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At least seven people walked past an injured man in New York City, who lay on the sidewalk for over an hour before emergency workers arrived. By then, he was dead.
What's worse: the 31-year-old Guatemalan immigrant had been stabbed when he tried to help a woman who was being attacked, reports the Associated Press.
I can understand why cynical urbanites might not want to get involved; I'm a cynical urbanite myself. But at least I call 911 when I encounter an unresponsive homeless person on the sidewalk. (It happens more often than you would think.)
Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan has wider implications, but its literal truth is pretty clear, too: Help an injured person you encounter on the street. Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax, the dead Guatemalan man, followed the gospel directive. Sadly, no one did the same for him.