Attacked By Neighbor of 20 Years

[LuvNewcastle]

190. I agree.

The woman did a terrible thing, but I don't think we should lock up an old person and throw away the key because she lost control of herself. At her age, there are many things that could be wrong with her, and the state of her health needs to be determined. And while she did an awful thing, she didn't maim or kill anyone.

Another thing that should be considered is her prior behaviour. If she's been a good neighbor for the past 20 years without any hint of violence toward anyone, she should be given the benefit of the doubt until they're sure what caused these attacks. You don't throw a so-far decent person away because of one incident unless the incident is heinous and/or was done out of spite rather than because of illness.

Finally, it's understandable that we're defensive in a situation like this because of all the hate in our politics these days, but it might not have been in her nature all these years to attack someone for having different political beliefs. It could very well be a combination of poisonous propaganda with mental illness that caused this incident. The woman is dangerous in her present state, no doubt, and everyone should make sure they aren't victimized by her again. But have some compassion for the woman if it turns out she deserves it. This is going to be a sad end for her as well, and it's even sadder if this situation occurred for reasons beyond her control.