When does a person step from their uniform and into their human form to come to someone's aid?
Therein lies the question that must be asked regarding the assault that took place in Metro's Westlake Center tunnel station Jan. 28. News of the incident spread quickly as the beating was captured on surveillance video. The video showed a 15-year-old girl entering the platform where three security guards were stationed. In pursuit of the girl was a phalanx of teens, who, according to Seattle Police, had been harassing the girl in the nearby Macy's. The police told both parties to leave the store, but the drama followed both parties out of the store and into the tunnel station. The victim stood next to two of the three security guards, expecting some sort of protection, but none came. In a matter of seconds, one of the suspects allegedly jumped the victim, swinging her to the ground and punching her. The suspect then allegedly kicked the victim in the face six times - while three security guards stood idly by.
The guards employed by Olympic Security were merely following company policy: to observe and report. And to a degree, such behavior makes sense. Banks have similar policies with regard to their employees. If a bank is being robbed, tellers are told not to engage. In fact, one Bank of America teller at the lower Queen Anne branch, who did engage, and in doing so thwarted a robbery, was summarily fired.
But that policy and the policy of Olympic Security don't hold water regarding the brutal assault on that 15-year-old girl. Had the suspects accused of the assault set the victim on fire, would Olympic Security's policy still hold? Would the security guards have looked the other way, as they literally did during the beating? Olympic is looking into changing its policy now and the King County Sheriff's Dept. is considering adding patrols. But that really isn't the issue.
What about the citizenry who were there walking by the attack without breaking stride? Should they not have stepped in? Where was civility, humanity hiding in this case?
In the media, professional journalists are charged with many ethical dilemmas. In journalism school, we learned about a man who called the local TV station saying he was going to set himself on fire at the park. The film crew arrived; the man was already dripping with gasoline and had a cigarette lighter in hand. The cameras were rolling and reporters were listening to the man's gripe: He'd been laid off. Then in an instant he lit himself on fire. One journalist dropped what he was doing and quickly covered the man in a blanket.
There was likely no policy in place at the newspaper or TV station where the journalist worked. He was following a human policy. Those three security guards in Westlake Center should have done the same.[[In-content Ad]]
