A Brave Old Man

2012年12月1日 (土)

Yesterday evening at around 7:30 I was in Pole Town near 31 Flavors writing an email when I saw something unusual.
A group of about 5 or 6 young men dressed in black suits were standing in the middle of the walkway and harassing all of the women who walked by. They were behaving very poorly, calling out random girls names and trying to take young women by the hand, and so on.
Many young women looked scared to walk by, and it was causing trouble for everyone.
It made me angry because I love Sapporo, and I want Sappro to be a safe and friendly place. These young men shouldn’t be so rude to everyone, especially to the young girls who are shopping in Pole Town.
The women at the information desk could see the hooligans causing trouble, and there was a security guard nearby, too. But no one said anything.
Not until one brave older man walked over to the young guys and started yelling at them. He told them to stop, to go away, to quit ruining our town. They got angry, and it looked dangerous for the old man.
Then the security guards came, and someone called the police.
When the police arrived, they listened to the old man’s complaint, and also asked the young men some questions. Then the old man walked away and the police escorted the young men out of Pole Town.
I don’t know what happened after that, but I was moved by the old man’s bravery.
Many people saw that there was a problem, but everyone was afraid to do anything about it. The security guards and Pole Town staff should protect the customers, but they didn’t. Other people should also have stood up to the young rascals, but no one dared to. To make a good country, sometimes it is necessary to get angry at people who are doing bad things.
Walking away, I thought, あのおじさんが怒ってくれなかったら、どうなってたんだろう？