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Cutting through the police tape.
Today, someone poured gasoline all over his clothes and lit himself on fire. I was late to class and walked through the police tape, not realizing what had happened. A police officer chased me out: "Don't you see the tape?"
The entire square was taped off, an area about the size of a parking lot. A student explained to me that her friend had seen and texted to her.
Students had immediately thrown their coats on the person, trying to put the fire out. (I respect this. A lot.) He'd said nothing before he did, and did nothing to help himself.
Yes, the person was alive when the ambulance arrived. I looked out at the exact center of the empty square. White fire extinguisher foam coated the ground. They'd picked a busy time of day, lunch hour. Minutes before I'd arrived the square had boiled with people.
A massage arrived from the Vice Provost this evening. The person was a former UW employee. No, he didn't make it.
Hats off -- and coats off -- to the UW students who thought fast and tried to save him. I'm sorry you weren't able to.
The entire square was taped off, an area about the size of a parking lot. A student explained to me that her friend had seen and texted to her.
Students had immediately thrown their coats on the person, trying to put the fire out. (I respect this. A lot.) He'd said nothing before he did, and did nothing to help himself.
Yes, the person was alive when the ambulance arrived. I looked out at the exact center of the empty square. White fire extinguisher foam coated the ground. They'd picked a busy time of day, lunch hour. Minutes before I'd arrived the square had boiled with people.
A massage arrived from the Vice Provost this evening. The person was a former UW employee. No, he didn't make it.
Hats off -- and coats off -- to the UW students who thought fast and tried to save him. I'm sorry you weren't able to.