Saturday, October 22, 2011

Grandmother Says Her Missing Child Being Ignored Because She's Black


Your Black World reports. 

A grandmother in Arizona says that the reason her grandchild hasn't gotten attention for her disappearance is because she is African American.  The girl has been missing for a week, and she has been begging the media to cover her child's disappearance.  Jahessye Shockley was last seen on October 11 and disappeared while her mother was out running an errand.


Police believe that the girl left the house through the front door, but have no suspects in her disappearance.  They've utilized more than 100 officers for the search and checked a 3-mile radius around the girl's house.  This has produced almost nothing.

Shirley Johnson, the girl's grandmother, went to the state capitol this week to bring attention to her grand child's disappearance. 

“The Glendale Police Department has not brought this to the forefront. They botched this investigation,” Johnson told reporters. “I believe it’s because she’s a little black girl.”




Glendale Police Sgt. Brent Coombs doesn't agree with the grandmother's assessment of the situation:

“What matters is there’s a 5-year-old girl missing,” he said. “It’s the department’s No. 1 priority. There’s so much mystery around it and we’ve got an obligation to get to the bottom of it and try our best to bring her back safely or find out where she’s at.”

The department is offering a $10,000 reward for information regarding the child's whereabouts.  The family is offering an additional $5,000 and another $1,000 is being offered by the Arizona witness tip line.


“It’s still as important as it was the first day that we were working the case,” Coombs said. “We’re never going to stop.”

26 comments:

Lucy Sells, Berkeley said...

I fear the grandmother is correct. This seems to be a pervasive media problem, rather than a police problem.

Anonymous said...

I've lived in Phoenix for 14 years and sadly it has always been a city of clicks. If you were not apart of the "in" crowd or knew someone with status in this city you tend to get a half smile and passed on to the next desk, etc. In the case with the Glendale Police Dept, I really think that they have done all that they actually "know" to do. The facts are clear no matter what anyone wants to admit. Someone knows something and is keeping it a deep dark secret right now surrounding this poor baby girls where abouts. I don't believe race is a factor with the police dept. I've seen them in action in the air all above my house keeping me awake with bright lights beaming down and reports have been on every single news station all day , evening and night. So the story is definitely out. Now it's nationwide, so I'm praying for God to intervene and stop this madness soon. Phoenix on the otherhand...one of the most divided, secret filled cities in Arizona. Shameful to live here. Mj

Anonymous said...

I also live in Phx. and that is NOT the case! I've not seen more that 2 signs posted in regards to this child and NO local news coverage. If this child was white, there would already be candlight vigils and 24/7 media coverage. It's actually the police AND the media that done an extremely poor job of getting this out nationally.

Anonymous said...

@MadysiinJournals,

Oh my! Is Phoenix really like that?! It's funny you say so, because this is the city I was interested in moving too for quite some time. Eventually I changed my mind, because its too dry (climate wise). Socially, it seems dry too.

Promo codes queen said...

Sadly, she is absolutely correct. I live in Kansas City where little Lisa Irwin is missing. Lisa Irwin's case is all over the media. It was national within just a couple of days. It is important that ALL missing child cases like this be given enough coverage so that maybe we can help bring them home. As I said, I live in Kansas City. If I saw Jahessye somewhere here, I would have no idea she was the missing child from Arizona BECAUSE IT ISNT IN MEDIA NATIONALLY. How sad. And I believe that race does have to do with it. Btw, I am white. You have Lisa Irwin's story now WORLDWIDE ( I was able to find articles all the way in the United Kingdom!) and yet hardly anyone knew anything about little Jehessye missing. So sad!

Anonymous said...

Why is there no detailed information about the girl and perhaps a photo? What's the point for an article like this, if it itself does not attempt to help find the girl and bring her back?

Anonymous said...

Well if the media covers it and asks why a 5 year old is left home alone while the grandmother is out they will be cries that they ask the question because she is black. Who was with the child? There is not much info in even this article about the missing child. Playing the race card at every turn has its draw backs.

LarryJ said...

Children and adults go missing in The United States everyday and very few get national media attention. and it's the News Media whom decide what stories are newsworthy. It's all about ratings and public interest. And yes, race is a factor in determining what news goes national. A cute little blond blue eyed White kid, would get more media than a little brown eyed, black haired Black or Hispanic kid. And Asian kids, do not exist. LarryJ

WeRalldoingTime said...

I pray she is found safe~prayers to Jahessye 's mother & family & friends~~ it is always best to leave comments under every news article to speak on this !! http://articles.cnn.com/2011-10-21/justice/justice_arizona-missing-girl_1_missouri-girl-arizona-girl-baby-lisa?_s=PM:JUSTICE

WeRalldoingTime said...

Posted on facebook,description I read on the cnn justice article~~Missouri ~~On the day she disappeared Jahessye was left home with her 13-, 9- and 6-year-old siblings, police said. The children have been interviewed separately by experts and have maintained that they do not know what happened to her, Glendale,Missouri, police Sgt. Brent Coombs has said.
An $11,000 reward has been offered in the case.
Jahessye is described as a black female about 3 feet 5-inches tall, 55 pounds with black hair in a ponytail and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, blue jean shorts and pink sandals.
Anyone with information about Jahessye's disappearance is asked to call the Glendale Police Department at 623-930-HELP (4357).
Is there a picture of Jahessye,so people can know what she looks like?

Anonymous said...

Go to the "Blackand Missing" web site to see her photo and all the information you need. They have ALL 50 states of the Black and Missing, both males and females. I posted this information in the comments section at the beginning of this story. this site is set up poorly and misleading. Hard to post anything anymore.

bnance

Anonymous said...

Go to the "Blackand Missing" web site to see her photo and all the information you need. They have ALL 50 states of the Black and Missing, both males and females. I posted this information in the comments section at the beginning of this story. this site is set up poorly and misleading. Hard to post anything anymore.

bnance

Anonymous said...

i am so sick of this RACE card being pulled and used. I have a blog and will soon be done with this story if the granny keeps the race card out there. This mother has a history of abusing her kids. The grand mother says “I just don’t think she’ capable of that, to do anything to her child. I just can’t see that.”
Really granny...but you knew she was capable of whipping her children with electrical cords?

msladyDeborah said...

A lot of time is spent on pointing out what the mainstream media does not do when a person of color is missing. I find myself feeling somewhat frustrated because we have access to the internet and if they won't do it, then it is up to us. Even our media sources do a poor job of reporting on missing people.

We are on line and there are enough media based publications, bloggers and members of social media sites that could work together to share information.

If we do not use our resources to help us, then we are just complaining about the obvious. We have to really consider that we have the tools to communicate and share information. If they don't do it--it is really on us to take charge!

Anonymous said...

That's what the "Black and Missing web site has done!!! We were always independent before "integration," destroyed us.

Please look at the site I mentioned above.

bnance

Anonymous said...

I guess Vinnie Politan too busy covering a case of a guilty man(Dr Conrad Murray)Nancy Grace too busy asking for people to vote for her on dancing with the stars and everybody else worrying about what going on over there in Libya.

Anonymous said...

who leaves a 5 year old child home alone ? the grandmother is at fault and should be a major suspect

Anonymous said...

I have had it with my Black People, we keep relying on the media to help us. The media is not there for us unless we are calling black women B's, holding our private area, spewinging profanity,smoking weed or JUmping around like Monkeys.What need to happen was the same thing the Jews did when one of theirs went missing, black people from all over needed to start a search. Picket the police station and bring the media's attention. We are all TALK and NO ACTION...

Anonymous said...

Where's Nancy Grace in this case since she reported on Natalie Holloway nearly two years that lead to an arrest and criticized The Aruba Police Dept. It is clear that this child is not blonde and has blue eyes. The media is the blame for lack of media coverage. However, we are to blame because we have not made this a national issue and just accept it as "that's just the way it is". I am furious.

Anonymous said...

I'm sick and tired of people saying that THIS ALLEGED RACE card is being played. A race card an animal cruelty card a sex discrimination card...NONE OF THESE CARDS would be played, if there weren't cards on the table. It is common sense and evident that little white kids get immediate attention and worldwide coverage when they go missing. The same goes for White Women vs Black women. How many times do you have to see this for you all to actually believe it. So what is your excuse for the alarmingly high percentage of Black kids not getting attention across the country, yet we always hear about little white kids who lives hundreds and hundreds of miles away from us. And we should hear of those kids, because HOW THE HELL ELSE are we going to help find them. But the same should be done for little black kids and Hispanic kids. This is wrong and it is even more wrong for certain white people to always want to cry RACE CARD RACE CARD RACE CARD. It is almost like you all want these kids to get no media coverage. Check your hearts, the next time you decide to post. Because believe me GOD knows what your heart TRULY consists of.

Anonymous said...

OK. So how about everyone who posted comments about the missing child, send those comments to their respective TV stations....including you Dr. Boyce......let's force the media to publicize this news story....in the north east we have a Megan's Law. Megan's Law will publicze nation-wide alerts of missing children!

Anonymous said...

Nothing like the missing baby Lisa in Missouri. That child's face has been on tv every morning and evening. They've done several interviews with the parents and family members. The Today Show even sent a reporter to the child's home to show the nursery and what they believed happened the night she was allegedly abducted. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44784274/ns/today-today_news/t/mom-missing-mo-girl-we-just-want-our-baby-back/#.TqWYL7Jtljg

Anonymous said...

Racism is alive and well in America. The little girls wasn't home alone but left with her older siblings. There is a photo of the little girl too. Every time I see a stories feature on a missing white person espeically white women and white babies on every news channels, I always wonder about the missing people of color who do not get this type of national and international news coverage. It's a dayum shame. A person race shouldn't matter. It's sad to say but the grandmother is so correct. Until I read this article, I would have never know this little sweet, pretty, little girl was missing. Media shouldn't feature a stories base on race. I am so a saden to hear people say the the grandmother is using the race card when a little girl is missing. We all know in our hearts of hearts that since whites are the majority. Whites people that are missing get more media attentions because they're white. All I have been hear is about baby Lisa nothing about this little girl missing. Sad!!!!!! Stop the hate and racism. Let's find these missing, children, person etc regardless what race they are and put all these stories on the national news.

Anonymous said...

Race matters in America. The important thing is a little girl is missing in AZ. Jahessye should get the same media attention as baby Lisa.

Anonymous said...

People write and complain to cable news stations who do not feature stories of missing people of color and write Nancy Grace.

Junior said...

I do agree, the News Media tends to negate covering missing children of color, I even signed up for Amber alerts, and all you hear about is Caucasian children. Not they do not count, but let's be fair, ALL children are improtant, but obviously not so to main stream Media, because this is about the third indicent I have heard about thanks to Black World Network that I would never have known about if not for them, BUT at the same time, I am a little suspicious because the article says she disappeared while her mother was out on an errand. WHO WAS THERE WITH THE CHILD?.