Missing
It's summertime, so stories of missing kids and young adults are everywhere, terrorizing mamas and highlighting the overt racism in the American media.
Stranger or dangerous relative/acquaintance abductions are very rare, but each year about 200 children are kidnapped by strangers, about 4,000 are abducted by someone outside the family, and about 300,000 go missing with a parent.
Fifty percent of abduction victims are age 12 or older, two thirds are female, and--contrary to what you'd gather by watching TV--about 30 percent are people of color.
When a friend's daughter disappeared, she called 911 immediately and then, in the few minutes she was waiting for the cops to show up, quickly cleaned the house and put on some make-up and a nice middle-class outfit that hid her tattoos. People do wacky things when they're stressed out, but her reaction was actually fairly logical. If your kid goes missing, you want to be telegenic. (The kid came back without mom having to get on the news, but you never know when you're going to need that sea-foam green blouse).
If you're white and upper-middle class, you've got a major head start with the media, but if they want to ignore your story for any reason, PUSH IT. CNN (including Nancy Grace) has finally started helping with the search for missing Philadelphia mama Latoyia Figueroa after pressure from progressive bloggers and the establishment of a reward fund (I donated. Did you?).
If you don't think your kid (or girlfriend or brother . . . ) has simply slipped out to smoke a cigarette, you've got to convince the cops of this and, fucked up as it is, you've got to convince reporters that you are of a clas that "matters" to the media. (If your kid HAS snuck out or run away, or if you don't know, of course you should also call the cops. Nothing like a swat team showing up at the park to gently remind your kid to LEAVE A FREAKIN' NOTE NEXT TIME. Also call the national runaway switchboard at 1-800-runaway).
If your child has been kidnapped by a parent you think is dangerous, PUSH the cops and the media to take the situation as seriously as they would a stranger abduction. Statistically speaking, violent fathers and mothers are much more dangerous to their children than strangers.
So here's what to do if a kid goes missing. Notably, if you suspect a predator abduction, you are the one who has to call the FBI.
If you want to get kind of freaked out, you can input your zip code here to get a list of the registered sex offenders in your neighborhood.
Stranger or dangerous relative/acquaintance abductions are very rare, but each year about 200 children are kidnapped by strangers, about 4,000 are abducted by someone outside the family, and about 300,000 go missing with a parent.
Fifty percent of abduction victims are age 12 or older, two thirds are female, and--contrary to what you'd gather by watching TV--about 30 percent are people of color.
When a friend's daughter disappeared, she called 911 immediately and then, in the few minutes she was waiting for the cops to show up, quickly cleaned the house and put on some make-up and a nice middle-class outfit that hid her tattoos. People do wacky things when they're stressed out, but her reaction was actually fairly logical. If your kid goes missing, you want to be telegenic. (The kid came back without mom having to get on the news, but you never know when you're going to need that sea-foam green blouse).
If you're white and upper-middle class, you've got a major head start with the media, but if they want to ignore your story for any reason, PUSH IT. CNN (including Nancy Grace) has finally started helping with the search for missing Philadelphia mama Latoyia Figueroa after pressure from progressive bloggers and the establishment of a reward fund (I donated. Did you?).
If you don't think your kid (or girlfriend or brother . . . ) has simply slipped out to smoke a cigarette, you've got to convince the cops of this and, fucked up as it is, you've got to convince reporters that you are of a clas that "matters" to the media. (If your kid HAS snuck out or run away, or if you don't know, of course you should also call the cops. Nothing like a swat team showing up at the park to gently remind your kid to LEAVE A FREAKIN' NOTE NEXT TIME. Also call the national runaway switchboard at 1-800-runaway).
If your child has been kidnapped by a parent you think is dangerous, PUSH the cops and the media to take the situation as seriously as they would a stranger abduction. Statistically speaking, violent fathers and mothers are much more dangerous to their children than strangers.
So here's what to do if a kid goes missing. Notably, if you suspect a predator abduction, you are the one who has to call the FBI.
If you want to get kind of freaked out, you can input your zip code here to get a list of the registered sex offenders in your neighborhood.
posted by Contact at 11:04 AM
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