*My last long ass story of 2014* Humanity- the quality or state of being a human... Earlier this year, in March, I made the trip to New York to style my first video with the amazingly sweet singer songwriter Lovasia Singersongwriter Forlife. We shot the video late at night on the streets of NY and one of the locations was a subway station. On our way down to shoot one scene we passed a man laying on his back and hell, I felt right at home cause we have to step over bums in Cleveland too so you know... But something about this man looked off. I thought it was strange that the whole time I stared at him and even when I looked back he did not move. Like not even a lil small bit. But. I just said to myself, not my business, Im not here for that and kept it moving down the steps... We shot down there for maybe 30-40 min, coulda been 20, but all I know is when we came back up, that man was still there, not moving and when we got closer and I looked at him, his eyes were glazed over and looking up. My only thought was He musta got aholt to some good ish cause he was literally passed out. But the way his eyes looked... I cant front it was downright scary to see how lifeless they were. And yes the thought crossed my mind, but Im like nah- not a dead man just laying there. Now yall know me and at that point I was ready to go, but couldnt. Things get slightly blurry after this but I know that within the next minute or so there was a huge super large crowd of people standing around while one brave soul went to check for a pulse. Im looking at this happening and was about to pull my phone out for a quick pic (shade.. I know-) but when I brought my phone up and I moved to get a better angle, I looked up and noticed EVERYBODY else in the crowd doing the same exact thing! I quickly put my phone down and immediately felt such a shame that if I were several shades lighter (hold the jokes lol) I would have turned red. The girl who was bent over him announced that she could not read a pulse and if it was one, it was very low and could someone call an ambulance. It was so surreal... I felt like I was in the middle of an un-aired Boondocks episode- the one where everybody films and take pictures of a dead guy with their phones instead of calling for help. When I looked back in the darkness and saw all the cellphone lights it felt like being at the most silent morbid concert I have never attended. I stalled. I hoped and wanted... Please somebody call... anybody!?! I looked around some more- nope phones in the air extended and out, nobody in the crowd moved to do it. I did not want to be the one to call 911 cause yall KNOW how I feel about that shit but sometimes when Im in tough situations sometimes a song will appear in my head and this time was no different. The chorus to a song on the Roots last CD Someone has to Care popped up followed by someone in my ear/head whispering if not you who... I swear I stretched the hell out of those three numbers and that send button lol. I looked around once more hoping/wishing/waiting on someone else. But nope. Hello this is Anastacia.. (Yall know the deal lol) I stuttered and nervously explained the situation that there was possibly a dead man in the corner of a subway and asked one of the people next to me what the address was (turned out I was surrounded by tourists so it took a minute but got it) and dispatch of course were asking all these questions and asked me to get closer to the man - was he breathing (um a lil bit maybe?) how old did he look (uhh kind of old but not like old old) what does he look like (white man, but maybe not pure white- hell I was nervous lol) all types of shit basically until the ambulance came. It didnt take long, but it took long enough and then finally they arrived. They tended to the man and maybe they put something strong under his nose cause he finally came to and appeared to be completely out of it. I dont know if he actually did have something heavy in his system, if he had been drunk or what, but they checked him out, he refused to get in the ambulance and then walked off into the night like he was going to re-up. Cellphones put away the crowd dispersed and we had to leave to, but as I was leaving a woman passed by and said to me- That was really cool what you did- you could have possibly saved that mans life. I just gave her the slantiest side eye I could without tearing my contacts, cause bish you could have done the same thing, I just smiled tightly and kept going. I did enjoy the rest of the trip, but I cant lie, my head was kind of messed up. I kept seeing everybody filming this man who we did not know was dead or alive instead of using the damn device to call for help. And I was also guilty. What happened to humanity? When did it leave us? Was it a slow leak like a tire with a nail it that we just continued to ride on until all we were left with was nothing? Do we blame technology? Social media? Can we blame ourselves? Will we? Im no different cause my hesitation made me a coward. And I am not. At least I did not think I was until that happened. I never want to put myself in somebody elses situation because of the possible repercussions, because of things that have happened in the past, because I like to mind my own damn business please... But I learned that night, that sometimes you have to involve yourself in certain situations if something aint right and it wont cause any harm to you... For humanitys sake. We can all make resolutions to stop smoking drinking cussing, overeating this or that but can we resolve to work on our humanity? I dont make New Years resolutions anymore. I just tell myself to do one thing- be better than you were last year... The video came out awesome (Im also in it, looking crazy lol) and it took a few months for it to be completed. I almost had forgotten about it actually til I received it in my inbox a month or two later. The director actually got footage of the man and the lady checking his pulse (phone in hand mind you smh) I cant lie- it looked good in the video, and at the end of the day, that is what we really want right? A good video .https://youtube/watch?v=Mqk2soLHD4Y
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 23:29:03 +0000
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