Re: What would you do?

chrystaltree · ‎05-10-2010

Stories like Op just make shake my head. So bizarre with everything we see and hear in the news. I also wonder why people cling to that "we live in safe town" "everyone knows everyon" foolishness. As if there is no crime in small towns. As if it's even remotely possible to know anything about anyone today. As far as I know, every town and hamblet has police department and they aren't sitting there eating donuts and napping. They are there to protect us from every bad thing that exists everywhere else. And then there's that "hero" complex. Op and many others who fall for stories like that want to come across as a "good guy", they put their safety and lives risk because they want to help someone they don't even know who comes up with some sketchy story. The hero image is more important to them than their own safety. There was a bad incident in town near me and the man they interviewed said the usual thing that always astounds me "we don't even lock our doors". Huh???? First of all, that's a lie...lol Everyone everywhere locks their doors....why wouldn't they? My husband thinks that when terrible crimes happen in "nice" towns and neighborhoods, residents feel shame and embarrassment and they just want to convince others that their town is a wonderful, lovely, sweet place where nothing bad ever happens. Even though the guy next door who has lived their for 20 years just slaughtered his wife and mother and embezzled millions from his company. They still say "things like that don't happen here".

jubilant · ‎06-10-2010

I think there are a goodly amount of people out there who are not "street wise". Either that or a bit naive and easily deceived. Some are probably so shocked they are not thinking straight. I am glad op didn't open the door. Opening the window, I think, was dangerous. Calling the police was compassion enough!! I was wondering how long it took the police to get there? Maybe I missed that.

Don't you think that people who were raised in the city are a bit more street wise? That is what I see. Rural people do tend to think it won't happen here in our small town rural area. Some of my neighbors don't lock their doors. I was raised in a larger city. It was pretty safe up until the 60's. After that, you really had to watch your back. If you have people that live with you, or even pets, you have to remember that they are put at risk, too.

SeaMaiden · ‎03-10-2010

@dragonflyveb I am going to give you my reply before I read any of the other posts.

I would have have done what you did....in fact I probably would not have been so kind as to give him any clothes or coffee.. THAT was beyond your call of duty and just very very kind of you.

I would have been scared of him....I would not let him in.....I would have just called 911 and left him outside. Who knows who he was really or his intentions..and who might be after him...if you had let him inside and people were looking for him...maybe bad people....maybe the police were looking for him....chasing him and he wanted refuge from the police..today you just can not always take people for what they say especially when you did not know him as "A NEIGHBOR ".

What you did did was good, right and again BEYOND what you had to do. You did not let him inside and THAT was the best thing you did in this situation. 👏🏻

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

I find it weird that he didn't go to a more immediate neighbor instead of you a block away.

Imaoldhippie · ‎06-10-2015

I find it odd that he did not have his own cell phone and that he was so far away from his home.

It all sounds very fishy to me, stinks to high heavens.

And never, ever tell anyone your home alone.

BE THE PERSON YOUR DOG THINKS YOU ARE! (unknown)

Regal Bee · ‎07-20-2017

I haven't read any of the replies but I can tell you that there is NO WAY I would have let him into my house. What was he doing knocking on your BACK window?

You were amazingly generous in my opinion.

chiclet · ‎03-19-2010

There was a time when you would have opened the door and helped someone but not now...There is so much crime that I would not have even answered the door. I probably would have just called the police and described the man. It is such a sad world now. I would hope someone would help me if I needed it but even women are dangerous with all the drugs...

NYC Susan · ‎03-13-2010

@on the baywrote:
@dragonflyveb-
How did you give him all those things without opening your door?
Or did you open the door while he was standing there?
I wouldn't have even done that.

I wouldn't have either. Especially if I had never seen him before, and knowing that he bypassed a whole lot of other neighbors to get to my house. Surely he would be more known to neighbors near him, and it would have made more sense for him to go to one of them, in the interest of time for one thing.

I would have offered to call 911. I also would have said something to indicate that I was NOT alone. But I would not have engaged any further with him or opened up any kind of dialogue. It's not as though this was a desolate area and he had no other options. This all very well might have been legit, but IMO it was too big a risk to take considering the circumstances.

NYC Susan · ‎03-13-2010

@septemberwrote:
@dragonflyvebwrote:
@Jaspersmom

He said he heard someone break the front door and he ran out the garage door through the back yards. He didn't have a phone on him.

It was block away that worried me. Most everyone is home in the evening.

@on the bay

I gave him the phone by raising the screen on my window. I gave him the coat, etc while he was talking to 911. Even that scared me.
You were being cautious while trying to assist. Good for you for your caring attitude. But it still scares me, that this might have been someone who was trying to pull a home invasion type of robbery.

Yes, I agree that this could have gone very wrong.

It bothers me that he knocked on the back window rather than go to the front door. I get that he was frantic, but that's a little creepy.

He also might not have been alone. Terrible crimes are committed all the time with one person showing up while others are hiding. Especially having him knock on a back window, I think that would be more likely.

Yes, these are worst-case scenarios. But I am a very trusting, very unafraid type of person, and I still think it's far better to be safe than sorry. I would never open a back window if a stranger was knocking on it. Especially at night. No, sorry. Any man with a bit of sense would understand that.

NYC Susan · ‎03-13-2010

@Mj12wrote:
You were cautious OP and that is good. I probably wouldn't have given him anything, and said to give me your address, I'll call the cops, you go wait in the street in front. Then again - in that very stressful moment, who knows.

I would have called 911, and told him to go back to his house to meet them there. I don't see any reason for him to be hanging around her house, front or back, at all.

I also would not have handed him my phone. For one thing, he could have run off with it. Or he could have stayed right there, holding in his hand my only method of calling the police if I needed them for my own safety. He also might not have really called 911. My thought would be that - whatever was going on - the police needed to be notified, and I would want to be 100% sure that actually happened asap.

So I would have placed the call myself (out of his earshot), and I would have told the police everything, "A man is at my back window, claiming his house is being broken into. Here's his address." I might even have asked if they could swing by to be sure he wasn't still hanging around my house. Then I would have told him that the police were on their way, and he should go home to meet them there. End of my involvement. Period. Done.