Don't Just Stand There

There are moments when somebody needs help and nobody helps them. Most of the time it's sad to say that although nobody helped there were many who could have.

It upsets me when I hear things on the news that could have been prevented but were not simply because people do not want to deal with the hassle of getting involved. Yes, there are some instances when getting involved will only make matters worse. But there are also incidents in which people know deep down inside that they could have done something but still choose to look the other way.

This week I came across a story of a mother who had been brutally abused in front of several people and as she was being beaten in front of her 2-year-old son none of those people in the crowd stood up for her. Instead, they all took it upon themselves to pull out their cell phones and record the beating.

“I think it's messed up no one came to my rescue,” the victim, Catherine Ferreira, said. “We're supposed to set an example."

The only one that attempted to help Ferreira was her two-year old son Xzavion. As his mother was being attacked he kicked the suspect, 25-year-old Latia Harris, several times trying to get her to stop. 

How is it that a group of adult witnesses can easily stand there and do nothing while a child does all that he can to stop such an incident? He could have been severely injured but that did not stop him from doing all that he could to help his mother. You would think that someone would have stepped in the second they saw a child get involved, but that was not the case. Despite Xzavion's bright example of heroism, it was apparently not enough to bring forth an adult who could have stopped the beating. 

"He's only 2 years old. He didn't even know what to do and he did what he was supposed to do," said the victim's brother Tyeish Brittingham.

Apparently, the suspect had a short-temper because what set her off was minor comment that Ferreira made when joking with some of the employees about the McDonald's that Harris was working at. Still in her uniform Harris went after Ferreira who had gone to McDonald's to enjoy a cheeseburger with her son. 

“It's McDonald’s and I want a cheeseburger, hold the beating,” Ferreira joked after the incident.

Although she has kept her sense of humor, the incident has caused her to fear for her son. With Harris still out there hiding from the police Ferreira fears that the woman may find her and cause further harm. As Harris beat Ferreira, she also made threats about her and her son's life.

“It was disheartening to see a woman being beaten in front of her child,” said Salem Police Department Chief John Pelura. "Not only a lack of regard for human life but it says something about the general morality of people."

When she is caught, Latia Harris will be charged with aggravated assault and terroristic threats. Her bail is already set at $35,000 cash.

Although many of us, myself included, would have probably gave a piece of our mind about how the crowd reacted to the beating Ferreira did not appear to be too upset about it. In fact, she made it a point to address that the crowd's failure to take action did not make them heartless beings. 

In an interview with the New York Daily News Ferreira stated, "I really want to make this clear: I don’t want people to see them as monsters,” she stated in an interview with the New York Daily News. “They didn’t really see that this was more serious than just a fight.”

Still, I personally believe that whether it is a cat fight or an abusive beating someone should step in to break it up because someone can be sincerely injured. If you do not feel that you have the power to stop a fight think of 2-year-old Xzavion. Size is not an excuse. There is always something you can do. Even if it means you have to spray somebody with pepper spray or call the authorities, doing something is better than doing nothing.