Public safety is a growing worry in small town life
By Kathryn Ross, pictured are universal hand signals for HELP ME
I always thought of Wellsville as a safe place.
Back in the 80s when I first became a reporter for the Daily Reporter, I was assigned to cover the Wellsville Board of Education. Those meetings sometimes ran late into the night. During those long meetings I became friends with radio reporter Deb Howitt who worked for WLSV. We got to be good buddies because we were always running into each other as we covered events in and around Wellsville.
I remember one night, we were standing outside the elementary school after a board meeting. We were just by our cars and talking. Well, it got even later. The parking lot was deserted and everyone but us had gone home. The thing that amazed me that night was that we were two women standing outside on the sidewalk in front of the school in the middle of the night and no one bothered us. We were safe.
When the movie Ghostbusters written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis debuted in June 1984 my nephew Chris was enamored by the antics of Bill Murray, Aykroyd, Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler. They were three eccentric parapsychologists who decide to start a ghost catching business in New York City.
Chris decided to start his own Ghostbusting business in Wellsville. He was around ten and made all the equipment he needed from things he found around the house. He even made a uniform and enlisted the help of his buddies. He put up signs around school to advertise his services. A classmate’s mother took him up on it.
They arranged a meeting for one night after school. Chris, with all his ghostbusting tools, and wearing his uniform arrived on time and anxious to get going.
Mary, the mom, took him into a bedroom and left him alone in the room. When the closet door opened with a frightening scream, Chris hightailed it out of there and out of the house. He ran down the street and disappeared. Mary frantically called me.
Chris had run down the street, banged on the front door of the nearest house, and asked if he could use the phone. This was before everyone had a cell phone in their pocket. He called me. I picked up Chris, thanked the people who let a strangely dressed and clearly frightened boy into their home and called Mary to calm her down.
I won’t reveal Mary’s full name here. Lets just say she is a frequent Sun contributor.
All was well and once again I concluded that Wellsville was a safe place.
Forty years have passed. Alot has changed. T
here are many new people in Wellsville that believe it or not, I don’t know and who don’t know me. Cell phones are everywhere and social media is rampant.
Recently I read with interest a post on Facebook. It read, “If anyone ever feels uncomfortable or like they are being followed, please come into the bowling alley (Bowl ‘M Over on Dyke Street). This is a safe place and we will help you. Last night we witnessed something that should NEVER happen in Wellsville. A young girl (teenager) was out for a run. As she came by the bowling alley, I noticed she was being followed. She was being followed by an adult man on a bike. He was harassing her as well. He would not go past her, stayed behind or right next to her. As I noticed what was happening, a couple also noticed who had drove by her in their vehicle. The wonderful couple in the vehicle helped her and I went to let her/them know that they can always stop at the alley as well. So, if you ever feel threatened in any way, stop in and we will help you!
Thanks Greg, Elaina, and Thomas”
Wow, thank you I thought.
Today there is a universal hand signal that silently shows if someone is in trouble, mostly used by women and children during times of domestic strife. They open their hand, flat. Place their bended thumb across the palm, while holding the other four fingers straight, close their hand in a fist and repeat until someone notices.
I don’t know how many people know the signal, but I think all women and all children should know and use it in times of danger. I think all older adults should know it and keep it in mind.
Because fter all, Who you gonna call?
