Dammit...
Walking around Union Square this morning I saw a pimp strong-arming a girl. I watched long enough to know that's what it was, then tried to intervene. The guy was latino, pretended not to speak english but I know he understood me when I said I would call the police. He just kept walking... even when I put a hand on his shoulder to stop him, he didn't turn around or get confrontational, just kept walking. The real giveaway is that at the mention of the police, the girl stopped resisting too, and just went with him holding hands. She would not have said anything, even if the police could have gotten there in time.
I talked to a gentleman who had also seen the whole thing, and another bystander followed the couple... I don't know what came of that, if he did call the police or what. I felt sick afterwards. Partly just to see that side of humanity up close, and partly because I couldn't do much of anything. Even if I'd had more time to think, my options were severely limited. I wonder if I feel worse now than if I had done nothing... I don't know.
I talked to a gentleman who had also seen the whole thing, and another bystander followed the couple... I don't know what came of that, if he did call the police or what. I felt sick afterwards. Partly just to see that side of humanity up close, and partly because I couldn't do much of anything. Even if I'd had more time to think, my options were severely limited. I wonder if I feel worse now than if I had done nothing... I don't know.