« GO AHEAD... RUN YOUR MOUTH | Main | A DISGUSTING ADMISSION... AND CONGRESS'S MOMENT OF TRUTH »
January 29, 2005
TRAGEDY IN NEW YORK
See, now this is why midwesterners don't do so well in New York. Actress and playwright Nicole DuFresne, originally from Minnesota, was shot and killed by a mugger in Manhattan on Thursday night.
Nicole duFresne, 28, had just left a bar in a trendy section of the Lower East Side with her fiance and another couple early Thursday when they were approached by four or five men. Witnesses told investigators that one of the men grabbed for the other woman's purse and duFresne intervened, asking, "What are you going to do, shoot us?" A man then fired one shot at her, police said.
What are you going to do, shoot us? Honey, in New York the answer is: "Yes." That's the wrong thing to say. As you learned.
I'm not making light of Ms. DuFresne's murder. Far from it. It's a very sad thing, to see something like this happen... the idea of someone dying in their fiance's arms is a crushing tragedy. I'm just saying that people have to be aware of their surroundings -- and aware of the general tone of an area -- and act accordingly. You can get away with "What are you going to do, shoot us?" in small towns and in midwestern cities, perhaps. But in New York (and other large cities), they actually do shoot you. I'm not suggesting that the proper response to a mugger on the streets of New York is meek acquiescence. But you can resist without issuing your assailant an outright challenge to kill you.
Condolences to Ms. DuFresne's family and loved ones.
