Fear, violence, and lack of concern…

“She looked into the distance, and the old terror flamed up for an instant, then sank again. Edna heard her father's voice and her sister Margaret's. She heard the barking of an old dog that was chained to the sycamore tree. The spurs of the cavalry officer clanged as he walked across the porch. There was the hum of bees, and the musky odor of pinks filled the air.”

       -Kate Chopin quotes ( Writer, Poet, Novelist and Author, 1851-1904)

I usually don’t say much.  Some say I’m too quiet about things.  Maybe I just usually know what lines to cross, when to say things, when not too, but I think that line was erased last night at a local pub that many commoners love and respect and have shared many good spirits at.  

After the last band played, a familiar face walked passed me in tears.  Curiously, I ventured from where she appeared and a heated conversation erupted.  After overhearing some of the discussion, it seemed that the girl I saw believed that an individual had inappropriately touched her and attempted to confront the person about it.  Apparently she did, and apparently something was said that obviously made her extremely upset.  As I was there, she attempted to come back again and talk to the individual while a staff member was trying to comprehend the situation.  What shocked me more than the accussation was the fact that the accused person raised his hand and proceeded to verbally threaten the girl, a fellow commoner, with physical harm in front of staff members and the rest of the outside crowd.  It was at that time that I thought the person would have been politely asked to leave, however, the issue of whether or not he touched her or not was still in the forefront.  Now it could simply be my feminist upbringing, but when a women accuses a male of any kind of sexual harassment and is visibly distraught and upset, is it not a first step as a partaker or even spectator of the issue to simply ask the male to leave the premises in order for the victim to feel safer and more secure?  That didn’t happen.  At that moment is shouldn’t even of mattered if he was the one who touched her or not, what should have mattered was the evident distress of this person.

A while later and well after the girl left the building with tears and without support, I was in front of  the issue again, and felt the need to say something.  I always felt that this place was safe enough to respectfully express concern for friends, it wasn’t.  Following my expressed concern, I was threatened repeatedly while staff members and others remained quiet.  One staff member however did hold him back from attacking me, and brought him inside, but then immediately came out and said that he wished that he would of let him after me.  The only comments I heard from anyone else were those of support for this violent person who continued to threaten me and went as far as to gesture and comment about taking a pistol out and killing me.  It was then that I thought it was best to leave quietly, threatened, and listen to these remarks supportive of violence, oppression, and complatancy as I walk away.

We have no idea what this girl experienced in the past.  We have know idea whether or not she is a victim of assault or rape or molestation.  All we can do as a human being is stop and feel something.  Use your imagination and put yourself in the place of others, just for one second and feel something.  Stop your ego, stop your pride, stop your fear for a moment and understand when a person needs help and support.  Forget everything and just know that it doesn’t matter what happened, who did what, and that we don’t know a person’s past, a person’s secrets.  All we know is that when someone clearly needs support and love, loose yourself for a second and be that support and love.  It seemed that this girl was left alone last night, surrounded by people she thought she trusted and by a place she used to feel safe in.  But the support that was believed to be there, wasn’t… before and after she left.  I hope she can find it in her heart , spirit, and body to forgive us, the establishment, and this sometimes unnatural and inhuman culture and feel safe enough to return for good times.  I know it will be a while before I feel I can return.

So what do you think?  What should have been done or said or not said?  How would you of acted and why?  Share your thoughts and love…

 Hold the vision,

 Pete