"Macleran said she's known for helping people in need, but now she's also extremely leery of helping anyone again."
Just perfect.
People without homes struggling all over Nashville to overcome negative stereotypes and horrific images and some fecal fleck comes along and beats the shit out of a kindhearted citizen who was just trying to get the guy a meal.
Is it any wonder that the hearts of those who can help are hardening?
Many of my homeless advocates may be angry with me for giving this matter more press, but frankly, we've got to be able to admit that folks like Mr. Craig make our work infinitely more difficult while blacking the eye of not only the woman he attacked, but every good and decent person who is or has ever been homeless.
People like Mr. Craig need to go to jail for a long time and I don't give a damn whether he was "intoxicated" at the time of the incident. Just because you're an alcoholic or a drug addict doesn't absolve you from your own personable responsibility to follow the rules and conduct expected in a civilized society. Those without homes have enough to deal with without having one of their own making it harder for them....
Woman Severely Beaten By Homeless Man
Victim Angry At McDonald's For Not Helping After Attack
Reported By Cynthia Williams
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A woman who was attempting to feed a homeless man on Monday afternoon said she ended up being severely beaten by the man.
Woman Survives Attack From Homeless Man
Fran Macleran said she went to a Nolensville Road McDonald's restaurant around 3:30 p.m. to get some food for a friend when she was approached by David Craig, a homeless man.She said Craig asked for money, but she instead decided to get him a hamburger at the restaurant.
"He looked like he was drunk. He had a cup but nothing to eat," said Macleran.When Macleran returned to give Craig his food, she said he threw the hamburger at her."He took the food and said, 'I don't want food. I want a dollar.' He took it and threw it at me," said Macleran.
According to Metro Police, Craig pushed Macleran off a concrete wall and began beating her with his fists. She used pepper spray and a
taser in an attempt to subdue the attacker, but it did little to stop the him.During the confrontation, she received a black eye and fractured her leg, nose and cheekbones."He came in like a bull and pushed me off the wall. I was trying to get away," said Macleran.
After the beating, Macleran was able to stumble back to the McDonald's to receive help. However, she said McDonald's wouldn't help her and even locked her out of the restaurant.
"They saw me. I was obviously injured. I was bleeding from the nose," said Macleran.
The restaurant said they have an unwritten policy to keep incidents such as this outside of the restaurant.Police were later able to arrest Craig. He has been charged with aggravated assault.
Macleran said she's known for helping people in need, but now she's also extremely leery of helping anyone again.
As for McDonald's, no one from the restaurant would go on camera with Channel 4 or make an official comment.
The unofficial word from a manager is that the employees of the restaurant did the right thing given the fact that no one was certain about what was going on.They said that sometimes split second decisions boil down to judgment calls.
