A Hard Lesson in “Middle Class Values”

We were poor when I was growing up. Not dirt, in a shelter poor but poor enough to do bargain basement everything. What we weren't were “poor” in was values. There were certain values passed onto me, like it was others before me, that were meant to make it easier for me to get out of poverty and stay out of it. These lessons included gems like :

* Save the change after breaking a dollar.
* Don't walk around, sit around with your mouth hanging open.
* Speak properly.

And the gem for today:

* Mind the company you keep.

I know plenty of kids that hate it when their parents tell them that they cannot play with so and so.

Whyyyyyyy????? The usual reply went.

Kids didn't get it. The parents did. They knew that even if their kid wasn't prone to doing bad things, the kid that IS prone to do so would likely involve their children and their children could end up on the short end of the trouble stick.

Today Edwin Mieses is an example of when one fails to learn this particular lesson.

For those who happen to still be unfamiliar, Edwin was in a group of motorbikes that thought it was a good idea to “entertain themselves” on the West Side Highway in NYC. Let's examine how Edwin's bad choices, and those of the people he associated with lead him to a comatose state in a hospital with a snapped spine.

Edwin got up that Sunday morning. Edwin decided he would go hang out with a crew of motorcyclists. Nothing wrong with that. All over America people do things like that on a Sunday. The gather at restaurants, Mall parking lots, etc. They line up and they cruise. I see it all the time. It's loud but loud pipes save lives. The problem was with who Edwin decided to ride with.

Edwin was with a group of people that included one Christopher Cruz who can be seen in the video evidence, riding up along side a surrounded Range Rover. Let's stop here for a moment. You do realize that it is illegal for a motorbike to share a lane with an automobile right? Motorbikes are expected to follow the same rules as any other motor vehicle. So one count against Mr. Cruz. Mr Cruz clearly did not care one bit about his own safety, the safety of the other motorcyclists or Alexian Lien. And certainly Christopher Cruz gave no thought to Edwin. Christopher Cruz only cared about himself.

But what about Edwin. Clearly the behavior of the group on the West Side Highway was shall we say, unsafe. At least that's clear to those of us who give a thought about people other than ourselves when we are out and about on motor vehicles. Edwin could have said to himself:

“Edwin, you got a wife and kid at home. I need to be there for them. This shit right here could end badly. Let me go about my business.”

Edwin didn't do that. Strike against Edwin.

Cruz, as seen in the video decides to cut in front of the Range Rover. Why? Well I don't know. Common sense says that in a survival competition between a motorbike and a Range Rover the bike certainly loses. But Cruz, being the brightest candle of the bunch decides that he would slow down in front of the Rover.

Genius.

We can see in the video that the Rover was slowing down as Cruz cut in front of him and that Cruz purposely slowed down enough to get hit from behind. At this point the crowd stops. Including Alexian Lien in the Rover with his family who are no doubt “concerned”. At this point the videocamera is pretty far away from the events, but if you look closely you can see someone (who I assume to be Cruz) up by the driver side saying something to the driver.

Now if Cruz was a pleasant and reasonable fellow the conversation would have went something like this:

“Hey man. I am soooo sorry for cutting you off and stopping short. Are you OK?” “Oh your kid is back there. Yo, man sorry about that. Do we need to exchange info? My bike looks ok. I doubt your car is damaged. No? Cool man. And again, Sorry for cutting you off.”

But knowing what I know and experiencing what I've experienced AND seeing the figure in the video, snap back and then aggressively go back to the driver's window, I'm going to assume the conversation was more like:

“The fuck man? Why you fuckin' hit me?.....

etc. etc.

Edwin, who had seen this had an opportunity to leave. He could have said to himself:

“You know what, this could end really badly. We're in the middle of a highway, blocking traffic. Tempers are flaring and I know how niggas do when their boys are around. Let me go on and leave before this gets really bad.”

Nope. Edwin decided to continue to hang out with bad company.

So after likely being threatened by the person who was likely yelling profanities at him, Alexian Lien, fearing for his and his family's safety decided to get out of the situation quickly. Now some people are of the opinion that Alexian Lien had no reason to be afraid for his safety. I will simply point the reader to the numerous reports of mob actions by groups “resembling” the one on the highway who have randomly beat up people in the streets on Mall properties and at State fairs. Maybe YOU aren't bothered by a bunch of folks threatening you on a road, but for other people that kind of behavior sets off alarms.

So when Alexian Lien drove off, Edwin, hanging with the wrong crowd at the wrong time, had his back crushed by the escaping Rover and now lays in a hospital bed in a coma. Sad. Edwin's wife wants Lien charged over that. I'm certain there will be a lawsuit. Unless there is a very sympathetic jury, Edwin and his family gets nothing. Why?

Mind the company you keep.

Lien had good reason to believe that he was not safe. He had been surrounded while driving on the highway. A cyclist was riding closely to his vehicle and likely menacing him. His vehicle was purposely hit by one of the group. That person likely threatened him verbally while he was surrounded by at least 30 people. Guess what folks, if a person feels threatened they have a duty to defend themselves AND to retreat from the situation. There was no way for Lien to reasonably deduce that Edwin was not one of the people who would beat him up and slash his face. Nope. The fact that Edwin was a part of the group made him as suspect as anybody else involved.

Mind the company you keep.

Unfortunately, should Edwin come out of his coma, he will have the rest of his paralyzed life to contemplate the hard truth of the Middle Class Values lesson that he ought to have learned years ago.

For those of you who are young, somewhat dumb, able bodied, healthy and of impressionable age; I suggest you take a good look at Edwin and then take a good look at the company YOU keep.

For you parents out there who have been lax in teaching and enforcing those lessons you are supposed to impart to your children, Take a good look at the comatose Edwin. That could be your child next. And yes, it will be partially your fault if you did not do your part.