Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Saturday, April 1
    Trending
    • This Day in History on April 1st
    • This Day in History on March 31st
    • Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through March 30th, 2023)
    • This Day in History on March 30th
    • Heroic Police Officers Neutralize Mentally Ill Woman Attacking Children
    • This Day in History on March 29th
    • Who Has Declared Their Candidacy for US President in 2024 So Far?
    • This Day in History on March 28th
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»Society»Crime»The Rape and Murder of Kitty Genovese: When Witnesses Don’t Help (The Bystander Effect)
    Crime

    The Rape and Murder of Kitty Genovese: When Witnesses Don’t Help (The Bystander Effect)

    Major DanBy Major DanMarch 13, 2015Updated:February 23, 20201 Comment4 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    On March 13, 1964, Catherine “Kitty” Genovese, a 28-year-old resident of Queens, New York City was stabbed to death near her neighborhood.  The media reported that at least 38 people in the vicinity witnessed the attack but had done nothing to help, even failing to call the police, which allowed the attacker to return to the scene and finish his killing.

    Digging Deeper

    These reports were repeated in nearly all major media outlets, creating an uproar and outrage about the “bystander effect” in which citizens witness a crime but offer no assistance.  Americans became disgusted with one another, and the country engaged in soul searching on a massive scale.

    The problem is that although Kitty was indeed murdered, the circumstances were not as reported.  In fact, one person did yell at the attacker from his window and several others had called the police, but no one realized that Kitty had been stabbed as she had staggered out of sight, and for some reason, the police were slow to respond.

    The attacker returned a short time later and continued his assault.  Again the police were called, this time responding in a timely manner, but it was too late.  Kitty had suffered fatal wounds and died in the arms of a local witness, Sophia Farrar, who had left her apartment and gone to the stricken woman’s aid.

    The attacker, Winston Moseley, had also raped the wounded woman before finally leaving her to die, with the entire incident spanning about 30 minutes.  Genovese’s death seems more a result of slow police response than uncaring witnesses, but in any case, only 1 or 2 witnesses realized what was really happening.  The others heard or only saw bits and pieces of the incident and did not realize a rape/murder was taking place.

    Moseley had, in his words, been on a mission to “kill a woman,” and was apparently a twisted, evil goof.  After being sentenced to death and having his sentence changed to life in prison upon appeal, Moseley managed to escape from prison in 1968 and went on a crime spree, taking people hostage and raping a woman.  He was given 2 more 15-year sentences for those crimes, and, in 1970, was part of the infamous Attica prison riot.  While in jail, this miserable creep managed to get a B.A. in Sociology. Having already been turned down for parole 17 times, Moseley continues to rot in prison right where he belongs.

    Martin Gansberg of the New York Times is apparently the source of the misinformation about the event, when he wrote an investigative report blaring “37 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call Police.” First off, only about a dozen people saw any part of the event, and people did call the police.  Gansberg quoted the apocryphal “unidentified” neighbor who did not call the cops because he “didn’t want to get involved.” 

    Despite the fact that the lack of witness response has now been discredited, the tale of Kitty Genovese remains a tale of uncaring, gutless citizens and a sign of the decline of America as a society.  It is true though that people often decide to “not get involved” and thereby allow the triumph of evil through their inaction.  With the proliferation of cell phones, hopefully more folks will be encouraged to call the police and record any crimes they witness.

    Question for students (and subscribers): Have you ever helped a victim when he or she was being assaulted?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Cook, Kevin.  Kitty Genovese: The Murder, the Bystanders, the Crime that Changed America.  W. W. Norton & Company, 2015.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous ArticleRandom Photographs of Wieners
    Next Article March 14, 1757: British Admiral Executed Because of Political Idiocy!
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through March 30th, 2023)

    March 30, 2023

    Heroic Police Officers Neutralize Mentally Ill Woman Attacking Children

    March 30, 2023

    Who Has Declared Their Candidacy for US President in 2024 So Far?

    March 29, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    This Day in History on April 1st

    April 1, 2023

    This Day in History on March 31st

    March 31, 2023

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through March 30th, 2023)

    March 30, 2023

    This Day in History on March 30th

    March 30, 2023

    Heroic Police Officers Neutralize Mentally Ill Woman Attacking Children

    March 30, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2023 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.