Man, I hate calling 911...

[bicentennial_baby]

But I had to. I came out of the bedroom and heard this blood curdling scream. So I go outside, and a woman is chasing a man down the sidewalk, and then she tries to block him, and blows ensue. Full on punching, kicking and screaming. Pushing, grabbing, choking, both ways....They almost fell into traffic. If it had stopped quickly, I may have not called, but it just kept getting worse. So, I grabbed the cell and called 911.

Cops came fast. 3 cruisers. Not sure what happened, as I couldn't see everything b/c of the trees. They were here for about 15 minutes.

I hate to do it, but as a domestic violence survivor, I can't just sit by and watch. I hope I prevented anything worse from happening. Maybe, maybe not.

Sigh.

[bridgit]

1. good, i support you, there comes a time when all bets are off

[XemaSab]

2. When you have to, you have to

I've only called a few times... a dog on the freeway and a neighbor making a serious suicide attempt have been the highlights. :(

[Lil Missy]

3. You did the right thing. It's for the Police to sort out after that.

[bicentennial_baby]

6. This is true...and, I am heartened by their fast response

Thanks :)

[LeftyMom]

4. You did the right thing.

And aren't you and your husband overdue for some peace and quiet already? Jebus.

[bicentennial_baby]

5. Heh, it's always a circus here...thankfully,

he's well asleep on his good ear. And really, it's a decent neighborhood, for the most part. :shrug:

Thanks, I felt kinda bad. Not really, but I know how I've acted in my youth and how much I did not want the police involved. It was just too fucked up to ignore.

:pals:

[JackBeck]

7. Glad there was such a quick response.

And I hate making that call, as well. I always get the sense that they're sitting there, rolling their eyes at me, regardless of why I'm calling.

Hope you get a peaceful night's sleep.

[XemaSab]

8. "And you heard a woman screaming...? Right..."

:eyes:

[bicentennial_baby]

11. I heard it two rooms away, and this is a loud ass area

Our cops are good on response, not as good on actually doing anything. But, I give them credit for bringing 3 cruisers, staying a while and separating the two involved to question them. Better than nothing, I suppose.

[XemaSab]

Usually when I've called the cops they've been right on it

but often I feel like they're not going to take me seriously. :(

[JackBeck]

19. Seriously.

Don't even get me started about how the EMT's responded to me after a guy in our building last year jumped to his death and I found his body covered with a white sheet in the driveway.

They laughed at me.

[XemaSab]

23. .

:scared:

A couple years ago my mom and I were chillin' in the back yard and we heard a woman SCREAM. We didn't know where it was coming from, but I called 911.

They were right on it.

It turned out that this woman had broken up with her boyfriend, and he broke into her house and slit his wrists in the bathtub with a HUGH knife. She went into the bathroom to find him in there with BLOOD EVERYWHERE.

We did the right thing, and the cops were glad we called.

But I still felt dumb calling with such a vague threat. :shrug:

[JackBeck]

29. Our subconscious telling us to "don't get involved" can be pretty compelling at times, eh?

But when the rational voice succeeds, we know that ultimately we did the right thing.

It reminds me of how my mom when she was still alive used to call me a "bleeding-heart liberal". And I never understood how that could possibly be an insult.

[bicentennial_baby]

9. They actually sounded quite interested...

Thankfully I had my wits about me and could describe them both, in case they moved out of my sight line, and could give a precise location. The street on this side is miles long, so you have to be really specific.

I'll be ok babe...I just hope that she is as well. That concerns me.

Oh well. I did what I could.

:hug:

[JackBeck]

22. Which was the right thing to do.

You may have set in motion a course of events that enables this woman to find the proper services that helps her to get out of this mess.

:grouphug:

[1]

10. i can't wait until i can move to the city.

because, you know it sucks so much to live in the fly-over states like i do.

it seems so much more exciting to live in the city.

like you do...

[bicentennial_baby]

12. I don't know what you're trying to say, but I assume that

it is not well intentioned. Bye-bye.

[1]

17. that must be "big city" talk..

my response was totally well intentioned.

[bicentennial_baby]

20. Unusual for you, I suppose

You have an attitude problem, and I don't wish to tangle with you. Ok?

Have a nice night.

[1]

25. ok.

i just want to live in the big city someday like you.

have a nice night.

never discuss things outside of your comfort zone. i get that.

[flvegan]

42. Agreed. Which begs the "comfort zone" question

why are you acting the part of uberasshole? Maybe I'm misreading your pseudo-stalking of the OP. If so, my apologies. If not, well...?

[1]

43. you apology is accepted...

lighten up, bud...

[Gormy Cuss]

49. How wonderful for you! Big cities are more exciting.

If you've never lived outside of a "fly-over state" then you don't know what you're missing.
Boston is especially nice.

[Shakespeare]

51. WTF is your problem?

You clearly have one, so what is it?

[sniffa]

57. You could always move to one and live in your car

[AlCzervik]

58. it must be hard to find shirts that will accommodate that big chip on your shoulder.

[Robeson]

13. You did good.

[bicentennial_baby]

21. I tried to, at the very least.

:hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

14. My dear bi_baby...

That was an outstandingly good thing you did...

I always remember Kitty Genovese (sp?) in NY...

How she screamed and screamed, and nobody helped...

She died because nobody helped.

Good for you! You helped...

[bicentennial_baby]

16. I remember that story as well, even though it was before my time

I'd never not act in a situation like that, or like this. i just always wonder if I'm seeing it differently than it is happening, y'know? Having been in some sketchy situations in my youth that did not warrant police involvement, I just wonder. But I try to err on the side of caution. He was a lot bigger than her.

Thanks. :)

[fizzgig]

15. i know you know this, but you did the right thing

i've been reluctant when i've had to do it in the past, but that's more because of my own issues (not wanting to meddle or snoop).

we're all human and we need to look out for one another

:hug:

[bicentennial_baby]

18. Yeah, I know...I just feel...intrusive

maybe I totally overreacted, maybe not. My gut says no, I didn't. So I'm ok with that.

True dat babe... :hug:

How f'd up is stuff lately?! Yikes!

[XemaSab]

24. If someone was attacking you

would you want a neighbor to call? :shrug:

[bicentennial_baby]

28. Of course! But, let's just say I had a...er...tumultuous period

where I could have had the cops called on me and my Ex (the one who spent many years in Federal Prison after we split), and it could have gotten me killed (by him), as much as I wish someone had.

I'm just conflicted, due to my own life experience.

So yeah, I wish someone had done that for me so many times, and I just hope that she's ok.

I hope you understand. :)

[XemaSab]

33. I know what you're saying

My mom was just on a jury for domestic violence. What the man did to his wife was pretty brutal, pushing an aluminum can into her mouth and crushing it so it cut her mouth all up. My mom thought he was having a psychotic break at the time, and he should have gotten treatment, not jail. On the other hand, the couple had been beating up on each other for years, so it wasn't an isolated episode. She was just an alternate, so she couldn't vote.

I also had some friends where the guy came home and found his girlfriend literally in bed with another man, and they had a huge screaming fit where he wound up pushing her (not hard, just slightly), and he had to go to jail for the night because he had physically touched her, and I thought that was jacked. He was a nice guy, and she was a nasty little ho, as far as I saw it. :shrug:

Sometimes there's more than one "right" answer in these things. :shrug:

[fizzgig]

27. based on your description, you did not overract

but intrusive is a very good word to describe that feeling.

you listened to your gut, which is almost always the right thing to do

:hug:

[bicentennial_baby]

30. It was a classic "gut check" situation

"Is this is bad as it looks and sounds?"

"Hell yes, go inside and get the phone"

"Done"

As I said above, my conflict is mostly based on my own fucked up past. The whole 'police being involved only makes him more violent later' thing. It stays with you, I guess. It's been a long long time since I've thought about that time. Ugh.

I'll be ok. I just don't like being reminded of the hell that was age 17-23. And hell it was.

:hug: You're the best.

[Inchworm]

26. It just so happens.. you heard the screams

not so common. You did good.

It ain't like you called the law on a buddy.

:hug:

[bicentennial_baby]

31. Good point.

You're a grounded man, Inchy. :hug:

[Inchworm]

35. Tell all your buddies that

:rofl:

I only touch the ground when floating doesn't get it done :P

:woohoo:

[loveable liberal]

32. as a 911 dispatcher you did the right thing...

you had an accurate location and a description and a direction of travel, on foot rather than in a vehicle. Cops are especially interested in weapons at the scene of any crime. People call and scream into their cell phone and think we can understand a darn thing they say. Keeping cool, even in a medical situation is much appreciated. No one rolls their eyes at domestics.

We do, however, roll our eyes at people who call in wanting the police to remove a frozen squirrel from a tree in their yard.

Good job.

[bicentennial_baby]

34. Well thank you

Yes, I did have all of those things. They were confused at first, b/c two of our subway stations have similar names and are on the same street, but I straightened it out fast with the intersecting streets they were approaching. I felt good about being able to do that. I was completely calm, I just wanted them to get here before they took off for whereabouts unknown.

Thanks. :)

[Robb]

46. That's because you don't know how dangerous

...a frozen squirrel can be, especially when cornered. Desk jockey. :D

:patriot: for yer job.

[loveable liberal]

53. You are correct and I was wrong....

A frozen squirrel in the wrong hands has the possibility of creating chaos. I now rank the frozen squirrel in the same category as the Baby Ruth/swimming pool scenario.

:p :)

[SeattleGirl]

36. Good on you, babykins!

Exactly what you should have done.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[bicentennial_baby]

37. Thanks babygirl...

:loveya:

[Name removed]

38. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Writer]

39. You probably saved a life.

I wouldn't sweat it one bit.

After reading your and Sniffa's posts, can I suggest a small holiday? Maybe a vacation somewhere? Like AWAY from city BS?

Love,

~Writer~

[bicentennial_baby]

41. I asked him if he could take a few days off before school starts

We're not sure how much PTO he has right now. We could surely use it, you are correct. I'd be happy to just go home to Western MA and pitch a tent in my parents' backyard for a few nights. No traffic, no sirens, no lights. Just crickets and fireflys and the occasional wild animal. Sounds good to me.

Thanks. :pals:

[otherlander]

40. You did the right thing.

:hug:

[Rhiannon12866]

44. Yikes! But you absolutely did the right thing, my friend...

Someone is very grateful for your actions, today. You must have seen the footage on the news of the elderly man who was hit in the street and people just watched. We need more citizens like you, though it was traumatic, sounds pretty scary. I hope that everything turned out okay, but your efforts definitely helped someone... Good going!:yourock:

[bigwillq]

45. You did the right thing.

:) :hug:

[Shell Beau]

47. Hey that is what 911 is there for.

You did what you had to do!! :thumbsup:

[BarenakedLady]

48. You done good

:thumbsup:

[AlCzervik]

50. you did the right thing, don't doubt that for a minute.

[DS1]

52. If a 12" tall Flava Flav showed up singing "Get up get get get down, 911 is a joke in yo town"

you'd call it.

[SKKY]

54. Good on ya Bi-Baby!

:patriot:

[redqueen]

55. Yep, you had to...

like you said, they were getting worse.

[datasuspect]

56. she wasn't asking for spare change while wearing mis-applied lipstick?