WildOrchid
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- Oct 5, 2019
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Excellent post!
Lots of good info in this article. I found 3 major take-aways.
1) It's interesting that both Hispanic and non-Hispanic locals mention prevalent distrust in the community of LE. I don't know what can be done about this within Bridgeton, but it's a clear illustration of the difficulty in putting toothpaste back in the tube. Once that level of distrust exists toward LE, you can't fix it with a few verbal reassurances and press conferences. It takes a lot of consistently positive engagement, and time for the positive interactions to be recognized as the norm. Especially when multiple agencies are involved. Trust is a fragile thing and once it's broken it's not going to be a quick fix, even if people know they may have to rely on the distrusted party some day.
2) Also of note: the public simply doesn't know what they can do to help. The quote from Abelina Cardoza is telling – she doesn't think posting on social media is necessarily enough, but she doesn't know what else she can do. I think this feeling of not knowing how to take effective action in the wake of an outrageous crime is common, and some guidelines for civilians who want to aid police could be helpful. When police do public outreach it usually on precautions to take against becoming crime victims, which is all well and good. But when a suspected crime with a still-endangered victim has occurred already, ordinary people often want to know how they can assist with rescue or advocacy, without getting in the way of LE investigators and professional efforts. It's not that they want to play at being cops, but some people really do want to be useful to both a stressed police force and a person or family in crisis – without winging it and making more of a mess of things.
Yet we rarely see any official guidance on that, are rarely told (for example) to come in and get vetted in advance of a situation, or educated about procedures and protocols so we can assist effectively from the outset. So we fall back to marches and vigils and social media blasts, but those feel more symbolic than practical IMO, especially in the case of a child who vanished almost four months ago. Perhaps a list of effective tactics for non-LE 'concerned citizens' could be developed, to be posted in public buildings and grounds, schools, etc, so that from a young age children are exposed to this idea of a community partnership with LE.
3) Finally, Jackie Rodriguez seems utterly oblivious to the fact that her comments on Dr. Phil did far more damage than Noema's affect or words. I wish Noema could show a little of Jackie's passion and directness, that she could express herself in a way that draws attention, which seems to be Jackie's main talent. Then the family could break with Jackie, who is less a reliable advocate/spokesperson than a bomb-throwing, foot-shooting loose cannon.
Lots of good info in this article. I found 3 major take-aways.
1) It's interesting that both Hispanic and non-Hispanic locals mention prevalent distrust in the community of LE. I don't know what can be done about this within Bridgeton, but it's a clear illustration of the difficulty in putting toothpaste back in the tube. Once that level of distrust exists toward LE, you can't fix it with a few verbal reassurances and press conferences. It takes a lot of consistently positive engagement, and time for the positive interactions to be recognized as the norm. Especially when multiple agencies are involved. Trust is a fragile thing and once it's broken it's not going to be a quick fix, even if people know they may have to rely on the distrusted party some day.
2) Also of note: the public simply doesn't know what they can do to help. The quote from Abelina Cardoza is telling – she doesn't think posting on social media is necessarily enough, but she doesn't know what else she can do. I think this feeling of not knowing how to take effective action in the wake of an outrageous crime is common, and some guidelines for civilians who want to aid police could be helpful. When police do public outreach it usually on precautions to take against becoming crime victims, which is all well and good. But when a suspected crime with a still-endangered victim has occurred already, ordinary people often want to know how they can assist with rescue or advocacy, without getting in the way of LE investigators and professional efforts. It's not that they want to play at being cops, but some people really do want to be useful to both a stressed police force and a person or family in crisis – without winging it and making more of a mess of things.
Yet we rarely see any official guidance on that, are rarely told (for example) to come in and get vetted in advance of a situation, or educated about procedures and protocols so we can assist effectively from the outset. So we fall back to marches and vigils and social media blasts, but those feel more symbolic than practical IMO, especially in the case of a child who vanished almost four months ago. Perhaps a list of effective tactics for non-LE 'concerned citizens' could be developed, to be posted in public buildings and grounds, schools, etc, so that from a young age children are exposed to this idea of a community partnership with LE.
3) Finally, Jackie Rodriguez seems utterly oblivious to the fact that her comments on Dr. Phil did far more damage than Noema's affect or words. I wish Noema could show a little of Jackie's passion and directness, that she could express herself in a way that draws attention, which seems to be Jackie's main talent. Then the family could break with Jackie, who is less a reliable advocate/spokesperson than a bomb-throwing, foot-shooting loose cannon.