Feeling pretty shaken up right now, I have to admit. And a bit disgusted by humanity. A story:
I was walking by one of the fancy new apartment complexes in the city. Someone was sprawled in front of the doors. There were a few people in the lobby, waiting for cars etc. /1

I didn't want to duplicate resources, so I opened the door and asked if the gentleman was okay. Everyone shrugged - how could they possibly be expected to know? Let me emphasize - this was a busy area and people were walking by all the time. /2

I had seen that the gentleman was breathing and moving a bit. I went over to him and asked him loudly if he was okay. He said - faintly - no. I asked him if I should call someone. He said yes. I went back in to the lobby of the complex and asked the doorperson to make a call. /3

(I don't have a cell phone.) They said they could call security. Someone else -- finally! -- chimed in and said they thought an ambulance would be better. I asked if I could use the desk phone to call 911. They said no. /4

Relenting, they said they would call. I went back outside. People continued to walk by. I told the gentleman someone was on their way and waited until the emergency services arrived. At this point a few other people starting taking notice. Some waited with me. /5

The gentleman was seen to. I'm glad and relieved about that. And I am *horrified* by how many people walked by, including some who literally had to walk over him to enter their building. Look, I get it: we live in a city. There are homeless folks everywhere. /6

BUT: we are just coming off a major storm. It's pretty cold out. No one wants to be outside right now. And this was not over or near a vent. The gentleman did not have belongings with him. He was what he appeared to be: a person in crisis. /7

I am positive-but *positive*-that every person who walked by would have said, if asked, that they would stop to help someone in crisis. And I sure they would have meant it! I'm positive that everyone who walked over him would say they would NEVER walk over a person in crisis. /8

The truth is that people simply did not see him. Or they imagined that he was okay, or that someone else was dealing with it. There was no ill will here. There was no deliberate cruelty. And someone was in trouble. Someone could have died. /9

If you've ever wondered about who the people are who hear screams and don't respond as women get raped and murdered, or who don't seem to hear clear cries for help, stop wondering. It's everyone. /10

Again: I am sure that no one who walked by imagined themselves to be this sort of person. And in the right circumstance, they absolutely would help. Indeed, once it became clear that help was needed, everyone was willing to pitch in. /11

I'm trying to figure out why this man and his needs were so invisible. Was it because he is Black? Probably, in part. Because he was middle-aged? Maybe. Because it was in the center of a major city with a lot of poverty? Almost certainly. /12

Also, it's a pandemic. I get that people are a little more reticent to reach out to others, and feel the need to afford more space. This gentleman was wearing a mask, and he was wearing it properly, FWIW. And I didn't have to get too close to ask a simple question. /13

That question was: "do you need help?" And the answer was "yes."

Next time, please, PLEASE: ask the question. Do not assume that others have asked it already. I've learned: they have not.

Be the person you imagine yourself to be, not the person that most people are. /14