What do you call a person who has the awareness to video a crime being committed with her cell phone, but won’t act to intervene? We are left to ponder the question after a woman in Milwaukee was recorded breaking windows, pouring gas into a home then setting the place alight, killing a 72-year-old who couldn’t get out in time.
You’re not legally obligated to stop a crime, but you are obligated to report and provide testimony. Still a lot of people aren’t happy with Dora Johnson’s excuse for not doing something to deter this arson / murder.
Deleted first 3 comments on this.
It speaks for itself.
This is the society we’ve become. We’re nothing but observers — holding up our smart phones to film life instead of actually living life. It’s despicable.
Three years ago, I was at my kitchen sink washing dishes and I saw three black teens trying to break into my neighbor’s house. I ran and got my iPhone, snapped a few pictures of them and then called the police. This way I wouldn’t have to worry about remembering what they were wearing or what they looked like. When the cops found them wondering through my neighborhood (carrying empty backpacks and wearing latex gloves), they knew they had the right guys because one of the officers had a copy of my cell phone picture. It took an hour out of my day to do that. And three little junior burglars were stopped. Really? How hard is it? You already have your freaking phone in your hand. Call 911!
Inaction in the time of dire need reflects the cancer eating at the soul of America and the World.
The powers that be frown on you standing your own ground, much less standing someone else’s ground. The police had been called and she did her personal calculation and stayed out of it, which 99 % of those lambasting her would have also done.
Anyway, she’ll probably get sued by the perp for not stopping her.
Dianny/cato:
All done by design.
Same thing used to happen when CB radios were big. People would see a accident on some back road and get on the radio and report the accident was off the road somewhere between two towns 20 mile apart , then drive on without bothering to check on the people involved. Later on they would brag about saving lives with their CB radio.
For me, it actually would depend on just who the crime is being committed against. I have several shitbags in my neighborhood that I wouldn’t lift a finger to help (these are the scumbags who burgle their neighbors homes, sell drugs etc) In fact if I saw them being murdered, I might film it for future laughs.
If it was one of my good neighbors, and i saw some shit going down, well, I have a suppressed 22lr that will hit a kneecap sized target at 75 yards.
Johnson is quoted as saying, “She was looking like she was very intoxicated on drugs, I wasn’t going to intervene at all…The police were already called, so there was nothing I really could do.”
She had done all she was obligated to do. I would have likely tried to do something immediately if I had known there was somebody still in the burning house, but the article doesn’t make it clear that Johnson knew that. I wish she had done more but I cannot honestly say she did anything wrong here.
She’s standing there across the yard with her cell phone catching the criminal in action, why not call out to the perp to give her name and address so that it can be provided to the police.
It might have kept the would be arsonist from lighting the fire. Even if the perp charges the person with the camera, she’s got a lot of ground to cover, the videographer can take off running and pull the criminal way from the intended crime scene.
She didn’t need to physically confront the arsonist, only dissuade her from starting the fire.
I assume most of us would take that extra step to intervene.
she did not intervene to help- she only took pictures and said-Oh my, what could I do–drop the dam phone-kick in the door-get the hose and spry water on the fire- she- YOU are responsible for the wellbeing of your neighbors. You are your brothers keeper and will answer for it one day.
In that ‘hood, you shouldn’t admit to having the video or taking it.
Leaving Vegas, I recently witnessed a van careen across the road and smash into a guard rail, zip back across the road and land in a ditch. I stopped my car close to the van to see if anyone was hurt.
Five black dudes piled out of the van, a bit shaken but unhurt. One of them looks at me and says “Hey, give us a ride to L.A!” I explained I couldn’t, but they became rather insistent.
I probably won’t be stopping to help anymore, you never know what is going to happen.
The police were already called when the perp was breaking windows. Prolly a low priority. When those watching the woman break windows then saw her dousing the house with gasoline, did they call the police again? I would think that would have summoned help a lot faster.
Still, if “those people” want to set each other on fire while others of their kind stand around watching, hooting and hollering while filming the whole thing, please spare me the whole black lives matter crap.
She was a coward. And somebody died for it.
I know many children who would throw themselves at this situation. Full-heartedly and without fear.
Half a notch above worthless? At least she got video? I wouldn’t want her as a neighbor.
North Milwaukee is a black shit hole
It’s not like you coulda put three rounds into that bitch before the burn. It was done before that person could have approached the arsonist.
That’s a lose lose either way.