I’m surprised no one has commented yet on that in this thread.
It might be useful to lock a bathroom for security reasons, perhaps. To keep homeless people from using it, in case the building is not secured very well on the weekends (which would be dumb, but whatever).
Also, I suppose if they would ever need to block access to the bathroom if it was out-of-order or something, it might make sense to lock the door. Of course, a big sign saying “OUT OF ORDER! STAY OUT!” would also work.
Are there any Federal laws concerning building security?
this is why when i make one last trip to the loo (go before you go!) i take all my stuff with me. back pack, coat, etc. most of the offices i’ve worked at the bathroom is closer to the exit than the area in which i work.
also most of the offices i’ve worked in do have security guards, at least one if not more at the front desk, where the monitors are.
i would have made my way out of the bathroom well before 8 hours had passed, especially if i did not have a book with me.
No, the idea that I couldn’t leave would become an urgent problem to solve. After I broke out, maybe I’d hide with my reading and snacks, but not until I had secured my exit!
This. I’d be worried about being locked in, no matter how many amenities I had. Fire, health emergency, etc would make me very anxious.
What a preposterous notion. Can’t believe the absurd priorities some people have.
I’m thinking a lot of homeless people, if they were in the building and had to go, would find some place other than the bathroom, which would be a bigger mess.
Based on what I remember from working retail no it wouldn’t.
It’s not clear from the article, but I don’t think it was an actual door lock. It was not locked with a mechanical lock that needed a key to open. Rather, the handle became stuck or broken. It is probably more correct to say she was trapped in the bathroom.
The article said she opened the door by reaching around to the outside and turning the door handle. That would imply that it was not an actual lock which prevented the door from opening. It would be useless to have a bathroom which was locked from outside yet could be opened from the outside without a key. Some bathroom doors do have locks on the outside, such as in a park, but a key would be needed to lock and unlock the door. It would seem that in this case the inner handle broke and could not open the door, but it was not literally locked.
Your are correct, but pictures of the door show a lock cylinderseveral inches above the door handle.
Were it not for that, I would think she was pissed at her Husband, slammed or kicked the doorknob and damaged the lock. 
That would explain the broken lever and the Husband not coming looking for her.
:dubious:
How can you reconcile that statement with what you’ve posted earlier?
So saying “The things are here to serve the people, not vice versa.” is a preposterous notion and it’s absurd to prioritize people over things, yet you yourself would have tried to break out? :dubious:
I think you got whooshed. I hope you got whooshed!
She’s obviously never rented a house or apartment. those folks have no trouble putting a foot through drywall.
We were in a souvenir shop in Bethlehem when my wife got locked in the toilet. Despite me being only about 25 meters away, and her being rescued after 10 minutes, my wife told me she was starting to panic. I said “How can you panic? You don’t think I’m going to jump on the tour bus and leave without you?” But some people do have that tendency to panic very easily. This is what probably happened with that woman.
Ah. Well then. That would explain it. :smack:
It’s called claustrophobia. And the panic that ensues cannot be explained to you unless you’ve experienced. It cannot be rationalized away. And it doesn’t just go away after the door is open. It’s a mental state that is measured in degrees.
I love how this thread basically breaks down into: She was black and crazy and did damage.
OR
She was a person and was trapped and damaged some drywall to get out.
Is that a whoosh? I don’t recall any other post mentioning the woman being Black (and I was unaware from this thread and the brief clicks I indulged in). A* few* thinking female had something to do with her emotional reaction.
Probably more here would have broke their way out one way or the other either by the time she did or before than would not have … by far. Some understand her being more panicked and some would have just done it matter of factly. Some are more puzzled by the media reaction.
But race as a factor? Huh?
Um, that racism angle only exists in your head. If any “-ism” was conveyed, it was sexism, in that she was FEMALE and crazy and did damage.
Personally, if it was a weekday and I knew people would be filtering in around 7 or 8am, I’d stay put. I’d be plenty pissed and exasperated, though, especially since they turn the heat down at night, but I’d still probably wait it out.
But on a weekend night? No way. I’d have tunneled out, too. And I would have never offered to pay for the damage, since it was the company’s responsibility to keep their building in good repair. I’m sure my manager and my HR manager would have issued a heartfelt apology (seriously, they’re not ogres), and even offered to compensate me for those 8 hours I spent.
While I agree that the woman was in her rights to burrow out, I do agree that she overreacted a tad in her subsequent interview. It was a major inconvenience, for sure, but it wasn’t life or death. Still, if you’re going to assign blame to her, you can also assign blame to the media for giving it national coverage.