Driver who stopped to check on boy his truck hit is severely beaten by bystanders

[Pam]

Did anyone else hear this story on WWJ? There was a nurse there who tried to help the man. Also, money is being raised for the victim.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/04/...ob-in-detroit/

One woman stepped in to help Steven Utash. Nurse Debra Hughes intervened and stopped the attack: “He was already down, bleeding from the mouth and the nose – so there wasn’t nothing else they could do to him but kill him,” she said.

“Then EMS came and I kept him calm, I kept his hands down and everything so he could be comfortable,” said Hughes. “He had the biggest gash on his head I ever seen – he was bleeding from the mouth and he was unconscious when I first got there … being a registered nurse, I thought I could go out and help him.”

Reverend Horace Sheffield, executive Director of the Detroit Association of Black Organizations, released a statement making an appeal to the community to find the suspects and turn them in.

“Now is the time for all of us, not just Detroiters, but also all decent God fearing human beings… to step up and say and do something to lend a personal hand in helping the police and this family find those who committed such a heinous act

[Hypestyles]

"Black Pathology Crowdsourced"

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/...ourced/360190/

We tend to associate culturally-specific practices with the relative successes of the cultures with which they're associated. Things rich people do must be beneficial; habits of the poor, not. The reality is more complex. Culture of Poverty is a label attached to a wide array of behaviors. There are behaviors—physical assertiveness—well-suited to that environment that may tend to inhibit success elsewhere. There are other behaviors—emphasis on familial and communal ties—that will cut both ways, sustaining people in difficult times but sometimes making it harder for them to place their individual needs above the demands of the group. And there are others—initiative and self-reliance—that are largely positive, and in many ways, even more advantageous if carried further up the social scale.
I bristle when I see people discuss the culture of poverty as a pathology. That's too self-congratulatory, and too cramped a view. The reality is that, like all cultures, it has aspects that translate well to other circumstances, those that translate poorly, and those that are just plain different. And that's no different than the Culture of Affluence.

Find the culprits, no doubt. Police dept. and city government, step up community outreach efforts to locals, no doubt.

But the macro problems need fixing as well [[tax starvation of communities, wildly inconsistent educational outlets and access, chronic unemployment and underemployment, voter nullification via ID laws and Super-PACS, etc.), and there may well be less micro-problems along the way.

In what I can only presume was a fit of pique, Rochelle Riley opined that the culprits should have their homes seized. Okay, given the general circumstances of the neighborhood, some of the culprits may live in apartments. Does that mean the whole building gets razed? For those who live in houses-- several of the attackers may not even own them. Some may be renting, and many may be living with other relatives [[parents, grandparents, spouse/live-in-partner, etc.) Do they get the boot, too, for having a scoundrel as family?

[corktownyuppie]

"Black Pathology Crowdsourced"

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/...ourced/360190/

That article from the Atlantic is a fantastic read.

Culture of Poverty is a label attached to a wide array of behaviors. There are behaviors—physical assertiveness—well-suited to that environment that may tend to inhibit success elsewhere....

And I think these speaks to the heart of the conflict. In the world of Wall Street boardrooms, when someone feels like their livelihood or business is threatened, they hire a team of lawyers.

When a drug dealer feels threatened, he hires hitmen to establish dominance and rule from fear.

When the poor and powerless feel threatened, sometimes they resort to the only method of enforcing boundaries that they know...violence.

How do you take a person...or people...who've learned their whole lives that violence is the only way to protect your boundaries...to take on more civilized and effective means?

There was an Oscar-nominated short film at the Detroit Film Theater earlier this year...it was about a boy who was raised by wolves. An older man found him in his mid-childhood, adopted him, and tried to get him a good education at a boarding school.

But every time he got angry or felt threatened, his first reflex was to resort to the means he learned from the wolfpack. After several rounds of discipline, he escaped, ran away, and went back to live with wolves.

What does this mean? Well, it doesn't mean that the guys who beat the driver up should go free. But it also means that discipline cannot be the only method to change behavior...it doesn't work on its own.

[corktownyuppie]

I'm saying that putting these 12 guys in jail, where they belong, won't be enough. I don't have the answers for how it gets fixed, I have no agenda to push, other than to say that we need to keep learning from our mistakes.

Clearly there hasn't been enough policing. And also, policing by itself won't work.

[Honky Tonk]

That article from the Atlantic is a fantastic read.


[/I][/COLOR]
And I think these speaks to the heart of the conflict. In the world of Wall Street boardrooms, when someone feels like their livelihood or business is threatened, they hire a team of lawyers.

When a drug dealer feels threatened, he hires hitmen to establish dominance and rule from fear.

When the poor and powerless feel threatened, sometimes they resort to the only method of enforcing boundaries that they know...violence.

How do you take a person...or people...who've learned their whole lives that violence is the only way to protect your boundaries...to take on more civilized and effective means?

There was an Oscar-nominated short film at the Detroit Film Theater earlier this year...it was about a boy who was raised by wolves. An older man found him in his mid-childhood, adopted him, and tried to get him a good education at a boarding school.

But every time he got angry or felt threatened, his first reflex was to resort to the means he learned from the wolfpack. After several rounds of discipline, he escaped, ran away, and went back to live with wolves.

What does this mean? Well, it doesn't mean that the guys who beat the driver up should go free. But it also means that discipline cannot be the only method to change behavior...it doesn't work on its own.

What discipline do you speak of? There hasn't been discipline in this City in some 40 odd years. How did that work out? "We need Social Programs". There have been "Social Programs" going on for 40 + years, how did that work out? The only thing that has changed, is it's gotten worse. As predicted, this whole thread as gone from some poor schmuck getting pounded within an inch of his life, through no fault of his own, other than for actually doing the right thing, to everyone feeling sorry for the perps. I hope that reinforces the belief in people's minds that " oh, it won't happen to me". Great film clip, by the way......

[dguy4evr]

Debra:

You have shown that there are people in the D that still have morals and want to do the right thing. I know there are others out there that are like minded. This isn't a black or white issue, it's simply about the "Golden Rule", remember that?
I'm not trying to sound condescending, I'm only trying to make a point. Take back your neighborhoods folks!
Again, thank you Debra!

In case you don't know, Debra is the retired nurse that risked her life to help the gentleman that was beaten by an mob after stopping to help a kid that he hit with his truck.

[pgn421]

Thanks Deborah for being there at the right time and place. And for using your common sense. Thanks

[Dan Wesson]

That article from the Atlantic is a fantastic read.


[/I][/COLOR]


How do you take a person...or people...who've learned their whole lives that violence is the only way to protect your boundaries...to take on more civilized and effective means?

There was an Oscar-nominated short film at the Detroit Film Theater earlier this year...it was about a boy who was raised by wolves. An older man found him in his mid-childhood, adopted him, and tried to get him a good education at a boarding school.

But every time he got angry or felt threatened, his first reflex was to resort to the means he learned from the wolfpack. After several rounds of discipline, he escaped, ran away, and went back to live with wolves.

What does this mean? Well, it doesn't mean that the guys who beat the driver up should go free. But it also means that discipline cannot be the only method to change behavior...it doesn't work on its own.

Great shades of A Clockwork Orange...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Clockwork_Orange_%28film%29

[Dan Wesson]

Hughes says she cared for the little boy who had minor injuries, and then an angry crowd confronted Utash.
"And then they got him and started beating him and stomping him. It wasn't right," Hughes said.
She ran over there and told the group they needed to stop.
"I got over there and I told them don't nobody hit him anymore," Hughes said. "I had a gun in my pocket, I was ready to do some damage if I had to."

"Somebody had to stand up. It was maybe 100 people out here. Were you the only one who said stop? I was the only one," said Hughes.
Hughes made sure Utash was taken care of after the group got off of him.

me now:
Someone doing an extraordinary thing in an extraordinary situation with common sense, compassion and the tools to make it happen.

I salute this woman.


http://www.wxyz.com/news/region/detroit/retired-nurse-saves-steve-utashs-life-steps-in-when-driver-was-getting-beat

[Zacha341]

Congrats on a woman of courage and will to stand up and act - with preparation, back up as she mentioned. We need more concerned and conscious push-back like this!

Shame on those who joined in on the beating. Cowards!

[Dave70]

I grew up very close to the crime scene, it was a pretty nice area up to the mid 90s. I remember when that store next to the gas staton was a 7-11.

Of course the behavior of the mob doesn't represent the whole populace of the area, but the number of thugs living around there has increased dramatically.

Blown out of proportion? I don't know but I'm sure this story will help anyone thinking of moving into this neighborhood to make up thier mind.

[rb336]

dguy4evr - thank you for starting this thread.

Ms Hughes: thank you for being a light that reminds us that most people want to do the right thing. As a community, we need to band together to take back our communities, our state, our country and our planet from the people with nefarious intent.

[trotwood]

Another sick monstrous attack!!

[Danny]

Ghetto Alert.

Detroit Police just arrested two suspects of the beating of a Clinton TWP. man. Two black males one 16 the other 15. Police are still looking for more people. Detroit 300 are also looking for vagrants. They are believed to be living around the East side area.

[That Great Guy]

Ghetto Alert.

Detroit Police just arrested two suspects of the beating of a Clinton TWP. man. Two black males one 16 the other 15. Police are still looking for more people. Detroit 300 are also looking for vagrants. They are believed to be living around the East side area.

This could have also happened in Livonia.

[piczka]

I hate to think what might have occurred had he hit and killed someone's dog.

[Danny]

This could have also happened in Livonia.

It did, two white Livonia middle class couple just saw three black males wearing Trayvon Martins casing their hood. They call the police and arrested all of them as they make their getaway to Detroit ghettohood.

[chicagoforlife]

Upon finding out about this incident I was going to come here and post it but thought I'd look around to see if someone else posted it and found this post.

It appears that the victim was released from the hospital on Thursday and the driver remains in critical condition in a Detroit hospital.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/c...,7511482.story

[JohnnyFreddy]

Ooooh, something awful happened in Detroit!

That's right detroitnerd, bad things DO happen in Detroit, and your acting like people are wimps, or scared of their own shadow, or making a mountain out of a molehill, or some racial spin, or even the ever popular "....all they ever report is the bad stuff....or....just say good things about Detroit....", doesn't negate the fact that people ARE being beat to death at Gas Stations, jumped and ganged up on after stopping to make sure they are okay, because the kid made a stupid mistake playing a stupid game. Bodies found, dogs AND human.....thousands upon thousands of ignored rape victim police kits found covered in dust in some shuttered, forgotten warehouse. So people shouldn't feel scared to come here? They should just go ahead and come on down? Why, so it can be shown to be a safe City? It's not always safe here, and rather than avoid the conversation, we should be starting new one's, addressing the issues that create this culture, rather than just giving up and telling those that have concerns for safety that they're just scaredy pies.

[dguy4evr]

A shout out to the Detroit 300!

Thanks for doing the right thing! I'm impressed with your quick response and positive attitude in trying to save the D. Bravo!

[Cincinnati_Kid]

I rarely post on Detroityes because there is little rationality to the threads. This tragic story could have happened anywhere with any combination of races involved. What needs to be understood is that the probability of it occurring as it did in Detroit in the manner it did, is why the city has no realistic hope of any bright future.


Go ahead and build a streetcar line - no one will ride it. Until this city is safe for everyone nothing will save it.

Right... like the motorcycle gang in NYC last year that dragged the man out of his Range Rover and beat the crap outta him for a similar incident when he accidentally hit one of the bikers. This _hit happens everywhere, just gets more pub when it happens here.

[Bham1982]

Right... like the motorcycle gang in NYC last year that dragged the man out of his Range Rover and beat the crap outta him for a similar incident when he accidentally hit one of the bikers. This _hit happens everywhere, just gets more pub when it happens here.

That incident got a TON of publicity and for good reason.

And it wasn't nearly as scary because A. No one thinks that violently engaging with a motorcycle gang is the same as just going to work and minding your business and doing the right thing, B. The dude was just beat up; he wasn't in critical condition like in Detroit and C. The motorcycle gang members were all locked up within 48 hours.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

That incident got a TON of publicity and for good reason.

And it wasn't nearly as scary because A. No one thinks that violently engaging with a motorcycle gang is the same as just going to work and minding your business and doing the right thing, B. The dude was just beat up; he wasn't in critical condition like in Detroit and C. The motorcycle gang members were all locked up within 48 hours.

That's YOUR opinion. This Detroit incident has made the national news as well, they were talking about it on CNN. It was just as bad even though the driver who was beat in front of his wife and infant child wasn't hurt as bad as the motorcyclist who was paralyzed from the waist down. They were locked up fast because NYC police dept has far more man power and resources than Detroit's. A big difference.

[Jimaz]

Tip: Whenever possible, avoid driving near schools when they're letting the kids out.

Kids are impulsive. They horse around. I've had two recent incidents where a kid almost jumped in front of my car. I was prepared for the unexpected and so no harm was done.

Imagine the alternative.

[Detroitnerd]

Sure am glad this is an isolated incident that isn't indicative of any larger and more serious race relations issues.

Oh, wait ...