We Live in a F@#$%d Up World

Tony Peters | March 21, 2008
These people should spend the rest of their lives getting the same treatment that were dishing out

Erik Bates | March 21, 2008
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Lori Lancaster | March 22, 2008
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Kelly Lee | March 22, 2008
It happens quite a lot, unfortunately. I mean the taking advantage and people treating people with developmental delays like they are dirt or worse.

I don't know the precise statistic, but I would guess about 95% of the girls at my last job (residential and school for handicapped kids) were sexually abused in one way or another. And these are children, and not children generally that were there because the state put them there. This was expensive nice, facility. These are loving homes. In fact, no girl can ever have a male staff there ever. Never to be alone with only male staff. And that's just the sexual part.

Do you think these people were knowingly killing someone, or do you think they were just treating the woman like she always was treated?

Amy Austin | March 22, 2008
Kelly, did you read or skim? Look at her picture! It made me want to cry... seriously. This is how people who abuse animals do it, too -- and it doesn't matter whether they do it knowingly or from ignorance... they did it because they *could* and because they are simple, low and hateful people taking advantage of an "inferior" being (i.e., one they could exert power over). You can see just from her picture that she was a gentle soul, and just to look at her and imagine the condition her body was in made me feel quite ill, the exact same way that seeing animal abuse makes me feel... like killing the people responsible for it in the exact same fashion that they deserve. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the male teenagers was the "father of the fetus", either.

The people you speak of taking advantage in those situations, Kelly, are predators -- plain and simple. They sought out and put themselves in a position that facilitates their ability to do what you speak of... just like this Riley woman "took in" the victim of this article and treated her like a dog while collected her f'king Social Security. No amount of "like she always was treated" can excuse their behavior, because even people of extremely low intelligence can formulate an ethical standard of "right" and "wrong" (I'm sure that Dixon knew her own right from wrong, if nothing else about that of her tormentors) -- this is plain unconscionable.

Eric Wallhagen | March 24, 2008
Yikes... I don't even have any words for this one. To be so ignorant and arrogant to do all those things to another person, without so much as even a shred of remorse... Sick. Just sick.

Amy Austin | March 29, 2008
I hope I didn't chase Kelly into silence with my passionate comment... I didn't mean to. ;-(

Kelly Lee | March 30, 2008
Sorry, I tend to drift away from the site occasionally, it's not you chasing me off. I'm just, "ohh, shiney" to my next project.

I think I'm just too jaded to let something like this shock me. People do this sort of thing a lot. It's the stuff that hits the newspapers that grabs our fickle attention span for a moment and we all cry a little tear for that girl. Oh how sad. We care for ten seconds, then, like me, we are all off to our new "ohh, shiney."

What you don't understand is that this happens every single day. She's not the only girl who is mentally handicapped who was beaten and raped by her family members. We call the people who do this "animals" and that "they should be treated that way" in our momentary anger. And yes, something should be done to stop them from ever doing this again. You want to know what horrors humankind, parentkind can do its offspring?

These are some examples of children I've worked with. These aren't exaggerations. This is the history of these kids that I witnessed firsthand, or I've read about in their files.

A. A kid, at a public school. His grandma is his caretaker, kid is mentally retarded, in middle school, mental age of about a 3 year old. Grandma drops him off to school, school is on busy street, Grandma drops him off on the other side of it from the school. Kid bolts across street, doesn't look where he's going and gets hit by a car. GRANDMA SEES THIS AND DRIVES AWAY. School has to call grandma many times before she answers and allows him begrudgingly to be taken to the hospital. He has a broken arm. When he comes back to school, he doesn't have a cast, but it's obvious that he needs one, He has a sling, and that's it. 6 months pass. He still doesn't have a case, arm is starting to become regrown (big obvious bone sticking out under skin in middle of arm. Teacher makes numerous calls to grandma. Grandma promises that he is going to get a cast. Never does. Child ends school year with his arm STILL in a sling, complains it hurts a lot. No follow up.Call to authorities eventually was made. I witnessed this firsthand.

B. Father raped and pimped out daughter (since she was 5) to male members of her family.

C. Biological parents abused child, child placed in adoptive home. Mother in that home goes to jail for sexually molesting her own children. She gets out of jail and becomes ward of that child again.

D. Mother rapes daugher, looses custody. Chases child across the US trying to get her back.

E. Child sleeping in drawer.

F. Child not eating anything outside of breakfast and lunch given away during school day. Never taught hygeine skills, completely ignored at home. Does not speak .

G. Son is forced to go with father on custody weekend. Father attempts to choke son to death with a rubber hose. Son later tries to kill himself with a screwdriver.

And I can go on and on. I'm frankly more disgusted at the fact that no one is doing anything about it. it's not a few cases. It's thousands and thousands of cases. Cry for the moment for that girl, but for fuck's sake do something to help that not happen again.

They are predators. But do you think the people who did it thought for ONE MOMENT that what they were doing was wrong? If so, why did they continue? You want sick fucks? Look at "humanity" we cry for a moment for whatever is in the spotlight for ten seconds. Deal with the real problem. Do something about it, because if this case terrifies you, theres hundreds more that are even worse.

Amy Austin | March 30, 2008
I think I'm just too jaded to let something like this shock me. People do this sort of thing a lot.
...theres hundreds more that are even worse.

I had no doubts about any of these things... but how are we supposed to "do something about it"??? Do you feel like you are (or were) dealing with "the real problem"?... or only cleaning up after it. People can be jaded whether they're effecting real change or not... but I don't think I could play any role in it that would make me feel less badly than for those "ten seconds" (it was a lot longer than that for me, btw -- this has been on my mind off and on for days now... and at a time that I least need it) -- on the contrary, I think I'd be much worse off if I were exposed to this sort of thing on any kind of a regular basis. Maybe it would do my overly sensitive self some good to get jaded... or maybe I'd just kill myself. Put simply... I don't know how you chose to do this, but I don't think I could, and I'm not sure what good it'd do anyway. (See? Jaded... without even lifting a finger.)

Perhaps you'd like to share instead some of the reasons that you think are worth it... something that inspires you or makes you feel that you are helping? Or what things you think can be done to change anything... what do you think can be done that isn't being done now? Who are the people that can do anything about it, and why do you think they aren't doing it? Is it a lack of ideas or funding? Is there anything above "a letter to your Congressman" that you think the average citizen outside of this particular system can do about any of it??? I am interested to know.

Scott Hardie | August 22, 2008
This story has haunted me all day.

Samir Mehta | August 22, 2008
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Tony Peters | August 22, 2008
I have been involved in 2 investigation like that ...both haunt me to this day...I had to stop reading when I got to the part about t5he girl on the bed

Samir Mehta | August 22, 2008
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Scott Hardie | August 25, 2008
Sorry, wasn't trying to bum anybody out. I was more moved by her positive progress at the end of the story than by the neglect she suffered at the beginning. Here's hoping she learns speech – it seems like she's one Miracle Worker-like breakthrough away – and has the most normal life she can from here on.

The title of this TC discussion never gets old: More evil parents.

Amy Austin | August 26, 2008
Ullcchh... as if it wasn't sick enough, that text message just puts it over-the-top sick for me -- I cannot *believe* how a 25-year-old mother can say something like what the article says she did... I seriously hope, as messed up as it sounds, that she is a long-time victim herself to have such a twisted mentality. "Good God!" seems like quite the inadequate sentiment here.

As for the Dani story, I am with Scott... it started out pretty badly, but I also found redemption in the rest. Call me easy, but I am grateful for what passes as a "happy ending" -- I suppose I might can say the same for these two young girls being saved from life-devastating prostitution... though I think I would be infinitely happier if it also involved a fatal accident for the "mother" and bf -- unlike the story that started this discussion, where there was absolutely no sense of justice gratification/redemption whatsoever.