From 2/19/2003

I found this on Plastic, another blog which got it’s content from a DC newspaper:

“In an unbelieveable display of callousness, several witnesses at a gas station watch and do nothing as Allen E. Price, 43 is shot, point blank. As the man lay bleeding and dying, one witness watches the scene unfold before him, proceeds to finish pumping his kerosene, looks at Price bleeding on the ground and proceeds to pay for his kerosene and drives away. Others drive away from the scene after the shooting. One car even pulls up to the same pump Price’s body is laying next to and also does nothing. It isn’t until 27 minutes after the shooting that the first 911 call is received.” (original story)

Just like what happened to Kitty Genovese in NYC, people apparently are trapped into doing absolutely nothing when there is a chance that someone else could do something, a fallacy is created in each mind saying “Ah, someone else must have heard it and will tell someone” when everyone thinks like this, nothing is done. I can’t help but think if people were not a little conditioned for this behavior from the DC sniper who was moving around DC and VA nicking people left and right.

Human compassion is alive and well, stored neatly in vacuum-sealed jars at home, under our beds.