The Genovese syndrome 

 

Kitty Genovese's murder  became a symbol of Americans' callous unwillingness to help someone urgently in need. This case exposed some peoples indifference and fear of getting involved. This is called  the Genovese syndrome.

In March of 1964, Kitty Genovese managed a bar in Hollis, Queens New York. She had parked her car near her apartment building after finishing work at 3 am . When she left the car and began walking toward her building's entrance. Kitty changed direction when she noticed a man in her path. She felt threatened and began to walk towards a police phone box on a nearby corner.

She was then suddenly overtaken, beaten and stabbed. 38 people in nearby apartment buildings heard her screams; one man shouted something out his window and Kitty's attacker let her be at that point. She staggered covered in blood towards her apartment building. But he came back for 2nds. He viciously stabbed her again and again as she screamed. While he proceeded to further attack her, stabbing her several more times. Deep gashes and stigmata type knife wounds in her hands revealed that she attempted to defend herself from him. While she lay dying in a pool of blood, he attempted to fondle and rape her. He then stole about $49.00 from her purse and left her dying in the dirty New York hallway. The attacks spanned approximately a hellish half an hour.

Kitty Genovese

No less than thirty eight people witnessed at least one of the attacks that night; more heard her screams.  No one went to her aid. But the really perverse thing is, no one called the police either. Not until almost an hour after the first attack. This is not a case where the police arrived too late to prevent a tragedy. 

Kitty's attacker both had the green light, the extra injury time and confidence that no one would interfere that he was able to leave the scene and return twice.

She was already dead (not screaming anymore) by the time the police were called. Queens police, public officials, New Yorkers and people across the U.S. were shocked and outraged. One of her neighbors was interviewed on the 20th anniversary of Kitty Genovese's death and told her interviewer that she didn't feel bad for failing to call the police that night, that she wasn't the cops.