Americans need a good scandal to keep them preoccupied in the summer. So with a slew of rapes, abductions and brutal murders for America’s little girls in the summer of 2002, we weren’t disappointed.
The inebriated Bush twins sobered up, the Chandra Levy case was solved and “American Idol” seemed to be the only game in town for a while. Yawn. Instead of something juicy, we have been inundated with coverage on the crummy old war on terror for more than a year.
No wonder America became so
romanced with stories of violent child abductions — of little, rich white girls. For months, the media jumped all over any story fitting this rigid racial profile faster than you could say “JonBenet.”
Abduction stories of Elizabeth Smart, Danielle van Dam and Samantha Runnion were at the forefront of media concern for months. The drama in Oregon City involving Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis gained national attention and became water-cooler gossip nationwide.
But Gaddis and Pond didn’t fit the mold for what is front page-worthy because they were relatively poor. But their real-life murder mystery was unique inasmuch as they were classmates, lived in the same apartment complex and were eventually buried in a shed and under a concrete slab in their neighbor’s yard.
But what about the stories of children like 13-year-old Laura Ayala, who disappeared in March when she left her Houston home to buy a newspaper at a gas station? Or 2-year-old Jahi Turner, who disappeared in April while playing at a park in San Diego — the same city where Danielle van Dam was abducted and killed? How about Alexis Patterson, 7, who vanished in May on her way to school in Milwaukee?
These children never made national headlines. Ayala is Hispanic and Turner and Patterson are both black. Is race the only reason why these children were ignored? Well, Erica Pratt, 7, a black girl from Philadelphia, made CNN. But then again, her story was unique because she fought off and escaped her attackers.
We splash images of white victims all over the 5 o’clock news but never extend the courtesy to minorities. Not only are the abducted boys and girls of America victims of horrible crimes, but also they have to contend from the get-go with an inherently racist media to get out their story.
To solve the problem, why don’t we just stop featuring abduction stories altogether? The phenomenon is nothing new.
According to CNN, FBI statistics show child abduction rates have actually decreased in recent years. In 1998, when such statistics were first kept, 115 abduction cases by someone outside the family were investigated. In 2001, the number of investigations dwindled to 93.
So much media coverage has desensitized at least me (and maybe potential criminals) to the severity and horror of the crimes. With all the attention, it seems kidnapping, raping and murdering little girls is actually kind of popular. And it’s nothing I haven’t watched on prime time television for years.
Even though blatantly biased victim-based media sensationalism is perpetuating the problem, it wouldn’t have any dog to wag if there weren’t predators acting out in the first place. But their stories — and punishments — don’t make headlines either.
An exception may be made for sick old Ward Weaver III. He has been charged with the deaths of Pond and Gaddis. But will his near-inevitable death penalty serve as a deterrent to other criminals? Chances are, other predators won’t bother following Weaver’s fate. They’ll be too busy stalking their next victim, and the cycle will continue.
You say an 8-year-old white girl was raped and murdered in her own bedroom and there are no suspects? After this summer, I wouldn’t even blink an eye.
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