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Ignore It And It Doesn't Go Away
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If you're of a certain age, the story about the El train passenger in Philly who was raped while nobody on the train called 911 will remind you of Kitty Genovese. If not, Google her. In the Genovese case (1964, in Queens), it was initially reported that 38 people saw or heard her murder and none called the police or tried to help; that wasn't quite accurate, but it became lore anyway and this latest case is a reminder of how people don't want to get involved, and raises the same questions of whether to take the risk that an attacker will turn on you. But, really, how hard or dangerous is it to call 911? Or hit the emergency button? (UPDATE: As it turns out, someone may indeed have contacted the authorities, and nobody, officials now say, just videotaped the attack. None of the other passengers may have even been aware an attack was taking place. So, the initial police report was incorrect. Deliberate misdirection?) (Philadelphia Inquirer)
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