Believe it or not, there are still some good people in this world. I know it’s hard to believe considering all the evil, debauchery, and foolishness that dominates the twenty-four-seven news cycle. But every now and then a new hero emerges from the deep recesses of obscurity to make life better for all. Yesterday in Cleveland, a black man named Charles Ramsey emerged from the shadows to prove that humanity is not dead. Yes, Amanda Berry was rescued by Charles Ramsey after a 10-year kidnapping ordeal, and all is well with the world.
I’m not sure if you’ve heard the news, but three women who had been kidnapped over a four-year-period with two of them being held for up to a decade were found yesterday. And as fate would have it, it was a black man, Charles Ramsey who swung into action without a cape to come to their rescue. Of course it could be said that Ramsey did what anyone else would have done. But in this day and age where anyone hardly knows the person next door, I would say that Ramsey’s act of heroism is highly commendable. Especially, when all he wanted to do was sit on his porch and eat while minding his own business. Had he refused to perform this selfless act, my belief is that Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight would still be in captivity today. And who knows, they could have very well been there for another decade or so.
CLEVELAND — Three women who went missing separately about a decade ago, when they were in their teens or early 20s, had been tied up but were found alive Monday in a residential area just south of downtown, and three brothers were arrested, police said.
One of the women told a 911 dispatcher the person who had taken her was gone, and she pleaded for police officers to come and get her, saying, “I’m free now.”
Cheering crowds gathered Monday night on the street near the home where police said Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight had been held since they went missing and were found earlier in the day.
Police didn’t immediately provide any details of how the women were found but said they appeared to be in good health and had been taken to a hospital to be reunited with relatives and to be evaluated. They said a 6-year-old also was found in the home.
Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry, and Amanda’s 6-year-old daughter.
On a recorded 911 call Monday, Berry declared, “I’m Amanda Berry. I’ve been on the news for the last 10 years.”
She said she had been taken by someone and begged for police officers to arrive at the home on Cleveland’s west side before he returned.
“I’ve been kidnapped, and I’ve been missing for 10 years,” she told the dispatcher. “And I’m here. I’m free now.”
Berry disappeared at age 16 on April 21, 2003, when she called her sister to say she was getting a ride home from her job at a Burger King. DeJesus went missing at age 14 on her way home from school about a year later. They were found just a few miles from where they had gone missing.
Police said Knight went missing in 2002 and is 32 now. They didn’t provide current ages for the other two women.
Listen to Charles Ramsey in his own words:
Charles Ramsey: More like Samuel L. Jackson than Superman, but still a superhero.
Two of the three women found — in a house not very far from where they were originally abducted — were in fact teenagers when they went missing. And as Ramsey said in the interview above, he knew something was wrong when “a pretty little white girl run into a black man’s arms.” A very good point not lost on me, the professional racism-chasing blogger that I am. Which speaks to a larger point: there probably aren’t too many black men who are quick to run to the rescue of a white women screaming out of fear with a child in tow.
Heck, I don’t know too many brothas who’d take a chance on getting caught up with the law, just for being a good Samaritan. So, race aside, there aren’t too many people who are willing to take such a chance. Just look at the many victims of domestic violence that are ignored by neighbors who choose to look the other way, and refuse to do something simple like, dialing 911. As much as we may laugh at an animated Charles Ramsey — the lover of McDonald’s and barbecue, and colorful language — his act of heroism is undeniable; and, he should be applauded and offered any reward on the table.
“The real hero here is Amanda,” assistant Cleveland police chief Ed Tomba told reporters at a news conference Wednesday morning. “She got this rolling.” (source)
Listen to Charles Ransey’s 911 call (Warning: NSFW):
