On Tuesday March 13, I took my 12-year-old son on a two-hour drive to West Edmonton Mall for the day. That evening we were meeting some family to meet us at the food court for supper.

While we were waiting, six high school girls started fighting. It looked like 3 of the girls ran up, grabbed the other girls’ neck and started punching. At first I thought they were playing around but then realized that they weren’t. This was in the middle of the food court, not something I expected to see.

I quickly ran over, jumped in between those girls, pulling them apart, shouting, “That’s enough!”

The fight ended and the girls went in by their groups in separate directions.

Now what really surprised me, wasn’t the fighting but rather that there were over 100 people, many of them really close, no one even moved. Many were watching. As I was looking around for the people that we were meeting, it hit me. Nobody had any intention of doing anything about it.

A few minutes later, a young man came to me, rather cautiously, and asks me if any of those girls were my kids. I responded that they weren’t. He said something to the effect, that I shouldn’t get involve because I could get shanked and t isn’t worth it especially with my son being right there.

I really wish that I could ask that young man and the people who were there some questions.

• If you had a daughter that age, would you want someone to step in and help her?
• Someone is punching you, would you want someone to come help break this person or persons from beating the snot out of you or would you rather they don’t get involve because you wouldn’t want to see anyone else maybe get hurt.
• What if you, your wife or girlfriend was getting beat-up, would you not hope that someone would come and help?
• At what point would or should you get involve?

Those girls that were getting punched are someone’s daughter, grandchild and cousin. Maybe, just maybe, it was your cousin daughter that you didn’t recognize.

At what point should we get involve? If that were my kid, I would hope and pray that you would take a chance, and step in.

And we wonder why this city has all these problems.

Shawn