Woman stabbed to death after photographing panhandlers

o hey tyler · Jun 20, 2013

Woman Stabbed to Death in Los Angeles After Photographing Panhandlers

runnah · Jun 20, 2013

A cautionary tale to be sure...

jwbryson1 · Jun 20, 2013

Wow. That's FUBAR.

pixmedic · Jun 20, 2013

not to imply in ANY way that the attack was justifiable....
but this seems to be a common problem where people feel they can just take pictures of whatever/whoever they want with complete impunity.
obviously the woman did not break any laws, and I dont want to fuel some debate over photographing homeless people...BUT, this is an important reminder that there can be repercussions for ones actions. should she have paid them? deleted the photo? maybe they were just crazy... I dont know what the solution would have been, but i get the feeling that had she offered a little money, or offered to delete the photo, things would have gone differently. This is another "that would never happen to me" kind of moments. im sure she had felt the same way.

Tiller · Jun 20, 2013

Terrible. I'll carry money from now on!

DarkShadow · Jun 20, 2013

Thats sad.

amolitor · Jun 20, 2013

While of course a sad case, with plenty of blame to go around, it probably should not serve as a "lesson to photographers".

You're more likely to get hit by lightning than stabbed to death by a homeless guy for taking his picture. You're MUCH more likely to die in a car accident on the way to or from taking homeless guy pictures.

12sndsgood · Jun 20, 2013

amolitor said:
While of course a sad case, with plenty of blame to go around, it probably should not serve as a "lesson to photographers".

You're more likely to get hit by lightning than stabbed to death by a homeless guy for taking his picture. You're MUCH more likely to die in a car accident on the way to or from taking homeless guy pictures.

True and a lot of people take precautions like wearing their seatbelt. watching traffic and being aware of their surroundings, no diffrent here really. always have to be aware of what's going on around you and take some precautions. is the chance of me getting killed by an alligator low. of course. but if i go walking up to one becaue that percentage is low thinkin the odds are with me things can change. (and before anyone jumps my case was just using the alligator as an example. im in no way saying all homeless people are going to attack me. or that i fear that.)

IByte · Jun 20, 2013

They probably should have gotten a clue with the obscenities on the homeless's signs. Still feel bad for the girls family.

Trever1t · Jun 20, 2013

Not a photographer. The homeless had signs with obscenities and she took a cell phone pic. 23 years old, terrible! Right on Hollywood Blvd? One of the most touristy places on earth? This is an outrage! It's not like they were in a bad area asking for trouble!

runnah · Jun 20, 2013

amolitor said:
While of course a sad case, with plenty of blame to go around, it probably should not serve as a "lesson to photographers".

No?

How about using your damn head and thinking that "hey this guy is homeless and carrying obscene sign, so probably he isn't in the best mental state maybe I shouldn't stick a lens in his face.".

Most homeless folks are suffering from severe substance abuse and mental disorders. They are a subject that has been been exploited but photographers for a long time and people have grown complacent to a very real danger.

JacaRanda · Jun 20, 2013

Trever1t said:
Not a photographer. The homeless had signs with obscenities and she took a cell phone pic. 23 years old, terrible! Right on Hollywood Blvd? One of the most touristy places on earth? This is an outrage! It's not like they were in a bad area asking for trouble!

And there are plenty of the panhandlers with the obscene signs in the same area. There were people all over the place.

amolitor · Jun 20, 2013

I DO wear my seatbelt. I DO NOT take precautions against meteor strikes. I've spent a lot of time hanging around with the homeless, and the threat they pose in the middle of the day in public areas is a lot more like a meteor strike than a car accident.

Yeah, they're pretty screwed up individuals, and I sure as heck don't want to go startling these guys in a dark alley or trying to wake 'em up (I took a CPR course from a paramedic who told us "ignore the bit in the video where you shake the person by the shoulder, that is a Very Bad Idea. Kick their feet gently and yell" which was a pretty interesting little life lesson). In the middle of the day on the street? I consider the risks to be extremely low.

Trever1t · Jun 20, 2013

Agree and given the location they are somewhat public spectacle. Not talking about the street shooter that goes into Watts or Harlem looking for an interesting shot here, we're talking about a young girl who held a cell phone while being a tourist.

runnah · Jun 20, 2013

amolitor said:
I DO wear my seatbelt. I DO NOT take precautions against meteor strikes. I've spent a lot of time hanging around with the homeless, and the threat they pose in the middle of the day in public areas is a lot more like a meteor strike than a car accident.

Yeah, they're pretty screwed up individuals, and I sure as heck don't want to go startling these guys in a dark alley or trying to wake 'em up (I took a CPR course from a paramedic who told us "ignore the bit in the video where you shake the person by the shoulder, that is a Very Bad Idea. Kick their feet gently and yell" which was a pretty interesting little life lesson). In the middle of the day on the street? I consider the risks to be extremely low.

Right but that's the thing of it, the ones that are truly mentally unstable can be very dangerous and you never know who is and who isn't. I've seen a homeless guy go off on my friend because he had on a red shirt, got right in my friends face and started screaming and shoving him.

Even low risks are still risks.