Pay Attention

I'm not an avid reader of the Sport's Page.  I'd much rather be actively playing sports than reading or watching 'em.  However, I have tuned in a bit more to the sports news the last couple of weeks with all the news about the Penn State Child Abuse Sex Scandal.

Today, in the Salt Lake Tribune, Gordon Monson wrote a wonderful piece about it.  Here is the conclusion:

"The ultimate educator, Paterno, in his very demise has taught, or at least reminded, millions and millions that if they see, or hear of, or come across any word, or even a hint, of child abuse in any form, in any way, to any degree, every last one of us needs to step up and stop it, confront it, report it to the proper authorities, right now, so the suffering of the innocents ends."

This statement is very close to my personal commitment I made for myself.

When I was in college, one of my most inspiring professors, Phil Sullivan, someone whom I admired greatly, said to me,  "Loretta, you can't save the world."  Phil Sullivan was a reporter at the Nuremberg Trials, and I am still inspired by his words regarding evil in the world and the resilience of the human spirit.  His wise advise about not being able to save the entire world, still echos through my heart.

However, years ago, I decided that since I couldn't save the world, I could still help children.  I narrowed my personal commitment to, "If I ever see or witness any child, or any being (animal, elderly, the "underdogs" who can't stand up for themselves), being victimized or abused by someone else--I will step in.  I will do something about it.

Here is my most recent story of something I saw, and something I did.

I was going shopping, no big deal.  There is a little cafe right in the shopping center.  The cafe was jammed, it was about 8 AM.  I glanced in and there was a little boy, sitting all by himself.  He was adorable, but dirty in tattered clothes, snarls in his hair, and looking scared.

I stopped.  I stared.

I followed this little boy's gaze.  He was watching someone at the counter, picking up coffee.  This someone looked like the Unibomber.  Seriously.  Complete with his sweat shirt pulled up over his head, full beard, filthy--Dressed in dirty, tattered clothes--He looked like a typical homeless person.

Again, it was about 8 AM.  My entire body reacted.  My heart started racing, it was like my body was saying:  "Red Alert!"  "Red Alert!" "Red Alert!"

Here is my inner dialogue:

 "Calm down, I'm sure there is a logical explanation for this.  A homeless man, with a little boy....Everyone in this cafe is in a suit.  This is a business person's meeting place.  There are no other homeless people around here, but there's always a chance.  Why are there no other homeless people here?  This is a nice neighborhood.  There aren't homeless people here, that's why.  Then, why is this guy here with this little boy?"

"And, why is he giving this little boy COFFEE?"

The little boy is freezing.  I'm staring at the Unibomber look-a-like's lips, and I read what he says to the boy, "This will warm you up."

My feet head on in.  I don't remember walking in.  I decide to order something, as I'm still staring at this scene.  I ask the gal taking my order:  "Do you know that guy in the blue sweatshirt?"

She looks over my shoulder, "No."

Me:  "He doesn't come here often?"

Counter gal:  "No, first time I've ever seen him."

Me:  "Something is wrong here.  Look at that little boy."

Counter gal:  shrugs her shoulders.

I pick up the phone and call Kelly.

My inner dialogue continues:  "No one knows me better than Kelly, she'll tell me it's perfectly normal for a Unibomber look-a-like to have a little boy on the streets all night with no bath or solid nutrition.  She'll tell me that it's normal that this little boy isn't home having warm cereal playing with his dinosaur toys or watching Barnie on TV.  She'll tell me that it's just me and to relax and don't worry about it."

Kelly doesn't answer.

I take a picture of the little boy and the man:

The man tries to cover his face and the little boy's face, then runs out.  (Zoom in, you'll see it better).

I call the police.  At first, I sort of get the "Uh-huh..."  Then, I send the photo to the police.  They show up at the shopping plaza within 2 minutes.

I spent several hours at the police station, and look through hundreds of pictures of missing children.  I get it narrowed down to 3, possibly 4 little boys.

The police run it through some photo recognition software, and it gets a pretty good hit from a little boy from Ohio, who was abducted last summer.  (The shopping center has better surveillance video/photos). They contact the parents and send them my photo and a couple of screen shots from the surveillance video.  The last I heard, the parents were flying out.

The unibombler look-a-like is on foot with this little boy.  Oh, how I pray they find him.....

By the way, when Kelly finally called back, and she saw the picture, she was stunned.  It's stunning that no one else noticed.  All these people, just working away, not noticing something right in front of their noses.

As I was chatting with Kelly about this, I said, "I wish I'd just tackled 'em or something as he started to run out."

Kelly said, "Loretta, you can't go around tackling people...."

We laughed pretty hard.  Good advise.  No tackling. Pay Attention and Report.  Leave out the tackling.  :)  I know I can't save the world.  However, I can ask everyone I know, to try.

As Gordon Monson admonished today:

"....if you see, or hear of, or come across any word, or even a hint, of child abuse in any form, in any way, to any degree...every last one of us needs to step up and stop it, confront it, report it to the proper authorities, right now, so the suffering of the innocents ends..."

I can feel Phil Sullivan's criticism here.  I really shouldn't put the  same quote in this piece twice, sloppy writing, I know.  However, since I can't save the world--at least I can ask twice: showing a beautiful admonition to us all:  TWICE.    At least I can encourage everyone to "Pay Attention" and do something--especially report it--when they see it.

And, if your cell phone has a camera, take a picture while you're at it.