First off, I’m sincerely sorry for the family of Valerie Hamilton, the 23-year-old daughter of a police chief who’s lifeless body was found in a storage unit. What happened to her was unjust, uncalled for and just a horrible thing all the way around. It’s a sad shame anyone in our society has to endure anything so awful.
But as the news rolled in about her disappearance, her death and then the hunt for the man suspected of murdering her, I couldn’t help but wonder if every missing or murdered person gets the same amount of police and media coverage.
Take this snippet from Qcitymetro.com:
Monroe said information from witnesses “and some exhaustive work by detectives” guided CMPD much of the way.Harvey’s arrest came hours after Hamilton’s father, joined by Concord Mayor Scott Padgett, asked viewers of ABC’s “Good Morning America” to help Charlotte-Mecklenburg police catch the man suspected of killing his daughter.
“I just want to get this guy now,” Merl Hamilton said, his voice breaking several times. “I want to ask my law enforcement brothers and sisters across the country to help with this.
“I’m trying to stay strong. They know what it means, because the cameras are on, but they took my daughter, guys.
“Play it straight, play it by the rules, but you all get out there and find this guy for me. When it comes back my way, I’ll pay you back.”
Read more here.
What does that mean, exactly? Is the police chief essentially admitting the police work harder on some cases than others?
And, this has to be said: Are we, as a society, more riveted when white women and children are missing or murdered than, say, African-American people or Hispanic people? There’s even a name for the phenomenon: “Missing White Woman Syndrome.” Think Lacy Peterson and Natalee Holloway. Around the same time Peterson, who was pregnant, went missing, at least two other pregnant women — both minorities; one African American, one Hispanic — also went missing. Do you know their names?
It’s difficult to say for sure if Missing White Woman Syndrome is a real thing, in part because no two missing person or murder cases are exactly alike. But, in Valerie’s case, the media coverage and the police chief’s statements make you wonder.
Of course, in this instance, the victim was the daughter of a policeman. I think it’s fair to say any father would do anything within his power to find his daughter and bring those who violated her to justice, that includes offering favors to peers who go out of their way to locate a murder suspect. Is that ethical? Well. That’s not for me to decide. I can image, however, that not one single moment of this can be easy for him, or anyone else involved, and I don’t blame him for doing everything he can on his daughter’s behalf … as any father would.
At the same time, every person in our society deserves our best efforts -— regardless of who their parents are or their socio-economic background. We can, and should, do better to ensure every crime victim receives equal treatment by law enforcement officials, the judicial system and the media.
What are your thoughts? Is Missing White Woman Syndrome a real thing?
Here’s more about Missing White Woman Syndrome:
Rhiannon “Rhi” Bowman is an independent journalist who contributes snarky commentary on Creative Loafing’s CLog blog four days a week in addition to writing for several other local media organizations. She will be a guest on WFAE’s “Charlotte Talks” program Sept. 23rd where she’ll discuss coal ash. She’ll also be live-Tweeting from TEDxCharlotte Sept. 24. Additionally, she’s on the steering committee for the Greater Charlotte Society of Professional Journalists. To learn more, click the links or follow Rhi on Twitter.
This article appears in Sep 21-27, 2010.
I think you have two separate stories here that you are trying to make one big issue and it doesn’t work. First is that the chief of police asked his fellow police officers to work hard to find his daughter. I don’t blame him. If I lost my daughter, you can bet I’d be calling in any favor I could to get people working on finding her. The chances of a missing person being found alive are greater in the first few days after the person has gone missing. The chief of police asking other police officers to help find his daughter had nothing to do with the color of his daughter’s skin.
The second issue you raise, the Missing White Woman Syndrome, isn’t really an issue. Meaning, it is an issue created by and reported on by the mainstream media. People who watch the news aren’t the ones who decide what abduction or murder stories are going to be covered. It is the particular news media that decides and if they think stories about missing white women are going to sell advertising and attract viewers, that’s what is going to be reported on.
Shame on you for even posting an article like this. Resorting to the “race card” is totally inappropriate in this horrible situation.
Perfect, just what Charlotte needs a little more racial divide.
Maybe that’s why Chief Monroe returned from vacation he felt that CMPD was giving too much attention to a white woman?
Ms. Bowman,
First paragraph – it’s “WHOSE”, not “who’s”.
Second-to-last paragraph – it’s “I would IMAGINE”, not “I would image”.
Looks like CL’s editor hired you because you’re a black/liberal/female writer, not because you’re a competent writer.
I agree, that if anyone is at fault it’s the media. I agree with SP’s point, the public watches what is being presented.
As for working hard on missing people, I would like to think every PD in every county, what have you works hard no matter what race. Do I think cops will go the extra mile for one of their own. Damn straight. And I can understand that. If anyone should have a gripe about the media white women are given, it should be men. Men in general are hardly ever focused on in the media when they go missing.
Wow, some of the responses here make me cringe! Such bitterness and hate, TheObamessiah! You need help for that. It is not healthy.
Of course Missing White Woman Syndrome is real. You can’t blame it on the media, either – they know which stories sell and which don’t. They report those stories because they are what their audience wants.
People, stop blaming the media (how convenient!) for everything. They are a reflection of us. Denying that won’t make it any less true.
They may receive more coverage but their lurid last hours and how they were raped, tortured or mutilated at the hands of their captor are frequently told in shockingly glorifying detail. They are violated by their murderers and the press over and over afterwards. Male victims are accorded much more respect with details of their private and sexual lives kept to an absolute discretion. Pretty, White, middle-class women are afforded no such discretion, even in death.
Instead of analysing or speculating why the media chooses to focus on pretty, middle-class white-women as opposed to men (both white and black) and Black women, why don’t we ask the more disconcerting question, WHY IS IT THAT WE AS CONSUMERS ACTUALLY DEMAND TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE DISAPPEARANCE AND MURDER OF PRETTY, WHITE, MIDDLE-CLASS WOMEN???
Perhaps this is the most disturbing question of all..