Woman 20p short for the bus raped

Alpha Echo

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That's sad. But the part about no one offering the 20p doesn't surprise me.

My husband orders pennies from our banks because he enjoys sorting them. It soothes and calms him. Once I went to pick up about $100 worth of pennies - 4 boxes. They aren't exactly light, but I'm strong, and carrying them is no problem. But then I don't have a hand to open the door on my way out.

There were several customers sitting right there by the exit, waiting for their names to be called to meet with the bankers. They just watched me struggle with the door. No one even offered to help. They just watched.

That doesn't happen all the time, but unfortunately, it happens enough so that it isn't surprising.

I'm glad the teenager was convicted. What an ass. I hate rapists.
 

JimmyB27

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In fairness, did she actually ask for the 20p? It doesn't say in the article, and if she didn't, how were the passengers to know she needed it? For all they knew, she could have just got on the wrong bus, or only got on to ask the driver which bus she needed.
The driver, on the other hand, could have been a tad kinder.
 

The_Ink_Goddess

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As horrible as it is, there's actually no connection between being raped and getting kicked off the bus. It's not exactly the bus driver's fault, which I feel the headline/article kinda implies. It's no-one's fault but that prick teenager.
 

Alpha Echo

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As horrible as it is, there's actually no connection between being raped and getting kicked off the bus. It's not exactly the bus driver's fault, which I feel the headline/article kinda implies. It's no-one's fault but that prick teenager.

Agreed.
 

shaldna

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Bet everyone who was on that bus feels like crap now.

It's a horrible story, and I would be ashamed to see anyone do something like that. I mean, for 20p surely the driver would have waived it, I mean, at that hour in the morning what sort of person throws a young girl ON HER OWN out?

Sickening.
 

fireluxlou

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In fairness, did she actually ask for the 20p? It doesn't say in the article, and if she didn't, how were the passengers to know she needed it? For all they knew, she could have just got on the wrong bus, or only got on to ask the driver which bus she needed.
The driver, on the other hand, could have been a tad kinder.

In another article she was on the bus for pleading for 8 minutes (its on CCTV) with the driver to let her on in front of other passengers and when he said no, the other passengers just walked on by her and then she got off the bus and began to walk and was attacked.

I've been short of money before because they have this system on the bus now you have to put the exact change into the bus or you can't get on and bus fair is like 77p for me to get home.
 

shaldna

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In fairness, did she actually ask for the 20p? It doesn't say in the article, and if she didn't, how were the passengers to know she needed it? For all they knew, she could have just got on the wrong bus, or only got on to ask the driver which bus she needed.
The driver, on the other hand, could have been a tad kinder.

It said on the news that she was pleading for 8 minutes with the driver.

As horrible as it is, there's actually no connection between being raped and getting kicked off the bus. It's not exactly the bus driver's fault, which I feel the headline/article kinda implies. It's no-one's fault but that prick teenager.

True.
 

seun

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In fairness, did she actually ask for the 20p? It doesn't say in the article, and if she didn't, how were the passengers to know she needed it? For all they knew, she could have just got on the wrong bus, or only got on to ask the driver which bus she needed.
The driver, on the other hand, could have been a tad kinder.

Based on the reports of the story on t'radio, she was looking through her pockets and purse for the 20p over eight minutes. This is on the bus' CCTV. There was a cashpoint across the road, but the driver refused to wait while she used it.

As horrible as it is, there's actually no connection between being raped and getting kicked off the bus. It's not exactly the bus driver's fault, which I feel the headline/article kinda implies. It's no-one's fault but that prick teenager.

Agreed it's all down to the rapist. As the copper said, if it hadn't been her, it would have been someone else. The thing is, someone could have handed over the 20p. Or the driver could have been less of a robot and let her use the cashpoint or figured that at three in the morning, it wasn't great for a woman to be by herself after the last bus has gone.
 

Shakesbear

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From the link in the OP
The bus driver would not let her travel and none of the passengers offered her the 20p she needed.

The driver could have cut her some slack. The police officers comments, towards the end of the article are interesting.
 

missesdash

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This is why people who beg for a living really ruin it for everyone else. I've seen so many gimmicks to get money from other people that I'm extremely numb to the whole "please I need money" thing. It's hard to determine who needs help and who doesn't, and I can't give to everyone, so I don't give to anyone at all.

Also, I can't, for the life of me, figure out why he'd pretend he found her injured. Did he really think she wouldn't say anything? Ugh, what a dipshit.
 

Alpha Echo

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This is why people who beg for a living really ruin it for everyone else. I've seen so many gimmicks to get money from other people that I'm extremely numb to the whole "please I need money" thing. It's hard to determine who needs help and who doesn't, and I can't give to everyone, so I don't give to anyone at all.

Also, I can't, for the life of me, figure out why he'd pretend he found her injured. Did he really think she wouldn't say anything? Ugh, what a dipshit.

That's an interesting thought (what I bolded). I don't live in a city where I see any begging. I live in a more expensive suburb and rarely go into DC (the closest major city) or even any of its surrounding cities (Alexandria, Fairfax, etc). So I guess I'm not sort of, hardened, as you are. But I can understand why you would be if you see that sort of thing all the time. It's quite possible the other passengers thought she knew all along she didn't have the money and was just hoping for a free ride.

Still...

And yeah, I agree with you regarding the teen. What an idiot. Or was it maybe a degree of remorse that made him do that?
 

seun

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Also, I can't, for the life of me, figure out why he'd pretend he found her injured. Did he really think she wouldn't say anything? Ugh, what a dipshit.

And yeah, I agree with you regarding the teen. What an idiot. Or was it maybe a degree of remorse that made him do that?

Wouldn't surprise me if he thought/hoped she'd be too much in shock to say anything. I doubt remorse came into it at all.
 

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We can't know how much the other passengers (how many people ride the bus that late?) even knew of her situation, if it was handled quietly at the front of the bus. Poor thing. I'm very glad her attacker was caught and convicted. Horrible.

But there's incredible mileage in a small act of kindness.

I was once in line behind a guy in the grocery at 8am. He'd obviously been up all night and he was buying three energy drinks and something else. I had the impression he had a long day ahead of him. He intended to pay with his paycheck and he had it all ready and his ID out, but the store couldn't handle the transaction, because they hadn't been to the bank yet. They just didn't have the cash. It was $6.84 for his purchases. I said, "Just ring it up with mine. I'll take care of it."

For just under seven dollars, everyone acted like I was Mother Theresa. It was a cheap high.

20p. That's just very sad. And yeah, it's not the bus driver's fault, but damn, do you really evict someone that far from home for 20p?
 

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This is why people who beg for a living really ruin it for everyone else. I've seen so many gimmicks to get money from other people that I'm extremely numb to the whole "please I need money" thing. It's hard to determine who needs help and who doesn't, and I can't give to everyone, so I don't give to anyone at all.
There's a point.
 

seun

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We can't know how much the other passengers (how many people ride the bus that late?) even knew of her situation, if it was handled quietly at the front of the bus. Poor thing. I'm very glad her attacker was caught and convicted. Horrible.

There were about 30 other passengers. The chances are they knew something was up for that 8 minutes.

I just made the mistake of reading the comments on one of the site of one of our more right-wing papers. Lots of people saying she knew how much it cost so she she should have had the money to hand.
 

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I just made the mistake of reading the comments on one of the site of one of our more right-wing papers. Lots of people saying she knew how much it cost so she she should have had the money to hand.
Sure. When we've got all our ducks in a row, things tend to go more smoothly, but it sure is hard not to look like an asshole for bringing that up over an article about something like this.

Probably best I avoid the comments, then.
 

Alpha Echo

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Wouldn't surprise me if he thought/hoped she'd be too much in shock to say anything. I doubt remorse came into it at all.

I know. Thinking there might be remorse, even a little bit, is the optimist in me. :)

But there's incredible mileage in a small act of kindness.

I agree. And there's the whole Pay It Forward thing. Because it's so true that when someone does something for you, you're more inclined to reach out and do something for someone else.

And it restores the human soul and faith in humanity.

The latter of which often needs restoration, unfortunately.
 

missesdash

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Sure. When we've got all our ducks in a row, things tend to go more smoothly, but it sure is hard not to look like an asshole for bringing that up over an article about something like this.

Probably best I avoid the comments, then.

Yeah I don't think it's necessary to go the whole "she knew!" route. She knew what? That she'd get raped? Maybe she lost her wallet, maybe she'd been mugged. Hell, maybe she was drunk. And even if she was trying to scam the driver (say she had the money) the worst outcome, in her mind, was that she'd have to walk.

I agree about connecting the two in the article. It aims to blame the crime on someone besides the criminal. Not nice at all.
 

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Blaming the victim, the bus riders or the bus driver is just plain stupid. All blame for a rape should land squarely on the rapist.

For just under seven dollars, everyone acted like I was Mother Theresa. It was a cheap high.
I love doing that. One time a teenager asked my husband and I for a couple of bucks to buy a hotdog. My husband took a big step back and said "Uhhh." I reached into my purse and gave the kid a five. I rarely give money to panhandlers (it's like feeding seagulls) but there was something about that kid that made me think he really was hungry.

My husband was astonished. He said, "Wow. I was trying to figure out how to get rid of him and you just handed him your money without hesitating."

And I said, "Yeah. And which one of us is the Christian?"

Best $5 I ever spent.
 

Alpha Echo

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Blaming the victim, the bus riders or the bus driver is just plain stupid. All blame for a rape should land squarely on the rapist.

Agreed 100%.

I love doing that. One time a teenager asked my husband and I for a couple of bucks to buy a hotdog. My husband took a big step back and said "Uhhh." I reached into my purse and gave the kid a five. I rarely give money to panhandlers (it's like feeding seagulls) but there was something about that kid that made me think he really was hungry.

My husband was astonished. He said, "Wow. I was trying to figure out how to get rid of him and you just handed him your money without hesitating."

And I said, "Yeah. And which one of us is the Christian?"

Best $5 I ever spent.

That's so awesome. I love doing stuff like that too. Sometimes, it doesn't even have to be anything big.

Yesterday, I was buying some of my favorite gum which I chew constantly - Extra Mint Chocolate Chip.

The girl checking me out asked if it really tasted like mint chocolate chip and said she's love to chew on something that tasted like that and didn't have calories.

I pulled out the pack in my purse and gave her a few pieces.

She was shocked, but excited to try it.

It was something little, but it made her smile! (Although, she was already a really sweet and smiling cashier).

I'm reminded of the Friends episode where Phoebe is determined to do something truly unselfish but can't find any act of kindness that would be completely self-less because, when we do something for someone else, we get the reward of feeling really good. We get that high.

And it's true.
 

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Blaming the victim, the bus riders or the bus driver is just plain stupid. All blame for a rape should land squarely on the rapist.

It's weird that we do this. I was talking about this behind the scenes and it occurred to me that making the point about her not having the fare, like it's any sort of reason for what followed, does show a scalier-than-average callousness. It's whistling past the graveyard in the ugliest possible way - because we could have all made that mistake.
 

seun

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Blaming the victim, the bus riders or the bus driver is just plain stupid. All blame for a rape should land squarely on the rapist.

A guy called the radio earlier to do just that. In his mind, the people on the bus and the driver shared full responsibility. The host challenged him on that because, after all, they weren't the rapist, and he didn't have much of a reply.
 

Roger J Carlson

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From the link in the OP

The driver could have cut her some slack.
I'm wondering if this is true.

Do we know what the bus line's policy is about drivers cutting riders slack? It's entirely possible that they have a zero-tolerance policy where the driver could be fired for even a 20p violation. That's just the sort of knee-jerk reaction that management excels at.