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Hero Granny

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Granny intervenes in Jewel Heist - February 2011

The video on YouTube [link below] is self-explanatory.

Brave or stupid? Sometimes the dividing line is very narrow indeed.

In my opinion, this woman is a hero!

Look at the bystanders who just watch. What about the uniformed traffic warden who does not intervene? What about the person taking the video, who appears to have placed more importance on filming than on helping this amazing lady?

It appears that lots of people, including the man/woman with the camera were prepared to have a go once this heroic lady had floored one of the thieves.

Does this highlight what is wrong with modern society?

I say give this lady a civil award, for goodness sake!

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What's your opinion?

Was she right to intervene?

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No, it was stupid and too dangerous

sousababy says:

I was held up at knife-point once in my teens working at a variety store. The man held a blade 12 inches long up to my co-worker's stomach and directed us to empty both cash registers. We complied, hit the emergency button as he left with money which was COMPLETELY insured (maybe $300). It's not worth a human life and businesses HAVE insurance (or most do). One can never predict how you will respond. So many people told me, "Oh I would've made a run for it, kicked the guy, poked his eyes . . etc." Well, I must say, you don't know how you will respond until you've lived through it. It all happens so fast. There is no 'scary music' like in the movies to let you know something 'bad' is about to happen. This happened to us in broad daylight at 2 o'clock in the afternoon.

ChrisDay says:

Maybe she just hated the principles of thuggery and public apathy and didn't weigh up how serious this precise crime was? Here was her opportunity and she went for it.

Margo_Arrowsmith says:

It wasn't like anyone was being hurt, it was foolish and just for money, someone else's at that. If they were hurting someone, that would have been different.

Yes, more people should be prepared to have a go!

MTF-briguy says:

I believe that she used her right..to decide whether or not to get involved!

puerdycat says:

I remember when everyone was shocked at news-stories where people watched and did nothing. Goes back to when we were kids. If you misbehaved, the neighbors let you know it and a report went home. In the big city, too, we lived in a community. The elderly lady with a purse! Wasn't that on "Laugh In?" I love her, and the main thing with age is, we no longer split hairs in nervous anticipation. We just do the right thing.

ShirlW says:

I think we all need to take a stand on doing the right thing and she apparently felt she did the right thing. Plus how do we know what we will do in a situation until we are actually in that moment?

EpiphanyLondon says:

You just don't exactly know what you might do if you were confronted with such a situation - I hope I'd have to courage to do something if I could strike a blow against a crime. So sure this could have turned out differently, but still Well Done Granny!

beerhead says:

We would have much less crime if more people took a stand. Saying that, they need to put safety first. No amount of money is worth a human life.

 

Postscript

Excerpt from BBC webpage: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/mobile/uk/8471448.stm

Change of heart on 'have-a-go heroes'?
22 January 10 09:12

By Caroline McClatchey
BBC News
When it comes to members of the public intervening to stop crime, the police message, more often than not, has been to step away and call 999.
But now the UK's top police officer, Met Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson, has said people should be encouraged to tackle criminals.
"I do get worried on occasion that we get our advice wrong," he said.
"People have got to make a reasonable judgment but to actively discourage them from being responsible citizens is wrong."
The police "line" on whether or not people should step in or away has never been crystal clear.
Forces are reluctant to come down on either side for fear of being accused of promoting vigilantism or condemned for their comments when a member of the public is killed trying to prevent a crime.
So-called have-a-go heroes generally only make the headlines when the story has a tragic ending or it is extremely newsworthy.
One of the best known of recent times is John Smeaton, the baggage handler who became a national figure following the bomb attacks on Glasgow airport in 2007.
He helped police tackle a man who drove a jeep into Glasgow's terminal building.
And the most recent tragic tale is that of 31-year-old Sukhwinder Singh, who was stabbed to death after chasing muggers who had snatched a woman's handbag in east London on 8 January.

See the whole article at: A change of heart on 'have-a-go' heroes.

Did this surprise you? Please leave a comment.

  • MTF-briguy Jun 6, 2011 @ 6:45 pm | delete
    I have to agree this woman should get a award! Of course, It might be that her generation is a "tougher breed"! Some of the things that my grandma did in her 80's still amaze me..like splitting her own firewood, cutting her lawn etc, the same things that I have to pay my kids to do..
  • ChrisDay Jun 6, 2011 @ 10:40 pm | delete
    Yes, we in developed countries have to watch that we don't gradually become so effete, through being used to always having plenty of food and every luxury, that we can't do the sort of things our parents and grandparents just had to do in the daily lives. Thanks for your visit!
  • raphaelo Apr 27, 2011 @ 4:54 pm | delete
    She was on my all television channels .. all news as you say "Hero Granny" the great lady. all my hometown people including me are so impressive and admire to her so much. I think if everyone do copy her braveness to help by each other.. No bad guys any more.. What do you think.. Chris :) 5 stars for you. Have a wonderful time.. Hero Chris ;)
  • ChrisDay Apr 27, 2011 @ 10:55 pm | delete
    Yes, I reckon it would make a huge change in society. But why did so many stand by and watch?
  • sousababy Apr 13, 2011 @ 3:26 pm | delete
    Ha, I finally viewed this video. I must say, she has guts. She even runs after them. Just wish bystanders had stepped much sooner to help. But alas, one never knows what weaponry they may have had. A woman's purse is always the heaviest thing I ever carried! Glad she wasn't hurt or at least not badly. Great, thought-provoking lens Chris!
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Chris Day is a UK-based veterinarian practising alternative medicine (e.g. herbs, acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic). He has many interests outside that field, some of which are reflected in his lensography.

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