Holly, a single mom simply looking to celebrate her friend’s birthday, found herself in an unfortunate situation—a classic case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. What started as a fun night out quickly turned into an unexpected brawl when her group got jumped. In a brave attempt to break up a fight, Holly herself became a target of the attackers, only to find out just how unreliable the system meant to protect citizens can be.
Despite being surrounded by around 100 bystanders, not a single soul thought to call for help during the chaos. Instead of dialing 911, they whipped out their phones to film what Holly rightly called an attempted murder. The police, arriving fashionably late, were overwhelmed with indifference. They didn’t bother collecting information from everyone involved, including some of the victims. There was no backup, no ambulance—just police officers treating the entire ordeal as if it were a minor scuffle over the last piece of cake at a birthday party.
Holly expected assistance, maybe an ambulance ride to treat her concussion. Instead, the police offered an odd version of hospitality, as she ended up feeling so uncomfortable in their presence that she opted for the safety of an Uber ride home. One might wonder if the police left their concern for public safety tucked away in their squad car. Their laissez-faire attitude seemed to imply they were waiting for someone else to take action, perhaps hoping the incidents would magically resolve themselves.
As if the situation weren’t bewildering enough, Holly pointed out a new group escalating the brawl while people stood idly by. Though the correct procedure might’ve involved law enforcement officers stepping in and quelling the violence, instead Holly was left to believe that she was better off handling things on her own. One would expect our protectors in blue to at least feign interest in a melee involving bloodied civilians.
Sadly, the theme of this predicament isn’t a one-off occurrence but rather a growing sentiment of neglect. It’s as if the city was participating in some kind of informal social experiment: “How long before someone does the right thing?” But in this dystopian episode, no winner emerged. As Holly summed up this peculiar and concerning episode, she was viewed as a troublemaker rather than a victim—a narrative all too familiar in today’s world.
