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MoreCleverUserName t1_je87oo8 wrote

Reply to comment by shamudawhale3 in Anyone in Shaw/Mt. Vernon Triangle been followed by a homeless guy? by shamudawhale3

I made the call but could not answer all the questions since I didn’t actually see the guy. Saving that number in your phone would be a good resource in case you run into him again. Or encounter anyone who seems to be in crisis. We are fortunate to have an alternative to 911 for situations like this and it‘s more effective when people actually use it.

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FezzikRtherRoczAhead t1_je8q0f3 wrote

That said, if there's a threat or reasonable concern for safety they'll dispatch a CIT trained officer. They're a great resource but I've called them because a man made a vague threat to stab a person if he didn't get money or to harm himself and they essentially said 'at this point that's a 911 call' and politely but firmly got me off their line with an offer to transfer to 911 or allow me to call directly.

I appreciate your commitment to the resource but people should be aware it's not always the right one and you may be delaying getting help for yourself or others if the situation involves a threat.

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MoreCleverUserName t1_je9ogdc wrote

Yes obviously when there’s a reasonable expectation of violence or if a person is a threat to themselves or others, 911 is always a good call. However the bigger point is that complaining on Reddit might be cathartic but it doesn’t actually solve any problems. If a person — homeless or housed — is behaving erratically and showing signs of a mental health crisis, do something that might actually get them help. Otherwise it’s just idle bitching that further stigmatizes mental illness and homelessness without making anyone’s life better.

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FezzikRtherRoczAhead t1_je9woj0 wrote

I agree there are more productive forums than Reddit for effecting social change. OP also clearly felt threatened. Advocacy and utilization of alternative resources is important. Passive aggressively chiding someone to use an alternative response while they're coming down from a sense of threat isn't generally effective advocacy in my experience. And because OP felt threatened use of 911 is inherently reasonable.

All of that assumes OP was seeking resolution when maybe OP just wanted an empathetic audience since they had a scary experience in our city.

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MoreCleverUserName t1_je9ynkl wrote

This isn’t even about effecting social change though. This is about the general pointlessness of these “fear porn” style posts. There are better ways to elicit empathy, and if this strange man on the streets is such a threat that someone has to “come down” from an encounter with him, then leaving him on the streets puts other people at risk.

Bottom line : if it’s scary enough to make you feel like you have to alert everyone on Reddit, then it warrants a call to either the Police or mental health support services.

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shamudawhale3 OP t1_jea9dt2 wrote

It’s not “fear porn.” I wanted to see if anyone had encountered this person.

Also, it seems like you’re blaming me instead of the man that followed me and lunged at me. Am I the problem here? I’m getting “holier-than-thou” feelings from you.

And surely warning people on Reddit is better than nothing? If I encounter the guy again, I’m calling the police and I’ll contact the mental health resource.

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