02/03/2010 1:00 am
Life
Miep Gies, protector of Anne Frank and her family, died last week at age 100. How far would you go to protect another's life?
Tell us: In the face of injustice, what act of bravery/generosity do you think you are capable of performing? How far would you go to protect another's life? Join Liz Smith and Candice Bergen in the conversation ...
Miep Gies/Image: CC/jimforest/Flickr
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A friend of my sons in high school had run away. She couldn’t have weighted more then 90 lbs, he snuck her in the house in a duffle bag. Her father was a drunk and her mother was afraid of the father. This occurred on a Friday. The police came to my house and asked to speak to my son, I said Okay, I let them search my house and garage from top to bottom, they did not find her.
After the cops left Sarah and my son walked into my bedroom and told me the whole story, and I had no clue what to do. I begged her to call her Mom, but every time they did the father answered so they hung up. She was listed as a run away. The cops wanted to pick her up so she’d go to Juvie, this didn’t sit well with me, I thought she should be given to her Mom.
I contacted her Aunt and found out the father was gone, that the Mom had made him leave. We made arrangements for me to take Sarah to her Aunt at a school dance where she could blend in. My son put her back in the duffle bag and placed it in the back seat and got in the front seat.
When we got to the dance Sarah pointed out her Aunt and she went to her Mom and all was well, or so we thought.
As a Mom if one of my kids ever ran away I would want them returned to me and not Juvie Hall where they would have to stay up to 72 hours, so I took her to her Mom and Aunt. The cop saw it as "Interfering in the course of a Police Investigation" and arrested me. No record or anything,no fine, but I got my point made, it should be up to the parents to decide not the cops if the child goes to Juvie, and if their running away because of an abusive parent, Juvie is not the place they should go.
I applaud you Deniseann but would point out that you have learned that "no good deed goes unpunished" in our society and those of us who go to bat for others usually end up getting hit with the bat. Told usually that it was none of our business. And that of course is one of the major reasons why our society is in the shape it’s in.
Love they neighbor. But turn the other way when they’re in trouble.
Snooks, my 45 yr old sister just had a baby 11 days ago, Thank the Lord she’s 100% healthy and beautiful. Now the sad part, she’s got a 27 psycho sister (my sisters child from a relationship long forgotten) who is a Jealous, EVIL, nut case. She’s been known for throwing chairs at people (and hitting them) when angry, breaking other’s belongings, keying cars of people she feels threatened by and stealing (from her mother, grandmother, aunts, uncles, stores) and only once has she been called on the carpet. By Me. I had her arrested when she threw a chair and hit me in the head while she was having a fight with her MOTHER. I called the police and they hauled her off because she threatened to kill herself (which she does all the time to get attention). My mother begged me to drop the charges, but I didn’t. I had breast cancer at the time and a lot of the next 18 months was fuzzy but she got into trouble for it. My Mom passed 5 yrs this Feb 7th and since that day this 27 yr old has not gotten off her butt and gotten a job, put on about 100 lbs, and said it’s all due to grief over my Mothers passing. Now since her Mom’s had the baby and wants to be in touch with me she’s starting her crap with me again, but I live 5 states away, don’t belong to any social sites on line (my space, face book, etc) and she’s out there trashing me. Lawyers are loving this because I’ve a court order against her for harassment, on line, in person, 500 yrs from where I am, etc. I’ve been Mrs. Nice guy to long and taken care of too many of my family members (not counting my kids, I’d die for them) that I’ve called it quits with them all.
So I really get what your saying.
For my kids or grandkids, I would give my life in a heartbeat to save thiers. I have flat lined before and have no fear of what leaving would be, I would do it for them.
As far as generosity, if I have and someone needs it more than I do, I give it freely. Not so much in the sense of being "generous", just for the fact what is material can be replaced.
As a teacher I put my life on the line many times for my students. I had one student whose father had committed suicide when he was two years old with the boy sitting on his lap as he shot the back of head out through his mouth. Church therapists told Mom that the child was too young to remember but by the time he was five years he wanted to die so he could join his Father in Heaven. Fought to get him help but Mom believed her Church instead and they left the school.
Another child was being sexually abused by her Father, his girlfriend, and her Grandparents. I worked with law enforcement to put him away. His sentence was only six years but he committed rape two more times and with his third offense he is now behind bars for life. I was called to testify in his three rape trials but he plea bargained the last two.
I had another student whose Father was wealthy but his ex-wife and young daughter lived in relative poverty. He was regularly sexually abusing is older daughter from another marriage. He began to abuse this younger daughter in my class. Their Social Worker said there wasn’t much the system could do because his money bought him protection. Without anyone knowledge I found a network where the child, her mother, and grandmother could go underground for their own safty as he had threatened to kill them.
I am not afraid to protect those in need as you can see. It is after it is all over that I have second thoughts. Maybe that is another plus for being ADD. There are many.
Dear Mary,
I was a teacher and have known many, many teachers over the past nearly 40 years. Besides you, the only people I know in school settings who can say they did as much as you’ve done are guidance counselors, family specialists, etc. So I wasn’t praising you for no reason… you deserve the appreciation.
Dear MurphyMac,
Thank you again. As my daughter says, I could not have acted any other way—it was the way I was raised. My parents showed by example how we should treat all living things. If they couldn’t do what was right for themselves they needed to have boundaries put in place to help them get where they needed to go—whether it was safty or success for the future. Dad had his own machine shop and hired High School boys as helpers in the shop and the skills they would need to have a job after they graduated. That was his big thing—they must graduate if they wanted the job. There would be no dropping out to help support their families. His helpers went on to become top machinist thoughout the industry.
Dad was my guide in life and what you said about me would make him very proud. Thank you again.
Katharine - The name of the person or persons who betrayed the Frank family is still unknown. There have been several theories but the definitive answer will probably elude history.
It is also my understanding that Miep was part of a group of people who undertook the care of providing food (and news) to the Franks and the others in hiding. Miep never capitalized upon her role and though I believe she was arrested, the war was soon ended and she was released. Otto Frank was to have said years later, that he no longer cared who was the betrayer.