A Culture of Fear

A scare on the Philadelphia Benjamin Parkway in caused a human stampede on Thursday night. 30 people treated by medics, children lost, thousands terrified and many unsure of the cause of their fear and angst. Was it a gun, BB gun, firecrackers thrown at a crowd, or simply a motorcycle back fire? This was how I spent my Independence Day.

This year to celebrate the 4th of July I joined family and friends on a Philadelphia adventure. The day kicked off with an Independence Day parade and followed with a free concert on the Benjamin Parkway with the backdrop of the famous Art Museum. It was reported that over 500,000 people were in attendance. It felt like a crowd of over a million as people pushed through for a better view and disrupted family picnics. The concert starred John Mayer, Grace Potter, J-Cole, Jill Scott and Ne-Yo. To conclude the fun night was the fireworks show perfectly displayed over the illuminated art museum. My group and I headed to exit while also stopping to take pictures and view the beauty of the firework lit sky. What happened next was something right out of a movie. The best way I can describe it from my point of view was the scene in Lion King where the wild beast are stampeding which eventually lead to the death of Mufasa.

While standing in the blocked off parkway I heard screams coming from behind. Turning around I saw a crowd of at least 200 people running towards us. The look on their faces were of pure terror. I heard someone close by yell "run" and before the crowd reached us my family dispersed from the street. I saw people running off to the side up against a building and I joined them. People were yelling, crying, screaming "some one's been shot" another yelled "It was a bomb". I looked around and realized I had been separated from my party. I reached for my phone in my back pocket and it was gone. Looking forward in the street I saw the stampede of people run by. As the street cleared people near me started to clear our hiding spot and looking for their loved ones. I found my group, but not without some bumps and bruises of our own. I looked down and saw my arms were shaking.

(Below is a Youtube video filmed by individuals caught in the stampede which was featured on Fox29 Philadelphia.)


Walking back to our hotel in the Center City we saw cops gathering, firetrucks, ambulances. Everyone seemed very confused and scared. No one knew what had happened. What caused hundreds of people to run in terror. Varied reports have been released. A report form NBC10 Philadelphia state a man fired a BB gun at the crowd while Fox29 reports firecrackers thrown at the crowd. Whatever the cause, it was amplified drastically by the number of people in the area and the fear many have of being caught in a mass attack. I heard people saying "it's like the Boston marathon or"it's a mass shooting".  These recent events are what I think cause the human stampede.

We live in a world today where a man opens fire on innocent moviegoers, where backpack bombers attack a historical marathon, where young children are murdered in school. I don't believe this event is related to the formers, but it is because of events like those that people were in danger. The fear of being caught in a mass attack caused a mass riot of its own. Such action could have easily left a greater physical impact. I have only read of one serious injury with most of the rest being treated at the scene. But if you watch the videos of that night you get a glimpse into what most of us felt as the panic spread through the parkway.

A culture of fear. This may very well be the real cause of the panic and the human stampede. Many would suggest that it's better to be safe than sorry, but what about when this fear has such a ripple effect that it amplifies a small incident into a truly fearful event.

--Krystal