I don't know what bystanders could have done to actively intervene; I get that. I have been within a few feet of a beating inflicted in public by strong young males on several occasions. It's breathtaking how severe of a damage can be inflicted by a young male human in just seconds, and although I wanted to help, there was nothing I could do physically. To physically step in between the perp and the victim looked to me akin to stepping into a tornado. Made of whirling bricks.

But what I do see in the all-too-common videos of violence that have been captured and posted in this modern cellphone age is a distinct change in the ATTITUDE of the bystanders. The default behavior seems to be apathy, disengagement, or even glee. If I were near this assault I would have at least been screaming, calling 911, looking actively for police etc. What I saw from the bystanders instead was a lot of "Huh. Would you look at that?"