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Lexee Alvarez: The effects of following the crowd depends on what the crowd is doing and why.   I think maybe he failed to speak up because he had no idea how many people were going to be affected.  I don't know if he would have protested if others did since he really didn't say how he personally felt about that in the poem.

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Kahlin Brooks: Following crowds can lead to unproductive days if some members of the group don't feel like achieving something. Also, they can lead you to do the wrong activities and you feel obligated to do said activities. The narrator didn't do their job because, they want to keep their usual persona and not have any changes in friendships or crowd. When you feel something is wrong, you are supposed to speak up and acknowledge that this moment wasn't and isn't supposed to take place. I think that the narrator would've let everything happen because they weren't the one being hurt or arrested in this particular time. I've been in situations where people didn't want to argue the majority view of the group they were in, so they ended up getting in a bad situation. When people let that happen, they show that they aren't strong enough to do what's right, and that lets you know who to be careful around.

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Kaleb Israel: I think the narrator didn't speak up because he wasn't pressured so he didn't feel any need to speak up. Once "they came for him", he probably spoke up about the others who were oppressed and attacked but only after his safety was threatened. Maybe, if other people spoke up about the injustices that were happening to other people, the narrator might've spoken but obviously not too loud as he would only be speaking because others are. If he wanted to speak, he would've spoken.

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Azariah McIntee - It is so easy to follow the crowd and blend in, but its effects are dangerous. The narrator explains this through his poem. He said when they came for Socialists, Trade Unionists, and Jews, he did not speak out at all because he wasn't any of them. He then said, "Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me" (Niemöller).  This was dangerous for him because no one spoke out they same way he was silent. I think the narrator failed to speak up because he was just following the crowd. But its so important to speak up and use you voice in certain citations because of not we create indifference.

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Charlotte King: Following a crowd is not as powerful as taking a stand for what is right or voicing your own opinion. When you are following a crowd you are not learning about what you are following behind because no one is explaining themselves as individuals and their own opinions. so you are not able to get a sense of what you are falling behind. The narrator definitely was mostly silent due to the fear of what would happen taking that risk when speaking up. ¨Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.¨ Deep down the narrarorator believed that taking action was the right thing to do but could not bring himself to that conclusion. If others had protested i think he would have been less worried about what would occur because he would have not been the only one doing it. Even if something happened he would not be alone

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In the context of the quotation, following the crowd leads to the endangerment and prosecution of others. It is likely that the narrator failed to speak up because others did not. Vocalizing dissent can be very difficult when one is unsure as to if others will support one's self, especially if speaking out could result in one's punishment. If others had protested the arrests, it is more likely that the narrator would have joined the protesters, because the narrator wouldn't have been alone in their objection to the arrests. For example, in Night, although some people aboard the cattle car consented to Madame Schachter's beating, others remained silent so as not to cause further disruption. --Maia Lazor

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Faith Akutagawa:
The effects of following the crowd are having a false sense of security. When you follow a crowd, you feel as though you're safe from any threats, you're just another face in the crowd. That is until you get targeted " Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak out for me." (Niemoller) I believe the narrator failed to speak up because no one else did. In all the groups mentioned, they were all treated indifferently when they were targetted. I believe the narrator would have protested the arrests if others had. I think it's human nature to want to fit in with the crowd.

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I think it's hard to speak and stand up against oppression and for what we believe is wright. Sometimes it's just because you're afraid and too self conscious to put yourself out there, and other times its because you are being threatened to shut your mouth and follow along. It's easier to stand up if you have others standing with you, and so its easy to forget that in order for there to be many, there has to be the first; the first person to fight against the oppression and show what they believe in. For example, there were likely people with white skin who used to believe that slavery was wrong, but because society was so strong in their ways, there was a grand fear to stand up, and until someone did, nothing changed. (PJ)

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Danny Martinez - The effects of following a crowd makes you believe you are safe, but you are not safe. Following a crowd separates you from others. People in the narrator's crowd did not speak out "and [he] did not speak out" (Niemoller). If the others would have spoke out or protested the arrests, then the narrator would have to. Though, when the narrator needed help, "there was no one left To speak out for [him]" (Niemoller). Because everyone just chose to be silent, no one would help him.

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Tyler Chang. The narrator illustrates one effect of following the crowd. He failed to speak because he was indifferent like all the other people who did not speak up: " Because I was not" (Niemoller). To explain, Niemoller did not speak up for the groups that the Nazi Party were going after. He would have spoken up if others had because that would have been the crowd he followed. The important piece here is that the crowd that he followed in Nazi Germany was a crowd of indifference. The effect that he illustrates here is the danger of how following the crowd took him to the same fate as those who experienced injustice before him.

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Scarlett Hesse. Following the crowd can be a dangerous thing, especially when it concerns the possible harm to human beings. This is a tough choice to make, will I stand by and watch and keep myself safe even though this is wrong? Or will I stand up for what I believe in and risk personal injury? The narrator failed to speak up for others because he didn't want to risk his safety. Eventually, as he began to grow more alone in the space, he realized that he had "no one left to speak" up for him (Neimoller), and that cannot be blamed on anyone other than himself. Following the crowd can damage a persons physical and mental health, and if one isn't careful, it could damage them too.

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Elisa Ramirez                                                                                                                                                                                                      Following the crowd clouds one's individual judgement in a situation. When someone chooses to follow the crowd they don't stop and think about how they are truly impacting the situation and how the decisions they make affect the victims directly. Part of the narrators failure to speak up was  because of the crowd, but when more than one group of people are being victimized consecutively it becomes a personal choice not to speak out. If one chooses not to speak up after witnessing all of this, it can no longer be blamed on the crowd but yourself. Although crowds do influence your decisions, I think this was not the case in this situation. He was acting alone "Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me" (Niemoller). What the author is suggesting is that by acting alone he made the decision to stay quiet, he punished himself. He spoke out for no one so they did the same and didn't speak up for him. By keep quiet and let his judgement be somewhat clouded by others, Niemoller ended up affecting himself even more.

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Maggie Blaisdell- In the context of this quotation, the effects of following the crowd are allowing other people to suffer and losing community unity. Since he didn't speak out for others, "there was no one left to speak out for" him when he was in trouble (Neimoller).The narrator failed to speak up because others did not, and because he was scared of what would happen to him if he did. If others protested, I think he might have too, since there would be a better chance that he wouldn't get in trouble. However, since it didn't affect him, he might not have.

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Lynn Murakami. Following the crowd can lead to different events. A person can follow the crowd and die or they can be saved. In the First They Came, the narrator failed to speak up because others did not. "Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me". This shows the effects of following the crowd. Nobody thought of speaking up including the narrator. People then were swept away and when it was his turn, nobody was there to defend him. People tend to not care about others, but when you are in danger, you expect others to help. If somebody were to protest I think the narrator would also protest. This is an example of following the crowd that benefits the narrator a lot

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Claudia Egan: The effects of following the crowd can be damaging to victims, the environment or any other kind of circumstance. It's human nature to want to fit in, being an outlier takes courage, bravery- some things people don't want to express. In this instance, "Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a Jew" (Niemoller), we can infer the author was scared to speak out, but also selfish. Towards the end of the text he speaks about not having anyone to speak for him and that can lead the audience to thinking he wouldv'e only spoken up for others in the sense of getting something in return. Not out of kindness and compassion for others. There is strength in numbers, and being a solo advocate can be scary. This is what drives humans to naturally follow the crowd and unfortunantly, have damaging affects.

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Janine Reyes: The effects of following the crowd lead to peril and later on impact the person whom the crowd did not help as well as the crowd. I believe that might have been the case because he felt it was not his place since he kept saying how "they came for the Trade Unionists, and (he) did not speak out — Because (he) was not a Trade Unionist" (Niemöller). I don't know whether or not he would have spoken up because he did not feel as strongly for them since he was not among them so I believe he wouldn't have. From personally experience a lot of people don't tend to stand up unless others are not going to first or if their feelings are not towards the people that are not in the crowd.

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Zineerah Siddique: The effects of following the crowd impacts how things are done without unity. It is about the cowardice of German intellectuals and certain clergy. I believe the narrator failed to speak up because others did not. He failed to speak up for the others when he had the chance to do the right thing. The group of people that were there, clearly did not know the difference between right or wrong. Instead of helping each other, they let each other go one by one. In the poem, he constantly repeats the words "First they came for....and I did not speak up because I was not a.."(Niemoller). This displays that just because he was not a part of a certain group, his reasoning for not speaking up was "I was not a...".  Therefore, this idea betrayed him when they came for him and there was no one else to speak up for him.

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Erica Yick: Following the crowd is the equivalent of not thinking for yourself. Not intervening in situations where other people lives are at risk is selfish and the result of indifference. Martin Niemoller was previously a Nazi supporter. Niemoller watched as communities and groups of people were singled out and separated from their loved ones just for their ideals and beliefs. He had plenty of time to warn others or at least spread awareness of the situation. Instead, Niemoller sided with the oppressors. He repeatedly said: "Because I was not". That sort of thinking is counter productive to society. Sadly, Niemoller's mindset is too common. Many people like Niemoller will often times sit on the sidelines and turn a blind eye to other people's suffering. Many times it is cause they are not negatively affected and they fear that by getting involved, they will also be hurt. In this case, it seems that the narrator failed to speak up not because the crowd didn't, but because they did not belong to any of the oppressed communities. Given the background information on Niemoller, it is safe to say that he wouldn't have protested the arrests even if others had. The author of the poem made the choice to side with the oppressors. Even if the majority were to go and protest, Niemoller wouldn't be able to differentiate the right from the wrong. In the text, Niemoller displays little to no understanding of how terrible the oppressors were. However, when the time came and the Nazis came for him, Martin became a activist that advocated against the Nazi regime. From the experience, Niemoller was able to somewhat understand the other communities that had undergone the same sort of oppression. If it wasn't for his experience, Niemoller wouldn't have protested the arrests.

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Yanett Omer: In the context of the poem, by following the crowd you lose the empathetic human decency that is needed to change the world. I do believe that the narrator failed to speak up because others did not. He failed to speak up because no one was daring enough to do whats right. They cared mostly that these multiple tragic experiences are not targeted at them. I don't think that is community knew what was right and what was wrong, they weren't interested to find out. The narrator would have protested the arrests if others were first. In the poem, he repeatedly mentions why he did not speak out for others. He explains, " First they came for the communists and I did not speak out Because I was not a communist" ( Niemoller ). His excuse for remaining a bystander was because he was not apart of the group that was targeted. Thus, the consequences of speaking out might have been horrendous, but you will be remembered for trying.

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Elizabeth Davis: The effects of following the crowd is that nothing gets done unless the majority are doing something. I think that the narrator failed to speak up, not only because others did not, but also because speaking up could have affected his own well being. He didn't want to risk losing his peaceful lifestyle for the sake of possibly helping another's. It is possible that if others would have spoken up, then perhaps the author would have found the courage to do the same, but it isn't guaranteed because the possibility of him jeopardizing his well being still stands. Many tend to ignore others' suffering, without thinking, or hoping that they will never become the focus of the persecutors' wrath, but they are proved wrong, just as the author says, "Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me". This quote is the result of the indifference that we present in the face of oppression. The result is an endless cycle of oppression that eventually sweeps up every individual.

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Gwenyth Haas                                                     Yes, I believe that if others had spoken out, the narrator would have spoken out as well. However, this might have also been the cause of no one speaking out. There is a thing called the Bystander Effect, where if others are present, one is less likely to help a victim. This, is likely what happened to everyone. Everyone thought someone else would help the victim instead of them, leaving them to suffer. So in this context, it seems to be that no one wanted to take the first move, and everyone followed the bystander effect. This only leads to suffering, and when everyone didn't take the first step, no one did.

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Aryan Punj
Following the crowd can lead to many people being hurt, those who are not following the crowd and those who are being targeted by the crowd. No I think he would have spoken out if he truly wanted to stop the deportations he would have spoken out. No i do not think so because he says,"  First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist Then they came for the Socialists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Socialist Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist Then they came for the Jews And I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew" (Niemoller).

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I think this is a huge example of following the crowd. As the author stated him self " Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak out for me" (Niemoller). Nobody bothered him so why should he care about other people and their rights when his were perfectly fine for the time being? This is all part of the larger picture society is faced with today. The rich have money and don't need to help the poor, police have the power so they can choose who they affect with it. It all falls apart once push comes to shove. Name?

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First They Came....
By Martin Niemoller
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me.