[ExI] what would you do?

[spike at rainier66.com]

A coupla months ago, I posted in this forum an ethical dilemma.  A nice park
down in San Jose has a number of walking trails and other nice features.  It
is a jewel in the crown of that community.  Our scouts would often meet
there in the summer if they needed a lot of space for outdoor activities and
such.  Up at the north side, there is a nice community center, over on the
west side an elementary school, on the east side is a middle school.

 

But all along the south side, the trail goes along Penitencia Creek where
homeless people have been taking up residenceless, with more showing up in
the last few years, way more in the past year.  They kept to themselves and
the city of San Jose did nothing.

 

Last summer one of the scouts in my troop decided to do a community service
project consisting of upgrading and restoring a weathered old display case
and a map of the park trails, including the perimeter trail, which goes
along that south side parallel to the creek.  The scout did not design the
park map, but was only refurbishing the existing one and adding features in
accordance with the specifications of the benefactor.  The new map did not
make note of the homeless who had taken up residenceless down there.  I
feared that visitors who saw that map up by the community center would not
realize there was a good reason to not go down along that creek.

 

I didn't voice my concern at the time, the project was completed, the scout
achieved eagle rank and is now at college.

 

This morning I learned that a homeless guy snuck up behind a pedestrian on
that trail and stabbed him.  It wasn't even a robbery, just a random attack.
The victim is expected to survive, but they didn't catch the perp and have
no useful description of him or her.

 

I posted in this forum a few months ago that I recognized this risk, but I
did nothing, and now the danger I foresaw has happened.

 

OK what do we do now?  By refurbishing that map, our own scouts have
unknowingly externalized risk onto innocent people.  I have half a mind to
request from the park authorities that the refurbished map be taken down
forthwith, or that the portion of the trail along the creek be painted red
or some kind of warning signs be erected, or what would you do?  Ideas
please?  Billw, whadda we do now coach?  MB?  Adrian?  Wisdom please,
somebody.  I feel the need to do something, for this could well have
resulted in a fatality rather than a mere few hundred thousand bucks in
medical bills and a few weeks stay in the hospital.

 

spike

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