Re: Cleveland Bus Driver Suspended After Decking Unruly Female Rider With Brutal Bolo
Now that's completely different, James. You know that. The video clearly shows that, if she did slap him, she immediately moved away and disengaged. Could he pull out a gun and shoot her? Could he punch her three times in the stomach? Could he punch her with a roundhouse to the face, take her by the hair and physically throw her from the bus?? I say no. If you think he can, you'd better carry some phone numbers with you for bond requests.
I think this is one of those times when the poster ought to admit he didn't think it through and admit that the bus driver over-reacted after the woman moved away, and assaulted the woman rather than acted in self-defense. But, hey. That's just me.
I'm thinking James is young and he's sorting things out. It's Goshin that amazes me.
Sorry about that. I hadn't had my supper yet and my inner Chaosian was raising hell. I'm a bit calmer now that I am outside a nice quantity of shrimp and crab souffle. :mrgreen:
Legally, yes, if someone initiates a fight and then makes an obvious and clear attempt to withdraw and end the conflict, you are not legally allowed to follow them and resume it at that point.
Item one, I don't particularly like that law, as it allows some chicken**** to hit you and then run away, safe from harm.
Item two, I am not sure whether she fulfilled the legal requirements of "attempting to retreat". She withdrew only a few steps... she did not leave the bus. She remained close enough to instantly renew her assault and battery of the driver if she so pleased. She continued to behave in a hostile manner, running her mouth and exhibiting a hostile attiude moments after striking the driver. It is quite debateable whether a court will agree that her actions constitute "a clear attempt to retreat and withdraw from the conflict" or not.
Now, yes the smart thing for the driver to do would have been to step out of the bus and call the police, have her arrested and banned from the bus. The uppercut was legally questionable to be sure. However, most of my sympathies lie with the bus driver. He was being harassed and attacked, and he was pissed off and not in a cool and calculating emotional state (like those who are sharply criticising his actions, armchair quarterback style, here are). The girl who struck him did not come across as some nice girl who'd lost her temper... she comes across as a big-mouthed THUG with a huge attitude and a belief that she can say and do whatever she wants without fear of consequences. If she were a
man who'd acted in that manner, I think a LOT of the posters in this thread would be singing a very different tune.
As it is, I've seen enough aggressive and violent behavor out of some women that my once-gentle regard for the "fairer sex" has largely eroded, and I tend to agree with what the bus driver said: "she wants to act like a man, she can take it like a man". That feminine-privilege pool has been peed in too often; too many women have used the excuse of their gender as an excuse to assault a man and think they'll get away with it. I'm done with that stuff.
If it was a guy, I'd say "the bus driver could have been smarter, but the jerk deserved it." Well since we have sexual equality these days, I'm giving the girl the benefit of the same opinion.