling the cops was useless so I started video taping all the cars coming and going from my front living room window. I knew that the police couldn�t use that as evidence but I wanted it anyway. It only took a week for me to start opening the window so they could all see the camera on them. At some point cars began just pulling up out front and laying on the horn for someone to run out to them. I guess they wanted to speed up the process of buying. It was the last straw for me. I took the video camera down onto the street and walked up to their license plates with it. From that day on, every time a car pulled up in front of their place I walked down three flights with a huge video camera resting on my shoulder ( back in the eighties they looked like the ones used to film movies) and I�d march right up to their rear plate with it and then would wave at the driver and smile.

People told me I was nuts and that I was going to get killed. The drug dealers moved out about 6 weeks later. It�s hard to do business with a nutty blond filming all of your customers.

Crime makes me feel outraged and I am compelled to take action even if it�s risky. Perhaps I�d rather be dead then to feel like a helpless victim. I�m not saying that it�s a good attitude to have, but it�s mine.

I'm sensitive to my surroundings in the first place. So I kind of have a plan A.) B.) C.) and i've a few reasons for that and I live in a low income housing project too.

What took 7.5 years to afford (for me anyway) in terms of a "nice" apartment, went down hill in less than 1 month when they moved a chicago ghetto into apartment buildings and subsidized (sp) the 2/bed, 2 bath, fireplace, balcony, walk-in closets...white carpeting, dishwasher and laundry machine inside.

I now live in a similar place and I'm not keen on the "victim system" but this is a low income housing project and I'm in it and it's similar to the above scenario. The first situation I worked my A$$ off to get to, this one, you just walk in and say 'm pregnant, I can't, etc....and it's given to you. I'm told it wasn't always like this, it was like the place I had to work for and it is pretty and I'm greatful.

But, because of my first situation, i now take pictures, write down license plates andkeep them in a back up file "should" something happen and my husband knows what to do.

I've come to realize, being afraid is what they want. So I will dial 911 or be the one that dies trying. Without your fear they have nothing and the reasons for entitlement go well beyond not only this century but the next one to come.

Elleise, that�s EXACTLY right. The criminals �want� you to be too intimidated and afraid to speak up. They are counting on it.

Murder is a really serious crime and most people aren�t going to resort to that.

I was never even threatened for doing what I did. TV has us all convinced that if we don�t hide in our holes like timid little moles that we�ll end up dead. It really isn�t true.


I am so sensitive that I cannot bear to watch the news, and yet I am a lion when confronted with injustice in every day life. Being a passive observer is the ultimate pain for me, and that is why I act. It has nothing to do with bravery or courage. It is merely pain avoidance.

After having my window shot at
And living where i do
I am more inclined to keep my shades down
I love how every one would get involved
I did
And at 63yrs old i can't run like i use to
Because the gangs here will chase you
And if they don't get you they will get some one in your family
I don't want to sound like a coward
But i learned the hard way
Now
I see nothing, Just keep my shades down

This happens when the people involved know it was you that called the cops etc. The art is to make sure that a/ you leave no trace. & b/ any trace you may leave leads back to more criminals.
That way you let the gangs pick on each other
In Chinese strategy this is called "Sit across the river and watch the tigers fight."

Rosie, I don't blame you for keeping to yourself, and I don't think anyone would. You have to protect yourself and your family first, which is why I would never physically intervene in a crime in progress. Although I'm a little gal, so I couldn't do a whole lot of good anyway. The best I could hope to do is a short physical attack that allowed me just enough time to escape-don't know that that would help another person.

Ian, good strategy and definitely the way to go. Let them sort it out, hopefully that will solve the entire problem for your neighborhood.