and then he pushed her down the stairs

i didn't sleep last night. i was witness to a "domestic disturbance". an apt name -- it was the most disturbing thing i have seen. a couple in the block opposite me must have been fighting for a while as it had reached a dangerous peak. there was screaming and shouting and then the door opened and he kicked her out the door. she was in a bad way. she tried to get back inside, but he had locked the door. he came back out again.

and then he pushed her down the stairs.

you always wonder if these things are real. but what is even more real is that no one came out. curtains shifted uncomfortably. lights went on and off quickly. but no one came out. we followed protocol. called security. the police came. paramedics came. he left the premises in handcuffs and she in the ambulance, conscious and on oxygen.

i knew that on my own i could do nothing. but what if 10, 20, 30 of us stepped out and said "stop!". domestic violence is everyone's problem.

we are so quick to get involved in other people's business when it comes to celebrities, tabloids, causes for haiti and flood victims. we rah-rah against toll fee petitions, animal abuse and injustice in our government but step back in apathy when a husband beats his wife? because it's not our problem.

come on.

we know better than that.