Not applicable here. The Good Samaritan the law is based on helped someone in need. Examples of the law’s intent include calling 911 for very drunk/high kids who need help without fear of them being arrested, or stopping to help a stranger without fear of inadvertently hurting them and being sued.
She was not a good Samaritan. She was just scared and called the police. More like a “see something say something” like when someone sets a suitcase down in an airport and walks away.
When I read this story I first thought of the “good samaritan” in Beavercreek Ohio Walmart who called 911 to report a guy “pointing his gun at children” . John Crawford, shopping with his family, swinging a pellet gun he picked up from the store shelf and talking on his phone as he shopped was killed because of that call (and the dispatcher’s ad-lib, and the actual police response). A female shopper had a heart attack and died as a result of the killing. No one was charged including the caller.
John Crawford should have known better than to think he had the right to carry a pellet gun around in a store, just like these two kids should have known not to wear shirts with metal bands on them or be too quiet.
I figured it had to be shortly after the tour started since the 2 guys were able to find the tour group. That’s further proof in my mind that the woman who made the call is wacko. It’s not unusual at all and definitely not alarming to have people join a few minutes late.
This story reminds me of an incident that happened to me about 20 years ago. Basically, my own personal “Bonfire of the Vanities.” I was driving alone and got lost in very sketchy area of the Bronx. There were young black men hanging out on the sidewalk and they all seemed huge to me. A bike collided with my car. I was so stunned and shocked that I drove a small bit down the block before it dawned on me that you are supposed to stop at the scene of an accident. I was terrified, and I was really sure that I was going to be killed. But, I was not going to be just another hit and run, so I stopped the car and started to get out. A group of men ran towards my car shouting. It took me a second to realize what they were saying, but the words are now carved in my memory:
Them: “Don’t worry! He’s fine! He’s just an idiot and he plowed into your car.”
Me: “Oh my God, are you sure? He’s OK? Should we call someone?”
Them: “No, he’s fine. Don’t worry. Thanks for stopping.”
Yes, they THANKED me for stopping and then gave me directions. I was so overwhelmed because I was certain I was going to get one kind of treatment and they couldn’t have been more polite and kind.
That incident informs my behavior to this day. I try very hard not to jump to conclusions based on the way people look. This comes into play for me with teens and young men of all colors with a certain aesthetic. The hoodies and shirts with violent looking insignia are designed to look tough. I believe thats the point. To look tough and “tweek” the sensibilities of an older generation. Teens have done that throughout history. As a tiny woman generally travelling alone or with daughters, I find myself being put on edge by it. This is not a race thing, but a gender thing. Still, I always try to override my initial emotional response and remind myself that this is just the way kids dress. I try to always treat people like human beings. I have never been disappointed.
It also doesn’t hurt to remember that terrorists, rapists, and murderers come in all colors and all styles. Most “bad guys” don’t do us the service of announcing themselves by wearing the “bad guy” uniform.
@zoosermom even if that mom had only daughters, it’s no excuse.
I have 2 daughters, neither of whom date either. That doesn’t make me oblivious to the reality that most teens, especially boys, are quiet and not likely to chat up strangers, they wear T-shirt’s, are sometimes late, etc.
I listened to the tape of the call again and it really does sound like she took her kids with her when she stepped aside to make the call. She says “I have 2 of my children with me. My husband stayed in…”
Nowhere did I say it was an excuse. I said I was curious. I.e., nosy. Because those boys didn’t look any different from the vast majority of boys I know, and I just can’t imagine what she was seeing that I’m not.
This is something that I immediately thought about when the woman was complaining that teens didn’t want to talk to her. I think it’s a little bit creepy (or at least socially awkward) for an adult to randomly chat up a teen, and from talking to my D, teens feel the same way. A random joke or comment, sure that’s perfectly normal. But if you’re a random adult stranger to trying to chat with a teen, don’t be surprised if you get monosyllabic answers or grunts, and then later hear the teens asking each other wth is up with the weirdo (you).
I never thought about it, but this is very true. When on tours, I will instinctively chat with the other parents. Sometimes the kids enthusiastically join in and sometimes they stay quiet. I can’t see myself grilling an unaccompanied teen on a tour. The only way I could see ending up in an extended conversation is if it were initiated by the kid.
“Two of my kids” makes it sounds like, not “all.” Plus she gets cut off, so might have been going to say “in the tour with the other” (speculating, but as long as we’re going to parse…). If the prospective son was not still with the H, why would he still be on the tour?
I chat people of all ages up everywhere I go, but I don’t take offense or become suspicious if other people don’t chat back. I recognize that not everyone is as chatty as I am.
Also, in all of my decades of chatting up strangers, I’ve never asked one to tell me their name. The closest I can ever remember is in church a few months ago. There was a family in front of me with 3 little kids. 2 had names labeled on their bags (they each had bags with toys, coloring things) and 1 only had a monogrammed bag. After trying to guess what the 3rd name could be and what I would pick to fit into the sibling name set, I asked the mom.
My teenagers were mortified.
Two black men are sitting in a Starbucks minding their own business, waiting for another person. White manager calls the police. Police arrest the men.
Two Native American boys are quietly touring a campus, wearing black T-shirts. White mother calls the police. Police pull the boys out of the tour.
Three black people are loading their luggage into their car on a sunny morning as they leave their Airbnb. White neighbor calls the police. Police send a helicopter and numerous squad cars. Police say they don’t believe the Airbnb guests, have never heard of Airbnb (where do we get these ignoramus cops) and detain the innocent guests for almost an hour.
We’re just lucky that none of these innocent people of color got shot. Numerous court cases affirm that police are allowed to shoot non-white people without consequences if the police say they were afraid, even if there is nothing to be afraid of.
White people, stop calling the police when you see a black person in your space doing what people normally do. Just stop it. Police shoot innocent people of color and get away with it. Some innocent person could end up dead because you were afraid to interrogate your fear and realize there was nothing to be afraid of.
I just watched the police body cam video – those poor young men. Broke my heart on how they didn’t even question why they were pulled aside – as though it was normal to be profiled and their motivations questioned. White kids would have been baffled; these young men were not.
I wish the woman who called the police would apologize and recognize the implicit bias behind her discomfort. Make it a learning experience for herself and others.
The worst part of the tapes was when the mother said they made her sick. People she doesn’t even know and is so quick to hate. One of the boys wants to get his doctorate and become a music therapist. The T shirt was from a metal group that opposes animal cruelty. Terrifying kids, moonbat mom. The only creepy person on the tour was the mom who interrogated these young people. I don’t think they will leave their area now. Such a shame. One of the kid’s hands seemed to be shaking during the interrogation.
If she would apologize in a sincere manner, it would be such a teachable moment to her children as well as others. Sadly, I doubt that is going to happen.