Comments on News websites
By katsmeow1213
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
United States
October 19, 2009 1:59pm CST
One of my husband's co-workers was arrested last week. Apparently he was trying to shoplift diapers and pet food from Walmart, got caught, ran, the police caught him and there was a struggle, the police supposedly ended up bruised and bloody.
We heard about the whole thing from the guy's wife when she called work to say he wouldn't be showing up.
Yesterday we were told there was a small article in the paper, so we looked for it online. We went to the newspaper's website and found it.
Underneath the article was an area to leave comments, and this is what really ticked me off! Some of the comments said things like "Instead of stealing from Walmart, maybe he should have been applying for a job" and other things like that, people just basically assuming he was a lazy jerk looking for an easy way out.
It's so sad that these people are trying to judge him when they didn't know the first thing about him.
The worst of it was that his wife went and found that online article and she also read those comments! I know I was mad when I read them and I didn't even know the guy that well. I can't imagine how upset his wife must of been when she read them!
I don't think people should be allowed to leave comments on news articles like that one. Sure, let them comment on political topics or other such things that are open for discussion... but why allow them to comment on an article about a person when their friends and family can find and read those comments? I don't think that's right!
2 people like this
11 responses
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
19 Oct 09
As long as the robber does not attack the police, if he or she is trying to get diapers, formula, food for the kids, or something along those lines I think that they should be let off with a warning! The poor guy was just trying to support his family, that's all! I would be contacting the news station and asking them to remove those comments from the site, that's just terrible things to say about a person.
1 person likes this
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
19 Oct 09
I'm sure his reaction was just that a reaction, a knee jerk reaction because of fear. I hope he doesn't have to stay in / go to jail for too long... I mean, I hope he gets let off easier... There's a lot of worse things going on in this world.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
20 Oct 09
Someone had been told that he was facing 5-15 years for aggravated assault. The shoplifting and resisting arrest are both just misdemeanors. I'm afraid the cops will win and he'll see at least 5 years in jail... even if he didn't attack them, some cops can be corrupt. They're saying he did...
Who knows what will happen. I really feel for his wife. To make matters worse, CPS showed up at her door the day it happened needing proof that she can support her children alone or else they're going to take them away. She's been a stay at home mom, he was the supporter of the family. I don't know how CPS expects her to just magically have jobs lined up. And her kids are little, not even school aged!
The whole thing is such a sad situation.
2 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
19 Oct 09
They're saying he did attack the police... but other people who knew him better said he wasn't capable of attacking police. I'm not sure. I mean he sort of freaked out when he got caught, so who knows what a person would be capable of when they have fears of jail time going through their head?
2 people like this
@ravinskye (8237)
• United States
19 Oct 09
Aw, I agree with you. That is so sad. And not right that they assume he doesn't have a job. Were things that bad for them that he needed to steal? I can see diapers, but I think if we got to the point we couldn't afford diapers that we would get rid of the dog so that at least that was one less mouth to feed. I would for sure find the dog a good home, but my kids come first. I hope everything works out for them.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
19 Oct 09
I don't know his whole situation or anything. I do know he makes less money than my husband, by quite a lot I believe, and that he has 3 kids he's trying to support, and his wife doesn't work. They don't have a lot of family so far as I know.. I think most of his family is in another state, I don't know about hers. But I wasn't really close to them, I just know what hubby knew about him from working with him.. that's the extent of my knowledge.
1 person likes this
@sweetgirl_k1 (3972)
• United States
20 Oct 09
That is sad. They must be going through some tough times right now. I know people shouldn't really say mean comments on articles like that when they don't know the person. We are going through a rough time right now but I would not shoplift. I would just go try to get help or ask my family to help. I wouldn't want to ask my family to help but if I really needed it then I would ask. I feel sorry for that man and his family because he could possibly do time if he shoplifted and they press charges and it is said that the police were bruised and all. I will say a prayer for that family and I hope they get through these tough times.
1 person likes this
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
19 Oct 09
Your husbands co-worker must be suffering in the economical climate. He wasn't stealing something for himself but for his child or children and his pet or pets. I wouldn't assume anything like he needs to apply for a job after a news article. He is probably lowly paid. I feel sorry for the man's wife who read that awful comment. I read something earlier about a comment that some people had found very hurtful. I like to make helpful comments like suggest something suitable if someone is looking for a product. Negative comments when not all the facts are known are unhelpful.
1 person likes this
@daneg33 (1128)
• Canada
19 Oct 09
That is truly sad. He must be going through some tough economic times, because he is trying to steal things he NEEDS for his children and pets. I agree, people shouldn't be allowed to leave the comments they do, but most people are very judgmental and they give little or no thought to what effect this will have on friends and family when they leave such searing comments.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
19 Oct 09
We all agree that what he did is not right, there's no question about that. Actually the first day we found out, hubby and his other co-workers were in shock, and the only thing any of them would say was "Why didn't he ask one of us for some money?" My hubby has had to borrow money from his boss quite a few times for things like gas, diapers, cat food, or some other necessity that we couldn't afford at the moment. His boss has no problems what so ever lending out money, and he's never a real jerk about having it paid back either. He always tells my hubby no worries about getting it back to him, just whenever. Of course we pay it back as soon as we can because we're like that.
But nobody understands what this guy was going through, honestly his co-workers don't even truly understand it all, they only knew bits and pieces of his life, the same as any co-worker would. Those comments should not be allowed!
1 person likes this
@vincyk (198)
• China
20 Oct 09
Nowadays the comments on the news is sometimes nonsense because they do not know the truth but they commentsed on it by their own imagination .It really made others mad and sad.Come on i think that guy will be ok ,his behavior will got other's understanding as well for in the mordern society,the press on person is more and more burden maybe he is just want to find a way to let off his constrain.God bless him!
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
20 Oct 09
I agree Cat'smeow that is not right at all.Why must we always judge someone we do not even know, and in this horrid economy and
he was shoplifting things they had to have show he was really desperate. We can work our buns off and sometimes we come up short, and sometimes desperate people do things in desperation that they would never have thought of doing before.It is not
right to allow people to make comments on situations like that,
not at all. I feel for his family. wow.how sad.
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
19 Oct 09
It's sad when you have a job and you still don't make enough money for basics. But I've got mixed feelings on this one. As soon as you commit a crime, you've opened yourself up to public scrutiny. I'm sure it was really hurtful for the family though.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
19 Oct 09
I don't think his friends and family should have to endure reading comments from complete strangers just because he commited a crime. Yes he did something wrong, but why does everyone he knows have to suffer just because they want to read the newspaper article about him on the website, where anyone can go and write any sort of comment they want?
2 people like this
@menolly22 (217)
• United States
20 Oct 09
I have to disagree. I know things are tough right now. But there are other ways than stealing. There are food pantrys & many other places that help when times are tough. We have had to use them. Now this man is in more trouble that it sounds like he didn't need.
We have a comment section on our local news website as well. Some of the people on there are pretty crude and rude. Even if there is a moderator. They have never been in one of those situations is my guess. They will have something coming to them someday and I hope that people are nicer to them then they are to other people.
