IN WASHINGTON DC OVER A PERIOD OF LESS THAN TWO WEEKS,
10 BLACK AND LATINO PEOPLE HAVE BEEN REPORTED MISSING.
THERE WAS
AN ADDITIONAL TWEET WITH
THE SOME OF THE ORIGINAL 10 WERE
FOUND AND SINCE THEY ARE MINORS THEY ARE NOT PROVIDING
INFORMATION AS TO WHAT HAPPENED.
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT MOVE
BECAUSE UNTIL NOW SUCH A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THOSE THAT
DISAPPEAR AND THAT BEING
RUNAWAYS.
NOW THAT IS THE NEW PROTOCOL FOR REPORTING MISSING
PERSONS, THERE IS GOING TO BE A NEW TWITTER HANDLE FROM THAT
DEPARTMENT.
>>SOME PROMINENT AFRICAN-AMERICANS ON SOCIAL
MEDIA ARE CONCERNED THAT ON A DAY LIKE TODAY WITH THE POSSIBLE
KIDNAPPING OF ELIZABETH THOMAS, IT GETS SO MUCH PRESS COVERAGE
THAT IT IS DISPROPORTIONATE.
NOT ONLY ARE BLACK GIRLS NOT GETTING
ENOUGH HELP IN BEING FOUND AS MUCH AS THE MORE HIGHLY
PUBLICIZED CASES LIKE ELIZABETH THOMAS.
BUT THERE MIGHT BE SOME
ASSUMPTIONS THAT GO INTO THAT
COVERAGE.
THEY CAN SAY IT IS A BAD NEIGHBORHOOD HENCE THEY ARE
MORE LIKELY TO RUN AWAY FROM
ISSUES THAT COME UP.
SOMETIMES THAT IS TRUE, AND SOMETIMES THAT
IS THEIR ASSUMPTION.
I THINK THAT IS AN
UNFAIR ASSUMPTION FOR
A LOT OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN
GIRLS THAT ARE MISSING THAT COULD USE THE HELP THAT FURTHER
ATTENTION GIVES.
SECOND OF ALL IF YOU HAVE THE ELIZABETH THOMAS
SITUATION WHERE SHE WAS SAID TO HAVE BEEN KISSING THE TEACHER
BEFORE THEY LEFT TOGETHER, AND SHE WAS SAID TO HAVE ñ HER
FATHER SAID THERE WAS EXCHANGE MESSAGES ON THE PHONE, DOES THAT
EXCUSE ANY OF THE THINGS THE TEACHER DID?
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
DOES THAT MAKE THE SITUATION BETTER?
NO.
BUT IF THAT WAS AN
AFRICAN-AMERICAN GIRL FROM A POOR NEIGHBORHOOD AND THEY SAID
WELL, SHE DID KISS THAT GUY AND SHE WAS EXCHANGING MESSAGES WITH
HIM, ARE YOU POSITIVE THEY WOULDN'T JUST SAY IT WAS A
RUNAWAY?
>> I THINK THIS GOES TO THE NOTION OF WHICH VICTIMS ARE
FRAMED AS VICTIMS AND WHICH GROUPS OF PEOPLE ARE FRAMED AS
CULPABLE IN TERMS OF WHY THEY
ARE MISSING.
I THINK EVEN FRAMING THINGS OR PEOPLE AS
RUNAWAYS ñ RUNNING AWAY FROM WHAT?
IT STILL MIGHT REQUIRE
SOME TYPE OF POLICE INTERVENTION.
IT DOESN'T ABSOLVE
YOU FROM HAVING TO DO YOUR JOB BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU THINK MIGHT
HAVE POSSIBLY HAPPENED.
THAT IS
NOT HOW YOU POLICE OR DO YOUR JOB.
>> I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT.
YOU ARE RIGHT.
OF COURSE IT IS BAD
EITHER WAY.
IF THE 13-YEAR-OLD ACTUALLY RUNAWAY, HURRY UP AND
FIND HER BECAUSE THE YOUNGER YOU ARE THE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE YOU ARE
TO AN OLDER PERSON GETTING YOU INVOLVED IN THINGS LIKE SEX
TRAFFICKING ETC.
GO FIND HER.
>>THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME TYPE OF SOCIAL WORK THAT COMES AFTER
THAT.
THERE IS SOMETHING THAT IS DONE AFTERWARDS WHEN YOU FIND THESE
PEOPLE?
>> IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULD DO LESS AND FINDING ELIZABETH
THOMAS, BUT YOU SHOULD ALSO DO AS MUCH TO FIND ALL THESE GIRLS.
A STUNNING FACT IN THIS ARTICLE THAT IS UNBELIEVABLE.
THEY SAID
40% OF CONFIRMED SEX TRAFFICKING
VICTIMS ARE BLACK.
AND ACCORDING TO A 2013 REPORT FROM THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, 56% OF THE CONFIRMED LABOR TRAFFICKING
VICTIMS ARE LATINA.
WHAT?
THAT IS 96% BLACK AND LATINA.
WHEN
PEOPLE IN THOSE GROUPS SAY YOU MIGHT WANT TO PAY ATTENTION HERE
BECAUSE OUR GROUPS ARE GETTING VICTIMIZED AT A MUCH LARGER
RATE, THAT IS A GIANT ISSUE.
IT IS NOT JUST COMPLAINING, IT IS
SAYING CAN WE GET HELP.