When do you Make The Decision?

[Darthwing Teorist]

The following thread viewtopic.php?f=7&t=505 reminded me of something from two weeks ago.

I was driving on a fast lane (southbound Papineau, north of the 40 - for those familiar with Montreal). At a light I noticed something in my rearview mirror: the taxi driver behind me was pinching the chick of the person next to him and shaking his head. I quickly realized that this must be an authorized taxi for handicapped people. I kept looking and the taxi driver was saying something to his passenger but also he was sometimes slightly slapping his on the cheek.

The passenger didn't seem to enjoy the treatment. I felt my adrenaline level increase as I considered stopping the car and facing the driver behind me or calling the police. However, I decided to keep watching to see what was going on. After a while, I did not feel so sure that I should stop. The scene seemed less offensive than at first sight. It looked like the driver was explaining something to his passenger or trying to encourage him to do something in a rough manner. I am not sure that it was abuse and since the scene was just below some unconscious limit that I have for witnessing abuse, I decided that doing something rash may make things worse: get a person accused of something he may not have done based on circumstantial evidence.

I made a mental note of this and left but I kept pondering when would I intervene if I witness something? As most of us know, situations are rarely black and white, so there is a lot of confusion as to what goes on. Also, my personality dictates me to wait and appraise a situation before being sure that I REALLY need to step in.

[Michael]

Sometimes I wonder if cops ever feel very weird driving around, thinking they're supposed to involve themselves in the lives of strangers without any special knowledge of what has transpired before they arrived or what people's true intentions are.

[bigphatwong]

Usually when the guy swings at me and tries to take my head off is as good a time as any...

[Darthwing Teorist]

Usually when the guy swings at me and tries to take my head off is as good a time as any...

That's true. But I try to stay out of that kind of thing.

[Josealb]

Reminds me of a story a friend told me about a friend of his. He basically walked by a guy talking shit and pushing this girl, and really letting her know how stupid and wrong she is, and eventually he hit her. Well, Mr. friend of a friend jumped between them with his shiny armor and smacked the guy flat in the face (a punch, really).....and guess what? next thing he felt was the broomstick swing of the good woman aimed at his head.

Lifes a bitch that way. And it carries a broomstick sometimes.

[dragontigerpalm]

Reminds me of a story a friend told me about a friend of his. He basically walked by a guy talking shit and pushing this girl, and really letting her know how stupid and wrong she is, and eventually he hit her. Well, Mr. friend of a friend jumped between them with his shiny armor and smacked the guy flat in the face (a punch, really).....and guess what? next thing he felt was the broomstick swing of the good woman aimed at his head.

Lifes a bitch that way. And it carries a broomstick sometimes.

Whenever I encounter a spat between a guy and a girl I always go up to them and take the girl aside and ask if she's ok or if she needs help. If she tells me she's not by words or body language then the guy goes out the door.

[Darthwing Teorist]

Yeah, getting into the middle of conjugal violence incident only to be jumped on by the woman is a big law enforcement classic.