Letter: 'Why didn't anyone help?'

SooToday received the following letter from a concerned mother who says her son was recently bullied.

***************************
It’s a gorgeous day.

The sun is shining, the air is warm and you feel like having a BBQ tonight.

However, you don’t have anything to put on the BBQ, so you make a list and head on over to the grocery store.

Once you pull into the parking lot, you realize just how many other people had the same idea as you.

The parking lot is packed. People are walking in and out of that busy store.

You park your car and walk towards the building where you see a Cadet in full uniform holding fundraiser box.

That cadet is there to collect donations for their Corps.

You see that Cadet greet each person with a kind smile and you pat your pockets to see if there is any change in them to give.

Just as you pull out some loose change, you hear a noise.

That noise is five kids on skateboards and bikes surrounding this lone Cadet.

They are harassing him.

Making fun of him.

You see them reach their hands into that fundraiser box and toss the box onto the ground.

Fundraiser tags scatter.

The wind carries some of those tags away onto the road.

Cars run over them.

This lone cadet is left picking them up.

You see him on bended knee, crying as he tries to collect the fallen fundraiser tags.

But what you notice next is unbelievable.

In that packed parking lot, with all those people walking in and out of the store, not one person stops to help the lone Cadet.

Not one.

You see him stand up, compose himself and move over to the other side of the building.

Picture that Cadet as your child.

Because this happened to my child.

Some ask why he never fought back.

Some ask why nobody offered to help.

Why didn't anyone help?

Why did the people that walked past this not offer their help?

My son said so many people stared at him, walked past him, and did not do a thing about it.

I know if I was to witness anything such as this, including a child who felt in danger, looked they were in danger, I would have helped in any way I could have.

The police were called and I received some very useful advise that I will use from this day forward.

I can only imagine how my son felt at this moment.

Thank you.

***************************