The Bully-Free Workplace: Stop Jerks, Weasels, and Snakes From Killing Your Organization

Witnesses and Bystanders Who Enable Bullying

We think it's worthwhile for you to understand how social factors can make people do things that they are not aware that they're doing. A real-world event that launched a lot of scientific inquiry happened in 1964 in Queens, New York. Kitty Genovese was a waitress returning home after a late-night shift. Mugged between the parking lot and the front stoop of her apartment building, she screamed in horror as she was stabbed repeatedly. The reason this mugging became so famous is because no one bothered to report the attack. Across the street from her apartment building was an equally tall apartment building facing hers. In response to her initial screams, dwellers in the building awoke, switched on their lights, and went to their windows to see what was wrong. We know from subsequent reports that there were 38 neighbors—38 witnesses—to the Genovese assault. Of course, the story became famous because not one of the 38 actually bothered to telephone the police. No one did that simple act that carried no risk. The wounded Ms. Genovese then stumbled to her building's entrance. By then the lights were off and all 38 left their windows and had retired. The mugger returned and completed the killing. Her final screams did result in one telephone call to the police, but it was too late to save her.

The New York Times reporter, later editor Abe Rosenthal, in his book Thirty-Eight Witnesses (republished in 1999), characterized New Yorkers as apathetic, ...