MoreCleverUserName t1_je9ogdc wrote on March 30, 2023 at 1:02 PM

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

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.

FezzikRtherRoczAhead t1_je9woj0 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 2:04 PM

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.

MoreCleverUserName t1_je9ynkl wrote on March 30, 2023 at 2:19 PM

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.

shamudawhale3 OP t1_jea9dt2 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 3:37 PM

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.