Voyeurs to a Crime

Society is changing – and not necessarily for the better. We live in a world today where you simply cannot count on those around to come to your aid in an attack. But oddly enough, you can pretty much count on someone filming the attack on their phone! Great for the police and prosecution, but not so good for you!

In Dallas we recently had another dynamic play out as “the crowd” actually called for the execution of one man in such a mob situation. Two men allowed a football game rivalry to get out-of-hand, escalate into a physical altercation, followed by one man pulling a gun on the other. The crowd that gathered actually called for the man with the gun to shoot/kill the other, and the man actually pulled the trigger, shooting the other man in the head! Fortunately, he survived, but so much for “innocent” by-standers!

A year or so ago, one fast-food restaurant in Texas was sued and lost a $20+ million judgment because when a gang fight broke out in their parking lot and two non-related patrons were attacked and later died, no one in the restaurant on staff came to their aid. But there’s more. That same staff who remained inside (understandable given the environment) also did not call the police, but they “did” use those same phones to record the violence and the attack of the patrons outside! Everyone was “on their phones”…but for the WRONG reason(s)!

We have all seen the footage on YouTube and/our our news and news feeds of such crimes being caught on camera, but not by reporters, by the by-standers on the scene. None of these came to the victim’s rescue, they just stood off to the side filming, sometimes even apparently enjoying the moment by their comments, jokes, and laughter at another human being’s demise.

One of the things you cannot count on today is “HELP” from those around. This means you are also no longer safe from attack in public areas, and that is a very strange and surreal thing to consider, but true. Vigilance must be shown whether in public and private, whether on the schoolyard or outside of the bar or club, whether you are at a sporting event or in a fast-food parking lot, whether you are walking down the street alone or in the midst of others walking along with you.

Situational awareness is paramount to your personal safety. Learning how to read people and read situations is becoming more and more a skill set of note and protection. “Safety in numbers” means nothing if the numbers simply want you as the subject of their next viral video. We now live in a society where there are not only “witnesses to a crime”, but often VOYEURS to a crime. Be safe out there!

Jeff McKissack, Founder
Trouble Spotters