Viewed from the vantage of my safe suburban surroundings, it seems pretty cut-and-dried. But Flatbush is a tough neighborhood. Gangs. Drugs. Gun play. Retribution. Commonplace brutality. So maybe the Flatbush resident sees things a bit differently.
BANG! BANG! Make your choice bystander, fast! (1) Risk the safety of yourself and your family by hanging around and talking to the cops about what you saw, or (2) Call 911 and run for your life. I wonder how many of those who witnessed the crime had outstanding warrants? Or were packing illegal heat? Or holding illegal contraband?
I'm not excusing anything. I'm just willing to give self-preservation a nod before condemning callousness. And dear God, please give me the courage to act differently in the same situation.
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