Letter: When you see someone in trouble, make the call

As daylight faded recently, it was busy around Taku Lake. Numerous folks were out with their dogs, couples strolled by and the occasional bicyclist passed. One walker warned of an inebriate ahead. And there he was, stumbling from side to side like a pinball. Poorly dressed for the freezing weather too.

No one knew his story. Maybe he was wacked out on some drug or maybe he was in the throes of a stroke or some other calamity. Of the dozens of citizens who passed him that late afternoon, all looked away and gave wide berth. None spoke to him. No one called 911. Finally, as darkness enveloped, one passerby asked three times if he needed help, if he was OK. No response. The call was made.

I’m grateful there was a 911 operator to take that call, that there was a community patrol to respond, and that I live in a city whose leadership provides such a safety net for its distressed residents. But all is for naught if citizens, out of fear or prejudice, choose not to act.

Make a resolution. If you see someone in distress, choose to act. Make the call to 911.

— Doug Molyneaux, Anchorage

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