Good Samaritan Law Proposal: Kitty Genovese

thirty seven people witnessed the murder but no one called the police. Since then this

This psychological mystery was first documented when a young woman by the name of Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death in front of apartment buildings in Queens, New York. Although there were reports of being

38 people in Queens watched a woman named Kitty Genovese get stabbed and they did not call the police according to “37 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police” by Martin Gansberg. People follow the majority of people because they don’t want to do anything out of their comfort zone. Fear, ignorance, or following the crowd can keep people from taking action and speaking up to save the person in danger. When someone is in danger of being wrongly hurt, the bystanders are responsible for calling the police to save the person in danger. They shouldn’t put themselves in danger, but they are obligated to report the incident.

So why are people like this? The world may never know but it can be assessed that maybe people just don’t want to have the responsibility of someone’s life on their hands. Like why would you? If you attempt to save them and fail then you are forever haunted by the memory of the look in that persons eyes when the light leaves them. If you succeed you are hailed as a hero and the crushing amount of attention that the media places on your head will crush you and eventually lead to your untimely demise at the hands of suicide or your loved ones finding you hanging from your second story banister, so either way it ends

Millions would speed and not follow the law in various ways. This affects everyone around them. Public safety laws are in effect for a reason, and they are based upon keeping the mass of society healthy. Putting others health before individual freedom shows the integrity in humans. This shows that they know the right thing to do and why doing some actions is wrong.

On May 2nd, 1991 two young ladies in their Weston-Salem, North Carolina home was attacked by a man. The man raped both girls and had a knife to them the whole time. The suspect tied their hands and feet together and was in the home for over an hour before leaving. In many

The study by Darley and Latane leaves society with the knowledge that everyone who is witnessing an emergency is most likely thinking the same thing “someone else will call for help or has already” so “Always act as if you are the only person there” (Darely & Latane, 1968). The concept of situationism is the driving force behind bystander effect. Situationism is “social behavior is, to a larger extent than people commonly realize, a response to people’s social context, not a function of individual personality” (Fiske, 2010, p. 7). Individuals first have to decide if they are witnessing an emergency. Then they need to decide if they have a responsibility to act which is when situationism comes in. If there are hundreds of witnesses each individual see the situation from a different perspective and responsibility to act is diffused among the crowd. On the other hand if one individual sees an emergency and believes there is no one else to help the responsibility rests on him or her. The context of the situation will determine how an individual will react, but people should consider the reality of everyone believing someone else will react and no one reacting. Kitty Genovese would still be alive if even one person would have called the cops when the first attack started.

The crime had taken place on the outskirts of Winston Salem, North Carolina on August 10, 1984. Mrs. Sykes was late for work, which was not normal causing Mr. Dawson (former news editor of Sentinel) to go out looking for her. Being that she wasn’t there the police were called by Fred Flagler (papers managing editor) and her husband Mr. Sykes was notified. Around 1:55 pm that day the body of Mrs. Sykes was found a half block from the newspapers. There were stab wounds all over her body and she had also been raped. A pathologist at Chapel Hill said she was stabbed 16 times and the fatal blow consisted of a stab wound that went 5 inches deep piercing her heart.

The passing of Proposition 57, the way it is right now, would result in increase in crimes, endangering communities and tourism, increase government spending, due to the fact that officers will be in high demand, and would forever silence the voice of victims, going against the Victims Bill of Right and the Three Strikes Law. An increase in crimes means communities are less safe, preventing everyone from going on about their responsibilities. The high demand of police officers means the government has to spend more money on enforcing security, which can instead be used on education to better prepare future generations to take on real issues. Proposition 57 would also forever silence the voice of victims and their families, after so many years of them finding courage to speak up, since their right to be considered before any decision, which is stated on the Victims Bill of Rights, will no longer be taken into consideration. Many claim that if Proposition 57 passes the overpopulation in prisons would decrease drastically, saving state government money, but that is not true, since not enough inmates would be released to make that great of in impact. Proposition 57 means an allowance to crime, to an acceptance that it is

It's not just their safety, it's everyone's safety that is involved when you notice something wrong or dangerous and don't report it.

situation where there was a potentially dangerous situation and how these people who in to help.

The law also exposes offenders to civil repercussions such as False Claims Act culpability and up to $50,000 per offense. Legislators have made limited exceptions to this rule called “voluntary safe harbors.”

Humans are typically very emotional. Sometimes, we even mess with our emotions on purpose, like watching a sad movie, or going on a rollercoaster. This is all great, but crying over a dog dying in a movie, yet not caring enough to help a person in need, isn’t. Seeing someone in need should cause us to feel enough pain for them that we want to do anything we can to help. Walking on by “should insult our values”, knowing that we could’ve done something (Allred and Bloom 334). Being worried about your own safety is understandable. However, not helping someone because you are scared they might sue you is just selfish. People are scared because “under American law, liability generally exists for action, not inaction” (Allred and Bloom 335). We may be liable for helping or possibly at financial risk, but that is a chance that should be taken to save a life. Changing the law would allow people to aid others without feeling

Is it the correct thing to do and our duty as humans to help each other out? In the article, “The Killing of Kitty Genovese” by Michael Dorman, the author describes how a young woman named Kitty Genovese was stabbed while 38 neighbors watched from above. One man yelled out, “Let that girl alone.” In effect, the predator walked away. Immediately after the neighbors closed their windows he came ferociously and stabbed her four more times until she eventually bled out and died. Overall, in this situation was it truly that hard to pick up a cell phone and phone the police? The failure to take action can lead to many more fatalities and injuries in the long run as it did in the case of Kitty Genovese.

In the world, it is so easy to walk past an individual that is in distress without even knowing that there is something wrong. People notice something and expect the individual in front of or behind them to assist the distressed, and it happens more than often. For example, driving past an individual that is stranded on the side of the road is so simple. It is much easier to drive past than assist, especially when driving on a city street. Many people think about helping, and want to help, but they just do not.