I was at Denny's this weekend and this bum tried to rush the cashier lady at register but when me and two girls were waiting to be seated. I stepped between him and the counter and punched him in the throat. He fell back against the glass and stumbled out of the restaurant wheezing and coughing and I had to answer some questions to the security guards but in the end I got a free meal.
I step in every time, but then I don't really have a choice. My best advice is to call out the Police and make sure you get a good look at the offenders for a statement later. If the situation is really bad you may need to step in, but be aware of becoming a victim yourself. Sometimes the fact that the offender is faced with a witness can dissuade them.
If they are family or a friend... yes. If I do not know the person or the situation, then "No". Without knowing the entire situation, my advice is to stay out of it. Often times if you interfere with a domestic dispute, both parties may turn on you. Additionally, if you strike or hurt someone when they did nothing to you, you may be looking at criminal procedures. The previous poster who struck a bum is lucky not to be arrested for an unprovoked attack (not disrespecting you, but it would not have been my call. I would have let the security guards that you mentioned take care of it). Or, your interference could escalate the situation. In the case with the bum... if he had pulled a knife and cut one of your friends... would it have been worth it? The best thing to do is to call the police or security unless you have a personal claim in the issue, like for a family member or friend. Otherwise, you may find yourself in a dangerous situation for what? Granted, your job description does also define your response. If you are a police officer, you have to get involved. As a teacher in a school, I have to get involved as well... although with the least amount of force (preferably none) possible.
If you walked round a corner and saw someone getting a good kickin on a dark street or whatever, would you jump in? You dont know the situation for all you know the guy who is loosing could have been trying to mug the other person but had lost the upper hand.
If the situation was obviously one in which there was an attacker and there was victim then I would certainly step in. How can martial artists talk about honor and responsibility and then not use their skills to protect those who are weaker? Remember the paradox of the samurai, "The death-dealing blade and the life-giving sword".
Not everyone wants defending. I have been in several encounters where the attacker and the attacked BOTH turned on me when they were seperated. Must be the uniform... Anyway, as Thomas rightly pointed out you too could end up being at the short end of a criminal charge. Not necessarily fair, but that's the way it goes. Good, accurate and detailed witnesses are very hard to find and can be as much use as a "good samaritan". That said, sometimes you just have to wade in. Like so many other things it is a matter of judgement.
Well, I would personally help anyone I could that needed it. I have been blasted many times on other message boards for talking about the many Self-Protection situations I have been in, somewhere about 125 of them but what these moral Qui Chang Kane's didn't know is that about 75% of these "fights" were in the defense of another! I just can't tolerate someone picking on or bullying another let alone just beating the hell out them for the fun of it, nor can I stand by and watch such actions going on. So it got me into a lot of fights in my younger days. I was quick to show these bad people the error of their ways through my fist of fury! Sincerely, Teacher: Eddie Ivester
