Missing 5-Year-Old Jhessye ShockleyThere are several striking similarities between the disappearances of 10-month-old baby Lisa Irwin and 5-year-old Jhessye Shockley. Both children are girls, both were last seen in their homes. Lisa has been missing for over a week, Jhessye has been missing for nearly a week. Police investigating both cases have been challenged by strings of dead-end tips and a lack of evidence in general. The mothers of both Lisa and Jhessye have made tearful televised pleas for their children's safe return.
Right about now you may be wondering why you haven't heard more about Jhessye Shockley, or maybe even why you haven't heard of her at all, when Lisa Irwin's story has been plastered all over the news.
The fact of the matter is, you probably haven't heard much about Jhessye Shockley because of the one striking difference between her and Lisa Irwin:
Lisa Irwin is white. Jhessye Shockley is black.
I know it's a hard and ugly truth to swallow, representative of a reality we don't want to believe exists anymore. But sadly, nothing else explains why the country is currently obsessed with finding Lisa Irwin and largely unaware that Jhessye Shockley is even lost.
We know everything there is to know about Lisa Irwin's mother, Deborah Bradley, from the details of her divorce to what she had to drink the night Lisa vanished. Meanwhile, Jhessye Shockley's mother was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2006 for "injury to a child" and deemed a "threat to the well-being of her children," and no one seems to know or care how or why she got out of jail early.
Jhessye's three siblings are now in the custody of Child Protective Services, while Lisa Irwin's two brothers are at home, being sheltered from the press.
The main thing, one might argue, is that both girls return home safely, not how much attention their individual cases get. But when it comes to missing children, often the higher profile a disappearance, the higher the likelihood that child will be found.
The situation is already tragic. Now it's tragically unjust.
Do you think Jhessye Shockley's race is the reason why she isn't getting as much attention as Lisa Irwin?
Image via Glendale, AZ Police Department
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Comments 1117
Oh look...Dr. Drew is reporting on a missing 10 year old BLACK child.......ohhh the racism!!
Jhessye has been missing for 1 week. Lisa has been missing for what? 3 weeks. I also live in AZ and this little girl is ALL OVER THE NEWS, STILL. The fact that Jyessye's Mom and her live-in boyfriend are both known criminals, has all of AZ worried and that is probably the reason the children have been removed from the home. Lisa's parents have no criminal record. There is no reason to remove the children from the home. The fact that one is white and another is black has nothing to do with news coverage. Both had Amber Alerts put out for them, both have had massive searches going on, Jhessye still has people searching for her. Not just the police. Will they be found safe, probably not. Will they be found alive, probably not. Who is to blame, Who knows. Maybe instead of sitting behind you glass cubicle, you need to get outside more often and actually relate/talk to real people and quit trying to start a race war with your onesided reporting.
white teen) because Cicciaro came over to fight his White's teenage son. White got off because he cried racism. Guess this is the world we live in now.
Really a conspiracy theory now, corporations are kidnapping little girls now. WOW! People are truly loosing their minds!! I completely agree with Jomama1955! It's not about the race of the kids, it's the fact that they are missing.
Is national guard called in for every child that goes missing? Is every child that goes missing reported all over the news in a media frenzy? I wonder how many kids of any color have gone missing this year whose names we dont even know.
I have to agree, its rare for me to see other local multi cultural children on the news, but I can see a caucasion person from the other side of the country? come on now lol Im not stupid, its racial.