Three unarmed security guards were following orders last month when they stood by without intervening as a 15-year-old girl was badly beaten in a downtown Seattle bus tunnel. Now the company they work for and government officials say those-orders should be revised.
When a group of teens and young adults approaches the girl, she appears to seek refuge by moving around to the other side of the guards. The guards, who have standing orders to "observe and report," called police. The guards' duties include helping customers and reporting suspicious objects, disruptive behavior and equipment problems.
At the department store, two Seattle police officers noticed the escalating situation and kicked the group out of the Macy's, then brought the girl and her friend to another exit, the victim said. She reported that she asked the officers for an escort to the bus tunnel, just below the department store, but the officers refused.
King County Sheriff's Sgt. John Urquhart said the guards were right to follow their training. "If you're a bank teller and you do something other than give them the money, you're going to get fired," Urquhart said. "We don't expect civilians to take police action. In this case, it was a violent fight, and they were outnumbered by this pack of people 3-to-1."
My question to you: Do you think the security guards should have stopped the teenage girl from getting brutally beaten, or were they right to follow orders?
Haha, I totally get what you mean. But I was talking about the teenagers. What were they thinking, kicking someone in the face?! They should be at SCHOOL and LEARN something meaningful and worthwhile, NOT be hooligans!
Permalink Reply by IanJ on February 21, 2010 at 3:44am
Whoops... I think I read it a little too fast. You're right though. I think we glorify the hooligans too much and have forgotten to celebrate the ones who actually do something with themselves.
Wow... Where's all the righteous indignation over the public humiliation of this girl?
All kinds of people had something to say about the video airing of the luger who died... Soooo you have a guy who is involved in the most dangerous sport in the winter Olympics with multiple cameras recording an event that has been DESIGNED to be spectated... And so when something goes horribly wrong we're supposed to feel bad that there were cameras there... Hmmm
Now you have a 15 year old GIRL trying to find help from security guards because some people are tying to assault, brutally beat and ROB her and no one says anything about showing that on camera? What makes one worse than the other? That she didn't die?
And yes, I think those guards should have helped her... OR all the freaking people who were standing around doing NOTHING. Obviously these were some violent kids, but they are KIDS none the less and there is NO EXCUSE to sit by and watch someone be beaten like that. The problem is that we have allowed ourselves to be sold a very frightening image of urban youth... So much so that we are obviously paralyzed into inaction when we see something that would have incited IMMEDIATE and total response some 30 years ago. They are NOT going to stab you. They are NOT going to shoot you. They are kids who obviously have not had any boundaries placed on them.
If unarmed people can jump a gunman and wrestle him to the ground to wait for police, why couldn't THESE people?
I completely agree with you. It isn't even the fact of being a security guard. They most certainly should have helped! They, and any other people standing around watching ignoring what little, if any, human decency they had mustering up within themselves. What kind of world do we live in when anyone can ignore the cries of a young girl or anyone for that matter. That was someone's daughter, sister, cousin, friend. What if it were yours? I'm sure the security officers would have stepped in if it were one of there's.
This makes me sick, if I were there, I would of helped to stop this from happening, even at the risk of myself getting hurt. I would have been screaming for people to stop and help. This makes me sick. How could anyone stand there and not to anything. Those guards should all be fired. Even if they are contract to observe, you own common sense should tell you to stop this behavior, and abuse of this poor girl. What a bunch of dumb asses to do nothing!!!!!!!!
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