This post might be a little odd but this just happened to me and I'm still kinda unsure about it. I go to a university in North Philadelphia- the campus itself is pretty nice and relatively safe but the neighborhoods surrounding it are a bit sketchy, especially at night. A friend and I were walking back from the subway station which is a few blocks away from our campus. We were approaching a local pizza place when we noticed a man a few yards away cross the street from the opposite side unto our side. He then began physically assaulting a woman who was standing there, shoving her against the side of a building. She was crying and I heard her say something to the effect of "Please don't do this." My friend convinced me to keep walking and we called 9-11 and campus security.
But I feel like I should have done more? I'm not a very physically imposing guy and the friend I was with is an equally unimposing girl. The assailant was an older fellow and wasn't particularly threatening. I feel bad that I just walked on by and did nothing to stop or prevent what was going on. I know we called 9-11 but by the time we heard any sirens it was about 10 minutes after and surely was too late to do anything meaningful.
My friend tells me there was nothing I could have done about it and that it would been a bad idea to even say anything. But I feel bad. I guess I've always fancied myself as the person confident enough to take these situations head on and do the noble thing. But I chickened out this time. I'm really beating myself up over it. But honestly, what IS the right thing to do in this situation? This is the first time (and hopefully last) I've encountered something like this happen so I'm not sure. I'm writing this here because it's really the only place I feel comfortable enough doing so. Thanks.
But I feel like I should have done more? I'm not a very physically imposing guy and the friend I was with is an equally unimposing girl. The assailant was an older fellow and wasn't particularly threatening. I feel bad that I just walked on by and did nothing to stop or prevent what was going on. I know we called 9-11 but by the time we heard any sirens it was about 10 minutes after and surely was too late to do anything meaningful.
My friend tells me there was nothing I could have done about it and that it would been a bad idea to even say anything. But I feel bad. I guess I've always fancied myself as the person confident enough to take these situations head on and do the noble thing. But I chickened out this time. I'm really beating myself up over it. But honestly, what IS the right thing to do in this situation? This is the first time (and hopefully last) I've encountered something like this happen so I'm not sure. I'm writing this here because it's really the only place I feel comfortable enough doing so. Thanks.