A Community Desensitized to the New Normal
Assault, Murder, and Death of Caring
Part 2 of a 3 part series on crime in the street community
With a recent murder in the street community of Olympia, Washington, the city was already on edge when a 72-year old German immigrant was brutally assaulted by a homeless man just 11 days later. Concerned citizens immediately began asking if the two cases could possibly be related. New information shows that they are. In fact, there is a stunning connection between the two cases that was recently revealed when the Washington State Patrol released a timeline of events pieced together in the murder investigation.
On November 2, 2019, Jason Moline was murdered near his tent encampment on Deschutes Parkway, which encircles Capitol Lake, technically part of the state capitol campus. It is estimated he was shot at approximately 8:34 PM. The Washington State Patrol recently received a statement from a witness who drove by at 8:40 PM and saw Moline writhing on the side of the road. The witness did not call 911, noting that it is a common sight to see in Olympia. It ended up taking 49 minutes for anyone to call 911.
In summary, just six minutes after being shot, someone witnessed a man rolling around on the side of the road and thought nothing of it, or at least nothing that merited calling authorities. It is a fairly routine sight to see. So, instead of Moline actually receiving medical attention within 10 minutes of being shot, it ended up being about an hour. He bled out and died.
Sergeant Darren Wright of the Washington State Patrol observed, “Unfortunately, some of us are becoming desensitized to seeing people laying on the ground that they don’t see an emergency anymore.”
Original story of the murder:
https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article237358129.html
On Wednesday, November 13, Udo, a 72 year old German immigrant was attacked without warning while walking his dog in Evergreen Park in west Olympia. The attacker was a homeless man with an extensive criminal background, including being an unregistered sex offender. Udo was knocked to the ground, beaten unconscious, and his nose was broken. The attacker only stopped when two nearby office workers chased him off.
Udo’s attack happened at approximately 3:45 PM. Interestingly, a woman photographed the attacker at 3:05 PM, before he attacked Udo. He was wearing a mask and screaming and flailing in the air at the bus stop across from the park. The woman was uncomfortable so she kept a safe distance and instinctively took a photo. But she did not call any authorities. Nor did the bus driver. Screaming and out of control people flail about daily in Olympia. It has become commonplace and unremarkable. The out of control man was not let on the bus, and would go on to assault Udo 40 minutes later.
Original story of the assault:
What is the connection between these two crimes?
What do they have in common?
What they have in common is that they both could have had a different outcome if chaos was not the new normal, if citizens hadn’t become desensitized to mental illness and addiction rampant in the streets. Jason might be alive, and Udo may not have been assaulted. Those passersby were not uncaring or unconcerned. It was just that they saw something they have become accustomed to seeing daily in Olympia in 2019. People passed out in parks, screaming on the sidewalk, or writhing on the side of the road has become the new normal.
Imagine if either of these situations had happened in 1975. If this were 1975 and a man was writhing on the side of the road, undoubtedly the community would have been alarmed, authorities would have been called, and intervention would have happened. The same holds true for the man who was screaming and flailing at the bus stop. What is different today? For sure, our culture, and society as a whole, have changed in numerous ways.
Something specific has changed in Olympia, however, and we need to change it back. I don’t blame the driver that passed the man writhing on the side of the road and didn’t call authorities. Nor do I blame the woman at the bus stop who saw a man behaving aggressively and didn’t call 911. I don’t even blame the bus driver for not calling in a report. Instead, I blame those who are charged, empowered, and paid to take care of the public good in Olympia.
To be clear, it is not their fault homelessness, mental illness, and addiction occur. It is not their fault crimes occur.
However:
It is their fault that they occur in overwhelming numbers, often without intervention or consequence.
It is their fault this is the new normal for this city.
It is their fault that citizens have become desensitized to things that previously would have shocked, surprised, and alarmed them into calling for help.
It is alarming to have two major crimes happen in two weeks. It is even more concerning to have two situations that may have had different outcomes if they were reported. This is not even taking into account the apathy that has also come about for those actually reporting crimes, expressing concerns to local government, and feeling unheard. Citizens are regularly told to report crimes or express their concerns by filling out a form online. Citizens are often chastised for expressing fear about the state of their downtown, discounted for demanding action, and browbeaten about the complexity of the issue.
An active and involved citizenry deserves more than that. An active and involved citizenry is the most valuable tool for fighting crime, supporting new initiatives, and putting forth the money to solve problems. A demoralized and desensitized citizenry spells the death of caring.
Part 1: 72 Year-Old Olympian Assaulted https://medium.com/@Info_14568/72-year-old-olympian-assaulted-89628ab80473?source=friends_link&sk=c886f5e6d780b604741f5a721d7a3229
Part 3: Common Sense Policing
https://medium.com/@Info_14568/common-sense-policing-a4314552e1ac?source=friends_link&sk=0ff170d5fb92c82db6d4039903f92b82
