BadNick

I heard that report on NPR yesterday and it left me with good feelings. The same day here in Philadelphia there is a developing story about a young guy who was manager of a Starbucks in downtown Phila, who was confronted and perhaps assaulted by a few high school teenagers on the subway train platform on his way home; the poor guy seems to have gone into an asthmatic attack and cardiac arrest and died. As of my last check, they have one of the kids in custody.

I recall over 40yrs ago standing on a busy corner on my way to high school when some older street thug looking kid demands my coat (it was Spring and this was a nice trenchcoat), though no weapon visible which would probaby change my reaction; my adrenaline kicks into high gear, my street senses take over, I push the guy and say something like "wtf do you think you're doing you f-ing a-hole" and he runs away; after all these years I think I would still be tempted to react that way, maybe even with more sudden violence; unless I sensed some faint glimmer of sympathy, in which case I can see offering to help; I've given people money/food plenty of times.