Not All Missing Persons Are Equal (especially when they're not white)

[Chauga]

As the search continues for Natalee Holloway in Aruba, the family of another missing woman expresses frustration.

A year ago this week, a 24-year-old African-American woman named Tamika Huston of Spartanburg, S.C., was reported missing by her family. Most who know all about Holloway, probably haven't heard of Huston, although her family has tried everything it could to get national media attention.

According to FBI statistics, African-Americans and other minorities make up a larger portion of missing victims than the media represents. However, cases like Huston's often get little attention.

Huston's aunt, Rebkah Howard, who is a public relations professional, tried to develop national concern by having her family distribute fliers, hold a press conference, and create a Web site to get mass media attention, but the story was primarily ignored.


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/06/17/earlyshow/living/main702549.shtml

[K8-EEE]

1. I Was Just Wondering The Other Day....

that white girls can't be the only ones missing!!

[wakeme2008]

2. A story like this was in yesterday's Tampa Tribune but they also

added rich... They had cases of white girls what never hit the papers.

http://www.tampatrib.com/News/MGB94L2D3AE.html

Jun 18, 2005
White, Pretty, Rich: Media Biased On Missing Persons
By MICHELLE BEARDEN
[e-mail]


Bonnie Lee Dages and her 4- month-old son, Jeremy, never made national news.

Their disappearance on April 28, 1993, barely made local news. The 18-year-old single mother and her son are just two more sad statistics, but not for their still-grieving family and friends

..more at Tampa Tribune...

[Endangered Specie]

3. Of course...

if you aren't
1 - Cute
2 - White
3 - Wealthy

Cute usually implies younger boys (not teenaged) and girls of all ages.

[raccoon]

28. Not older women, though. nt

[Warpy]

4. I'm sure if OJ Simpson's daughter disappeared

it would be just as overdone as the rich white suburban princess in peril stories have been. I think this is more a function of class than of color. Let's face it, black folks were held back by Jim Crow for 100 years after they were freed from slavery. Their access into the ranks of the super rich has been just as held back.

It also helps if the mom is presentable: nipped, tucked, exercised, bleached, and botoxed into acceptable condition for television, but basically this is a class issue.

Poor white women, even blonde ones, disappear all the time. They're completely ignored, too.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[pie]

7. It makes you wonder, doesn't it?

I am equally surprised by the Dutch lad's involvement in,
and attempted cover-up of, what is certain to be a heinous crime.
The son of a Dutch judge should certainly know better than this.

What the fuck were these people thinking?

[progressivebydesign]

8. That was harsh! Since when do we blame the victim around here??

Your comments remind me of the frustration women and girls have in life. WHY can't we go off anywhere we want with men? Men aren't worried when they go off after a night of drinking with each other? WHY is the world so dangerous for women? We should be able to jog at night, socialize with whom we want, and walk alone in an empty parking structure.. but we can't. Men have no clue what it's like to feel like a hunted animal most of the time. (I have no idea if you're male or female), but I would hope you'd show some compassion for that girl and her family. She was on vacation, she was young, she was naive, and probably had no idea that someone would do her harm.. You might want to rethink your bias against rich people.

[Bunny]

13. Oh, we blame the victim all the time around here.

Yes, we do. The poster you're responding to is a male, BTW, but women can be just as judgemental. And I think he's not only biased against the rich, but also against women in general. I mean, if we would just stay home, where we belong, then these bad things wouldn't happen to us. :eyes:

[spooky3]

31. Since the perpetrators are usually male, why not impose a curfew on

all men? While we're at it--why not allow police to stop any male before the curfew and search and arrest him for no reason other than they could commit a crime?

That makes more sense than blaming women for wanting to enjoy personal freedom but who are not as likely to commit a crime or harm others.

What's that I hear? Male (or female) DUers don't like this solution? Don't think it's fair? Then no one should be expecting women to curtail their activities either.

By the way, this approach was in a column by Miss Manners.

[Bunny]

37. I like it!

:applause:

It would never fly, of course, but I like it a lot!

[Child_Of_Isis]

21. "what it's like to feel like a hunted animal most of the time"

Very profound...and very true.

[fishwax]

38. I recently saw an episode of six feet under

from the third season. Each show begins with someone dying, and the death in this episode was a young woman who was being followed down a dark street by a group of catcalling guys. Obviously frightened, she started running into the street, but the group of guys turned out to be her "friends" playing a prank on her. They called out to tell her it was just them, but as she stopped she was hit by a car and killed.

The woman's mother said the boys were just shocked that she would think she had any reason to be afraid. At the funeral service, one of the boys talked about how she was so fearless--skydiving, rock climbing, etc.--and he just hadn't understood the fear inherent in, as the other poster put it, feeling like a hunted animal most of the time. It's kind of a digression, but your post just made me think of the episode, which made a nice point about the sense of safety that most men take for granted.

[atreides1]

22. But These Questions Remain Unanswered

Where were her friends, where were the chaperones? These are questions that need to be answered as well.

When I was in the Army we were told not to go downtown alone, and that we should travel in groups of at least two, and we were soldiers who had some training in self defense!!!!

I've seen her friends on TV, some who were down in Aruba with her, why didn't these kids, and they are kids, watch out for each other?

I truly feel sorry for her and her family, and if the three boys
who are being held for her disappearance are responsible, then I hope they get the punishment they deserve, according to Aruban law.

Women should not be afraid, and I don't know the answer. And I wish to God I did.

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Inland]

27. Not blaming for anything except making herself an opportunity for crime.

The reasons why those things can't be done is that there are a whole bunch of people looking for trouble, sometimes criminal trouble, at three o'clock in the morning coming out of bars.

That isn't an excuse for criminal behavior, or blaming her for a crime being committed against her. It's just a fact that crime and criminals exist, and the ones who are looking to commit crimes against women are right there at closing time. I understand that Aruba is a low crime place, but if you were looking for the few criminals...

I wouldn't state the obvious to her family, but in reality, people who don't think about where they are or what they are doing at that time and place are taking a stupid risk.

[spooky3]

32. I hope you never take your wallet along when you are out late at night.

You would be making yourself an opportunity for crime.

[Inland]

34. And I hope no crime happens to you, too.

So I hope you take some really simply steps to avoid making yourself an easy target, and that the cops do their part by catching and punishing criminals, hopefully before anyone else disappears.

Just saying.

[spooky3]

39. Thanks, but I think you're missing my point or don't want to see it.

It's just as unfair to blame women for having fun at night because a man might want to assault them, as it is to blame you for carrying around a wallet (or to tell you to dress down because a well-dressed guy looks as though he might have money, or to stay home) because someone might want to steal it.

I don't have a problem with advising all PEOPLE not to get drunk at night, or not to walk alone at 2 AM, etc., although others might. I do have a problem with advising women to stay in rather than advising men to do so.

[Inland]

42. But that can't be your point, because made a point to say I wasn't

blaming her for the crime, or absolving the criminal.

Nor did I limit my statement to women: I made it pretty clear that it was a time people were looking for trouble in those places at that time.

Nor was I advising women to "stay in". Who told women not to go out and have fun at night?

Rather, I was saying that some places and times are risky, that risk has to be assessed and avoided. Therefore, if you are a woman leaving a bar at three p.m., there is a danger getting into a car with three strange men. Furthermore, it would be a danger that a hypothetical man wouldn't share, since there is a characteristic for men to commit sex crimes against women.

It would be just as ridiculous to "blame" her as to "blame" a well dressed man walking down the street. But I don't blame, I merely state the obvious fact: a well dressed guy better not be stumbling drunk out of a bar at three o'clock in the morning in a bad neighborhood and get in a car with three strangers. Better to accept the world is unfair and take my advice than to end up a crime victim.

[spooky3]

43. Indeed it is my point. We'll just have to disagree.

[Inland]

44. About whether to take risks with crime? I hope not.

I don't understand how anyone can disagree about avoiding becoming a victim.

[GOPFighter]

33. WHY is the world so dangerous for women?

BINGO! This is something I, as a male, have pondered for ages. I have a wife, I have daughters, I know first hand how limited they are in their freedom to go places alone, especially at night. There are a lot of extremely insecure males in society. Some embrace guns to boost their egos, others attack women. Some do both.

[TheWraith]

40. No offense, but if you feel like a "hunted animal most of the time"

You may want to consider talking to a therapist. That's not normal, or healthy. There's nothing wrong with being cautious and not making yourself a target--I don't walk around in dark alleys waving my wallet. But if you can't feel safe in your normal life you may have bigger problems.

[tavalon]

45. Good point actually

We (women) have been trained from a young age to fear that way. I'm a travel nurse and I often travel across the country by myself. I use healthy caution but many people are shocked that I would even consider going by myself. Also, I work nights so I do most of my shopping etc. at night, mostly by myself. Again, I exercise healthy caution.

This fear and feeling like a "hunted animal" is a trained response and should be looked at.

[LisaL]

17. Yea, sure, lets blame the victim.

If you go anywhere with men, and get killed or raped, than it's your own darn fault!

[Piperay]

18. and some of them like Elizabeth Smart

are home in their beds minding their own business! x(

[amazona]

6. most adults are missing because they want to be

I doubt that Ms. Wilbanks is very happy about her white privilege which resulted in her being hounded in the press about having cold feet and running away from her wedding, which has resulted in a fine and criminal record for doing what women (and men) do every day of the week un-noticed.

I don't know the answer, but having EVERY missing adult -- thousands upon thousands of them -- on the national news media isn't it.

I agree that Ms. Huston's story, since they found her DNA and her blood, but not her body, should have gotten a higher profile.

[Joy Anne]

9. Wilbanks's disappearance

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking to someone from her hometown, who said, "Funny, she took off and disappeared twice before, and I don't think there was even anything in the newspaper, let alone CNN."

When there's no celebrity trial going on, our media need some glamorous story to avoid reporting news about Patriot Act renewal or the true unemployment data, which they see as too complicated and boring to bother with.

[LisaL]

19. Of course media does it on purpose. They don't want to cover

serious news, do they?

[liberalhistorian]

23. She didn't face criminal charges

because she ran away from her wedding, she was charged because she deliberately LIED about it and filed a false police report alleging kidnapping by (naturally) a hispanic male. She even made up the fact that it was a hispanic male and a white female in a blue late-model pick-up truck, among other "details." Something the police pounced right on. What if they had found a hispanic man in a blue pick-up truck before she 'fessed up?

It wasn't the fact that she ran away, but that she filed a false police report, which is a big no-no. Had she just phoned her family from NM and said she'd gotten cold feet and run but that she was coming home, or even not coming home, then there would have been no charges. She got a far lesser punishment than Joe or Jane Sixpack Schmoe from Kokomo would have gotten, that's for goddamned sure. There are two standards of justice in this country, one for the well-off and privileged, and one for the rest of us schmucks.

Although why the fuck this was national news for days totally escapes me. CNN really showed how it's sunk into total irrelevance with their coverage of that, ALL FUCKING DAY AND NIGHT for TWO DAYS. That Saturday Iraq was in flames all over, and over twelve Americans had lost their lives in a day of well-coordinated insurgent attacks throughout the country, and what did CNN and MSNBC and all of the other cable "news" have (especially CNN)? That's right, nothing but the goddamned runaway bride story, like CNN was a fucking tabloid or something. They even had a reporter on the plane with her returning home and they broke into the Larry King Live show just to announce that she and her fiance were insisting that the wedding was still on! I just couldn't believe it. And now she's getting a half million dollars for a book deal on the whole shebang, what total bullshit!

No wonder no one knows a goddamn thing in this country, because we never get any real news. Yep, there's that damned "librul" media for you! :sarcasm:

[Megahurtz]

35. Yeah, you're right.

Now she's making big bucks off of a moment of ridiculous and stupid madness that really nobody gives a damn about.:puke:

[clydefrand]

10. Finally, someone in MSM dare say what I've been saying for

years. It's time we give equal time to all missing people in this country or give none at all. I have contended for years now that only the white, pretty and more well off financially women are in the news when missing. And everyday hundreds of people in this country are missing and nary a word is spoken of them.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

11. Believe it or not, one of the wingnut radio shows here even noted this,

that the white damsels got attention and nary a tear shed or TV coverage for other "disappeareds", noting that there was something very wrong about this.

[manic expression]

12. People go missing all the time...

The Aruba story is just diversion, and its only getting attention because she's young, attractive and white. Doesn't make it any less tragic, but the way the media is treating this is ridiculous. It should be a local news story, tops.

People care about the young, pretty white girls, but what about the COUNTLESS others who go missing? I say we shouldn't give any disappearances too much attention whatsoever, leave it for the tabloids.

[Pithlet]

14. Yep. These should be local stories

at best. Alerts should be broadcast around the areas a child has disappeared, and stories about missing adults should be local interest. I don't understand why they make national news.

[Logician]

25. Faux News' O'Reilly Just Had an In-depth Report....

Was surfing the channels and up comes this in-depth report. Interviewing students who knew her, following the father of the young Dutch man who is the focus of investigation.

I could not help but think that this is such a trumped-up diversion from important news of our day-- DSM, ongoing stories on Gitmo abuse, the slow decline of Shrub in national polls on a number of issues, Rethugs attempting to take down Social Security as we know it!

And they spend all this time on the tube, and so much in print and on the Net on this poor young woman.

Now I do feel sad for her family and friends, and I am upset about her abduction and probably murder....

BUT, let's put her in perspective, what with all the people who disappear...I hope there are more folks out there who want the MSM to focus on real news that affects all of us....like they're gonna do it!

[Barkley]

36. FBI Stats show 25,389 men and 22,200 women listed as missing.

since May 1. According to the article. And those are just the people reported.

I agree, these stories are distractions. It cheap for the media to do interviews with relatives and friends than it is to get people to understand DSM.

Moreover, the media is pretty sure that they won't offend or upset 'the powers that be' by covering these nonesense stories.

[knowbody0]

15. teens in foster care go missing every day

NO COVERAGE!

[Piperay]

16. It also seems that attractive younger people

are covered more. I don't recall seeing old unattractive missing people given much coverage.

[LisaL]

20. Of course the good looking younger people are covered more.

Unless a missing person is a celebrity, would anybody be really interested if the missing woman wasn't attractive and young? Except for her relatives and friends, of course.

[Orion The Hunter]

26. RE: 2nd class citizens

Gene Robinson wrote a similar article about this "phenomena" in the Washington Post last week:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/09/AR2005060901729.html

And Mr. Robinson even had an online chat about his article here (a log of the event):

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2005/06/13/DI2005061301090.html

And yes, it is indeed sad that these children go missing, but it is utterly ridiculous that only a narrowed segment gets any media coverage while the rest are left to obscurity. Just another way of the news saying, "Sorry...if you are not white, we do not care that much about what happened to you and your love ones..."

[Miss Chybil]

29. They always run one of these stories to make themselves feel better

about ignoring the non-rich and/or non-white missing just before they go on ignoring them.

[redqueen]

30. I love how they're reporing this like it's a revelation.

Catch up already, whores.

[Horse with no Name]

41. I feel terrible for this family and what they are going through

HOWEVER, I also feel that too many resources are being devoted to this ONE person.
UNLESS every person that went missing received FBI assistance and extensive media coverage, then I don't think it should be allowed.
This girl should have known the dangers of going out alone in a foreign country alone.
Not to say that the problem of women having to be afraid isn't a valid one, but the sad truth is that women do have to be afraid so therefore they should take certain precautions.
I have read articles where the FBI is being asked to completely take over the case. How can that happen? IT is NOT our country, therefore they have NO jurisdiction.
In this case, I don't feel there is going to be a good outcome--not even a body to bury. My guess is that her body was taken out to sea and she became food for the sharks and barracudas.
Very very sad.