Subscriber Comments for
Life on a Knife Edge

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 340394	2012-11-07 07:54 PM
I think showing photos of this man in this situation is in poor taste.
ECHO	2012-11-07 07:54 PM
While I know this is news, I think its a little sad for this man to have had so many people out taking pictures of him, while he was holding knives to his throat and contemplating ending his life. I know he chose to pull over on a public road, I can only imagine how many others, besides all of the officers that can and may not be seen in the pictures, were standing there looking at him. I really hope he gets the help he must desprately need.
COMMENT 340403	2012-11-07 08:04 PM
I agree with 394
COMMENT 340410P	2012-11-07 08:29 PM
Thank goodness the police were able to bring this situation to an end without harming this guy or before he harmed himself. Let's hope he gets the help the needs, especially if it's true that he has recently done this same thing on PCH.
COMMENT 340414P	2012-11-07 08:42 PM
Well, if it was attention he wanted---he sure got it.
COMMENT 340416	2012-11-07 08:44 PM
I agree that the situation was a sad one and that the man is seriously ill. I too hope that he gets the help that he needs. But I happened to have had a young child at All Saint's and this man's erratic behavior caused a lot of anxiety and fear in a great deal of people today, not to mention the fact that the financial expense of his 3-hour stand-off was huge. I appreciate knowing more about what exactly happened today, and I appreciate Edhat for providing that information. Thank you Edhat and thank you UH for your post. Thank you also to Roger who kept us informed as this whole thing was taking place.
COMMENT 340414P	2012-11-07 08:45 PM
@340 "Schadenfreude" is a word you might like to know.
COMMENT 340420P	2012-11-07 09:05 PM
@ 394 and CHILI - did you SEE the photos posted on Noozhawk and SBNP's websites??? They are close-ups of the guy's face with a really pathetic look. Those photos are gratuitous in that they do nothing more than show his mental illness. It's too bad this guy chose to use a public roadway in the middle of the day to play out his narcissistic drama for basically the whole world to see. His irresponsible actions required massive public services. He must know that he has problems, and I can't help but believe he is aware of other choices he had. I for one was interested in this post because it showed how the police resolved a pretty awful situation.
COMMENT 340426P	2012-11-07 09:53 PM
Thank you, UH, for excellent photojournalism. There's always going to be someone who complains but this is legit work.
CHERIDIANE	2012-11-07 11:05 PM
UH, I concur with the person who said excellent photojournalisn. I appreciate knowing what is going on and how the problem is resolved, and with pictures. Your photo of the man was at a distance. Thank you.
LALALALA	2012-11-08 05:17 AM
There is no autonomy in this town. Still, I agree that showing his face is in poor taste. Great work by authorities, flash grenade was a brilliant solution.
COMMENT 340436	2012-11-08 06:13 AM
Agreed, there are situations where photos aren't necessary, this is one of them.
COMMENT 340438	2012-11-08 06:24 AM
Great job resolving the situation. Very poor decision to post the photo. He is mentally unstable and he is a person, a citizen, a brother, a child of someone--he's not a curiosity to be exploited. The photos were not necessary, words could have described the situation. The emphasis on the photo was on the craziness of the person...
COMMENT 340441	2012-11-08 06:38 AM
While I would've done more to blur and thus shade the identity of the victim I find the story shot and told to be compelling. Yes, we love to watch someone else's agony as it makes us feel compassionate for them and fearful that something awful is about to happen while we're helpless to stop it. Some people go to horror movies or play video games to get that rush, some jump out of perfectly good airplanes or paraglide... to each his/her own outlet to feel more alive.
ROGER DODGER	2012-11-08 07:02 AM
He wanted attention he got it..I'm glad that no one talked about his personal information that would have been poor taste.
COMMENT 340472	2012-11-08 07:53 AM
interesting photos.. and while im on the fence about the level of "taste" in showing them.. C'mon! A robot offering McDonalds! priceless..! Who knew!
COMMENT 340474	2012-11-08 07:54 AM
The Noozhawk closeup photo made me feel more sympathetic towards this man than I might have otherwise. His fear and pain are evident.
COMMENT 340478P	2012-11-08 08:13 AM
He may want to kill himself again after he gets his towing and car storage bill.
COMMENT 340491P	2012-11-08 08:48 AM
I thought the photos were terrific and helped tell the story. Kudos to those responsible for taking them and publishing them. We should not be ashamed for exposing life as it really is. We should not sugar coat the world. It is reality and we need to deal with it not hide from it. I served in Viet Nam with the US Marine Corp and those that remember the photos and videos of that war will recall they were a heck of a lot more horrific than these photos. The photos and videos that show the world as it is should always be shown.
COMMENT 340495P	2012-11-08 08:53 AM
I don't understand why police don't use things like grenade/bean bag ploys to defuse situations where people are deranged and making a huge threatening ruckus but are unarmed or naked, instead of having deadly force used on them anyway.
COMMENT 340496	2012-11-08 08:54 AM
Thanks for posting these photos. If he's back on our streets I want to be aware of who he is since an unstable man carrying knives is someone I want to avoid. He lost all 'privacy' rights by pulling this stunt in public.
COMMENT 340502	2012-11-08 09:03 AM
First of all if one is headed out somewhere to take their own life why does the suicidal subject always wait around for law enforcement to get there (could take up to an hour). That never made sense to me, wouldnt you just do it so quickly that no one had time to stop you. Lastly, if you want to die so bad nobody should be allowed to tell you that it's illegal. I can't wait for doctor assisted suicide. If you don't want to be here you shouldn't have to be.
COMMENT 340506P	2012-11-08 09:08 AM
If this man wanted to commit suicide he would have picked a spot where he was not in the public eye. This was a cry for attention by a possibly mentally unstable individual. He got the attention he obviously wanted. He was not trying to hide his face so I doubt he minds being pictured on any websites.
RESIDENT	2012-11-08 09:08 AM
In addition to SB Sheriff's Department (including Hostage Negotiation Team, K-9, SWAT, Bomb Squad, Helicopter unit), California Highway Patrol, Santa Barbara Police Department, Montecito Fire Department, Cal Trans, and American Medical and a partridge in a pear tree, I counted 9 police officers dressed in full military combat gear, uniforms, helmets, bullet-proof vests, etc. That along with an armored military vehicle. All for one suicidal guy with a knife! Am I the only one that sees the absurdity in this?
COMMENT 340506P	2012-11-08 09:11 AM
Resident, I too thought the officers were a tad overdressed. At one point I believe they thought he had a gun which might explain the outfits. That said the response was truly over the top but they were on duty anyway so better they were doing something I suppose.
COMMENT 340512	2012-11-08 09:12 AM
Posting pictures of this situation is incredibly poor taste. Disgusting, actually, and I am surprised the police allowed the photos to be taken in the first place. What's next? Posting pictures of murder victims, car accidents?
KATYDID	2012-11-08 09:13 AM
Wrong, in my opinion, to publish photos of an obviously mentally ill man in crisis.
CORKY	2012-11-08 09:16 AM
Resident: Well, he had TWO knives to his throat. I thought the response was compassionate and effective.
SBSURFERLIFE	2012-11-08 09:18 AM
It's photojournalism, the art of communicating news by photographs. I hope everyone who feels it's in bad taste is also calling KEYT, Noozhawk and the News Press.
COMMENT 340520P	2012-11-08 09:20 AM
I agree, posting photos of the mans face are tacky. I think that the photos being posted is great but that his face should be blurred out, regardless of whether or not other news media show his face.
OLDLAWOMAN	2012-11-08 09:33 AM
I totally agree with 394. Very poor taste to record this man's mental health breakdown, which is likely temporary. He needed and was pleading for help which he got. Whoever took these pics should be so ashamed.
COMMENT 340410P	2012-11-08 09:58 AM
To all the complainers: The headline clearly reads "photos and story". If it's so darn offensive, tacky, rude and whatever else, why did you bother clicking on the link in the first place? Was your motivation something like this - It's horrible and I want to see it and then I want to voice my opinion about how horrible it is and then I want to deny others a chance to see and read what I just saw and read? It sounds like a double standard to me. Next time do yourselves a favor, and skip the story. I appreciated reading the story and finding out more about this public event, as pathetic as it was. Aparently quite a few others also appreciated the opportunity to learn more. Good job to the people who difused the situation without helping the man commit suicide.
RESIDENT	2012-11-08 10:03 AM
Corky, Dozens of uniformed officers, an armored military vehicle and a squad of battle-dressed and armed police officers was compassionate? I'll agree that it certainly was effective!
COMMENT 340426P	2012-11-08 12:35 PM
I'm amazed at the ignorance of posters here regarding journalistic ethics. This was good reporting, nothing overly graphic. Seriously? Blur his face? Police not allowing? 1st amendment mean anything? It is considered a breach of journalistic ethics to alter a photo from how it was recorded so blurring the guy's face would have been a fire-able offense at literally every newspaper in the country (well, at least those that adhere to the standards of journalism) and the police can't legally stop people from taking photos in public places. If the street is open to bystanders its also open to photographers. Think about all the historical photos of value throughout the last 100 years. If photographers applied the "tacky, in poor taste" filter our history might look a bit more shiny but would be that much less true. Again, thanks for showing us what happened in a professional manner.
MESARATS	2012-11-08 03:28 PM
The photos captured some interesting images and were fine to me. The photo on the front page of the NP was way to close and big. Not in good taste.
CHICA	2012-11-08 05:53 PM
410P SAID IT BEST. I totally agree with the said remarks. If no photos of people were never taken in the past, there would be nothing to look at in our history books. I could go on and on but will let it be. Great Journalism & Photos.
AUNTIE S.	2012-11-08 06:01 PM
Great reporting and photos, as usual, UH. About pictures of this man -- if you choose to make a statement like this in a very public arena I think you have to be prepared to have pictures taken of you and news reporters (and maybe TV) cover it.
ROGER DODGER	2012-11-09 06:25 AM
UH if I should ever have a breakdown in public you have my permission to come over and take my pictures..PS It will probley be the Edhat Nanny that shoves me over the edge...

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