Natalee Holloway and Latoyia Figueroa: A Study in Contrasts
While FOX News, MSNBC and CNN still have tons of correspondents in Aruba examining every new development in the Natalee Holloway disappearance, the search quietly goes on for Latoyia Figueroa. While Greta Van Susteren, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and other FOX News heavyweights investigate the disappearance of Natalee, you will find mostly local Philadelphia reporters covering the Latoyia Figueroa disappearance.
While there is a million dollar reward for the safe return of Natalee Holloway, Latoyia's reward fund is a paltry $100,000. This is stark evidence that our society doesn't place the same value on every individual.
While search teams from all over the globe look for Natalee, a solitary search team searches the mean streets of Philadelphia for Latoyia.
While the FBI is assisting the law enforcement officials in Aruba, they probably couldn't find Southwest Philadelphia with a GPS unit.
Figueroa, who is 5 months pregnant and the mother of a 7-year-old daughter, was last seen on July 18. Her credit cards and cell phone have not been used.
I'm not Geraldo Rivera, but I will do everything I can to bring attention to the plight of Latoyia Figueroa.
Anybody with information about the disappearance of Figueroa, can call (215) 546 TIPS. Phone calls will be confidential.
I don't see any difference between Natalee Holloway and Latoyia Figueroa, they are both beautiful young women with promising futures. I hope that at least one of these sagas will have a happy ending.
While there is a million dollar reward for the safe return of Natalee Holloway, Latoyia's reward fund is a paltry $100,000. This is stark evidence that our society doesn't place the same value on every individual.
While search teams from all over the globe look for Natalee, a solitary search team searches the mean streets of Philadelphia for Latoyia.
While the FBI is assisting the law enforcement officials in Aruba, they probably couldn't find Southwest Philadelphia with a GPS unit.
Figueroa, who is 5 months pregnant and the mother of a 7-year-old daughter, was last seen on July 18. Her credit cards and cell phone have not been used.
I'm not Geraldo Rivera, but I will do everything I can to bring attention to the plight of Latoyia Figueroa.
Anybody with information about the disappearance of Figueroa, can call (215) 546 TIPS. Phone calls will be confidential.
I don't see any difference between Natalee Holloway and Latoyia Figueroa, they are both beautiful young women with promising futures. I hope that at least one of these sagas will have a happy ending.
22 Comments:
I completely agree with you.
Stark eveidence that society doesn't treat everyone the same? Brilliant observation-----when did you come up with that one? Your article basically says the same thing that I've read a thousand times over everywhere. Yeah, we know, we get it. Avoid the self evident and write about something truly provacative. Natalee and LaToya from Philadelphia aren't the only ones missing. Thousands are missing. Where to even start? The media is about ratings, period, not about human value or worth.
Second verse, same as the first. . .
While I appreciate your passion - I question your thought process. If you want to discuss the lack of diversity in missing persons coverage - then do so. But to use the Natalee/Latoyia cases the way you do appears to be grossly misrepresentative of reality. Natalee was missing first - are you suggesting that those that were covering her should have "dropped" her case to pick up Latoyia's? Natalee's safe return did not have a million dollar reward until she had been missing for longer then Latoyia has been missing so far - are you aware of that fact? It appears you have selectively using data to prove your case. I suggest you just positively state what you feel should be happening - more coverage for all missing people as opposed to twisting the facts in two specific cases to fit your goals.
Well now. Obviously someone here is missing the point. We are not angry that there isn't a one million reward for Latoya. And no, to say that we expected the Natalee searchers to drop everything. The point is the difference in media coverage. If it wasn't for the pissed off blogger we probably wouldn't know anything about Latoya. And people are upset about that. That's all. Getting mad at each other is not going to solve anything. However hopefully we are all upset about all of these disappearances, Natalee, Latoya, Bianca and all the others. Prayer is much needed in our world.
Nothing could be further from the truth! While media coverage is heavy for the Holloway case, there is not a moment when I turn to the news station that something is not said about LaToyia F. case. I have heard interviews concerning this case and the suspects involved. This missing person is as much a mystery as the Holloway incident. The only difference is that Holloway was in a foreign country. Same is true of the missing newlywed who by the way is not a blonde white female. The same is true of the numerous children that go missing everyday. I am sickened by the all the allegations under false pretentions to accuse the media of lacking the ability or interest to investigate the news. Frankly, the news is what will finally one day bring the truth out about the Holloway case but may not be the case with the Latoryia case.
We sometimes have to do things to get the attention to a certain point.
How we go about it makes the difference my friends.
All of you that posted here are right in certain ways because there are missing people everyday and even as we speak it is going on right now.
God knows where every soul is and they are not missed by him.
The blogger did what he had to do to help and it did help just as Natalee's mother did.
If you want to blame someone then let it be the way the system is allowing these things to happen and the loss of morals in this country.
The constitution says every man is created equal. Most people think that everyone is equal, but every one is not equal and the cosntitution does not say every one is equal. . The same goes with the news. Just south of the border in nuevo laredo, mexico there are over 40 US citzens missing, I do not see or hear about the FBI involved or even the US goverment commenting....
Natalee's family has the financial means to make a bigger fuss and find bigger reward tip money. I live outside of Philadelphia. While it seems that Natalee's story is bigger nationwide, be assured that Latoyia's disappearance is big news in this area. Sadly the body of a white, blonde teenage female was found in the woods close to where I work. Her story has received very little attention.
Natalee's family is the one behind keeping the story going, and they have every right to do what they can to find the answers, and being there every day, pushing for more news, just the presense of her family has kept this story going. We know who did this, the fact that the boys said it was black security guards, the guards were brought in and guess what, the boys were left to take care of unfinished business. Joran's dad was right about the advice he gave his son, as long as he does not speak the truth and there is no body, he will walk. I blame the Aruban government for letting those boys, armed with the advice of a father who is a judge in training, to walk free for days, were they being watched the entire time? I am tired of people complaining about Natalee being in the news, let's just be thankful she is and maybe just maybe, her family will find an answer to this. Joran, Deepak, Satish and yes, Daddy Van der Sloot are the only ones that know the truth, but they are not telling the truth, why should they when they can lie and get away with murder! The Aruban government is on their side, has been from the beginning, protecting a 17 year old who has his dad and many friends in the system to help him out.
All these things stated above are good points.
However the disturbing part of all these missing people is that it actually happens.
The real question should be...How can we prevent this and how can we punish those who are convicted???
All those guilty of this should be taken into the street and shot in the head.. for all to see.
In extensive studies, it is shown that those that scream "RACICAL" are the biggest racist themselves.
There is a BIG difference between the two women. You have skimmed over the fact that Latoyia has most likely been murdered by her boyfriend. In fact, that is what her relatives are saying. Natalee was a teenager on a field trip in Aruba and has disappeared off the face of the earth! AND....the main reason why Natalee is getting so much coverage is her parents! If it were not for them, there is no way she would be getting the media coverage! I guarantee you that if Natalee were non white and had had parents pushing this story, she would be getting the same media coverage!
I am filled with sadness when I read adout these two young women and all the other missing people. Ethnicity does not come to my mind. A missing person is a missing person and we should all feel a sense of loss at their plight. Let us not forget that these folkks have relatives to love and miss them and who I am sure cannot get a good night's sleep until they are found. Dead or alive. Instead of us bickering about race, lets join together and pray for the resolution to the all disappearances.
But what about the men that go missing?
I guess their lives don't mean anything
As a friend of Natalee and as someone who was with her in Aruba..i have a few things to say. First, I agree with you that Latoya(as well as anyone else missing) deserve the kind of media coverage Natalee has gotten. With that being said, we(friends and family) have worked Very Hard to keep all news involved. We did this to keep the Hope for Natalee alive. I am not saying this is why this case has gotten such attention..but it may be why is has gotten attention for so long. Pleae keep the Holloway/Twitty faimly and anyone else who has missing family in your prayers!
Mike says:
I read the blog posts in reply to mine, and regretably, I was not moved by them although I can tell they are heartfelt comments. Come on, folks, lets put aside the idealistic thoughts and focus on being credible here. Thus, in furtherance of my previous comments on this "story," this case presents a miserable failure by left-wing, radical bloggers to bully a barely local news story onto the national news scene to make a point about race and media. As I've said repeatedly, this is not national news by any measure, and thankfully the national news broadcasts have dropped the story after just one or two days. This woman led a selfish, irresponsible, and dangerous life, just as her mother did, and she is now likely suffering for it in the same way. During the one or two days that this was on the news, the Natalee Holloway story did not receive quite as much attention as it usually had, but it is now back in the limelight once again because it is national news that people care about. No one cares about the LaToyia Figueroa case because it has nothing to do with the lives of 88 percent of the American public. Instead, the LaToyia Figueroa case is a clear and vivid reminder to the large majority of American families about how not to raise your children. LaToyia, who didn't have even $35 between her and Baby Fatha No. 2 for the insurance co-pay for prenatal care, turned around and went out with Baby Fatha No. 2 and bought fried seafood platters. This, in spite of claims that she was "hard working." This sort of behavior is more indicative of animals or savages than human beings. Let's get our focus back people, and concentrate our efforts on Natalee and other deserving people and let God's will take over the LaToyia case. The LaToyia case has been a huge embarassment to minorities and society as a whole--let's drop it. It has reinforced every negative stereotype and now has nearly everyone saying: "Stereotypes are the rule--let's not be confused by rare exceptions." Plus, you idiots don't even realize that LaToyia has received massive amounts of favoritism because her cousin is on City Council and her uncle is a Philadelphia Detective--what hypocrisy.
WE ARE WOMAN IF ONLY ONE IS GONE THAT'S TOO MANY LIFE IS TOUGH AND WE CARRY ON. THE RICH PARTY... ONE WOMAN IS LOST ...THE POOR GET PREGNANT AND ALSO LOST WHERE IS OUR SOUL? YOU MEN BEWARE
AMEN and other people have been saying this for a long time.
Aruba: Natalee Holloway Would Have Been a One Day Story if Her Name was Lateefah
by: Steve Yuhas
June 21, 2005
Michael Jackson was found not guilty, Scott Peterson is on death row, there is no “missing” bride to be and Nancy Grace doesn’t have much to talk (or cry) about so it was wonderful when the story of a missing American in Aruba fell right into cable news show laps. The problem with the coverage that 18-year-old Natalee Holloway’s “disappearance” is generating is not that it is being covered, after all it is a story when a person goes missing, but it has been at the top of virtually every newscast for almost a month and even I (normally not a skeptical race carder) am wondering if Natalee was named Lateefah (African for gentle or pleasant) if the cable news world would be fixated on her disappearance.
Holloway went missing on May 30th, it is now almost the end of June and still her disappearance is leading the news as if President Bush did not announce he will visit Vietnam, the Congress remains embattled over nominations, American cities are on the verge of bankruptcy and that there is something particularly special about Natalee Holloway. In what should have been a one or two day story where nothing new has been learned, except that the black men taken into custody initially have been released and no charges were conferred against them, the media is fixated on Natalee Holloway and Joran van der Sloot – a 17-year-old being held along with three others in Aruba.
Van der Sloot is the son of an Arubian judge so a judge from a neighboring island, Curacao, was assigned to a case that is quickly growing out of control. Justice officials in Aruba say it is not unusual that in high profile cases that judges come from neighboring islands to assist local judges and keeping Van der Sloot in custody will give police time to either rule him out or create a case against him. Holloway, from Alabama, went to Aruba, a safe island that boasted only one murder in all of 2004, to celebrate her graduation from high school with 124 classmates and 40 chaperones (ok 7, but sarcasm never hurt - either way - where were they during all this). News appearances by her family suggest that Holloway is the epitome of virtue and that whatever befell her had to be the work of sinister forces, but one has to wonder – why Aruba?
As stores sell out of yellow ribbons in her hometown and FBI agents and all of the resources of the Arubian government (including the Prime Minister of the Dutch colony, Nelson Oduber, who told a television audience that finding Holloway was the “number one goal” of the island) are focused on finding the US citizen questions concerning what Holloway was doing the night she presumably vanished have to be asked. It is not enough for Nancy Grace to cry every night (watch the show - she does - oh and yells) or for Greta Van Susteren to take up residence in Aruba to cover the story – no we need more so every night for the last month no news means a full hour of talking about the same thing over and over again.
This is what we know: Natalee Holloway was visiting Aruba, she was staying at the Holiday Inn and on the night before she was to return to the United States she went to a Boyz II Men concert at Surfside beach, stayed until closing time (1:00am) at a bar called Carlos 'N Charlie's and was wearing a blue-and-green striped, low-cut blouse, denim miniskirt and sandals. That’s it – that is all we know yet every cable network has not only followed the story, but updates us every hour on the hour with no news to report and reporters are now making the peaceful and safe island of Aruba out to be something akin to visiting Mexico without sufficient bribe money for police officers.
Holloway is consistently described by news outlets as a “teenager” as if she was not of legal age or she had just received her driver’s permit. It is true that she is eighteen, but in Aruba that is old enough to get into bars and clubs and drink the night away (witnesses say that Holloway was drinking the night she disappeared and throughout her stay); Holloway is a missing person, a grown woman, and the idea that this case has become so blown out of proportion baffles me. There is nothing significant about it insofar as a grown woman is missing, there are tons of them all over the United States and the world, but for some reason the blonde hair and consistent statements of her family that she was a “good girl” and her disappearing is “out of character” for her continue to get air play. Now her parents want to sue because they're not getting everything they want from the Arubian authorities - well crimes happen!
Arubans should be commended for being one of the safest places in the world - donuts to dollars crime is lower in Aruba than in Holloway's hometown or closest large city.
I’m not so naïve not to understand that when the news is slow and when your fame and fortune depends on major, high profile cases falling into your lap so that your angry and vitriolic tone can help boost ratings for CNN that you don’t jump at the chance to cover and cry over a story (read: Nancy Grace), but for Greta Van Susteren to cover the case with such vigor is overkill for someone who typically balances out the sensational with the standard and mundane, yet important, legal issues of the day. Something has to explain what it is about Holloway that makes her disappearance so special and the disappearance of so many people that are just normal every day people that they make the headlines so often.
There is no other explanation for the coverage of Natalee Holloway’s disappearance from Aruba and the continuous coverage of it other than the fact that she is a pretty white girl who presumably went missing in Aruba at the hands of the son of a judge. Had Natalee been black and had she went missing in Jamaica, I hardly think that Nancy or Greta would be crying (well Nancy would cry because that is what makes Nancy Grace who she is) or taking up residence there. We’ve seen this story play out too many times for me not to believe that there is something about how a presumed victim looks that drives the coverage and that is a sad admission for me to make.
Holloway is a grown woman who went to Aruba because she wanted to have a good time, yes there were chaperones, but where were they when she was in a bar drinking with folks she may have known only for a few days or a week? Where were the chaperones when night fell and the bars closed knowing that she had a plane to catch the next morning to check on her to make sure she was okay? The chaperone to student ratio during her trip was better than the guest to staff rate at a five star hotel – surely someone should have noticed that she was not there. More importantly though: why did Holloway leave, as witnesses have accounted many times, in a car with people if she was the virtuous girl that she was when the bar closed when she should have gone to bed?
Outside of the question of race: how come when the Holloway's talk or supporters talk about the Alabama contingent and the "children" they were and their inability to control themselves and how vulnerable they were they use words like "child," "children," or "kids;" meanwhile, the accused, who is 17, is a "man" or "young man?" Either Holloway was a child at 18 and therefore it follows that the accused is as well since he was a year her junior or she is an adult. Since the Holloway's have made it clear that the "man" who is accused of doing the unthinkable is a mature adult, then so too is their daughter and she is at least partly responsible for whatever happened to her. A hard pill to swallow, but the Holloway's cannot have it both ways and the media should not allow it.
If Van der Sloot is a man, a mature adult accused of complicity in the disappearance of Holloway, then she is a woman and this colossal over-reaction that will kill the tourist industry of one of the safest places on earth and cost many people their jobs is a sham. Not to mention the fact that stories coming out of Aruba talk about the Alabama contingent as less than being as pure as the driven snow.
These are questions that the news simply won’t ask a grieving family looking for their loved one, but someone has to start asking why this story is getting so much attention. Holloway is a grown woman who may have left Aruba on her own accord or may have been the victim of foul play – either way the story is old and tiresome and it almost makes me miss the days of slow speed helicopter coverage of the Michael Jackson convoy arriving at court or the Peterson jury deliberation clock that appeared when the jury was in session.
I’m not a race baiter and not someone who typically looks for trends concerning race, beauty or victim- hood, but in this case there is no other explanation for the amount of coverage Natalee Holloway received for not making her plane back to Alabama from Aruba. I hate to say it, but there may be something to the notion that it pays to have white skin when it comes to disappearing because I don’t know the face of a single missing black or brown person, but I know plenty of white ones and the one I have seen for nearly every day for a full month has been Natalee Holloway.
I hope they find out what happened to her, if anything, and that she returns home safely, but if that is not the case I find myself hoping that one day I’ll recognize a missing black woman when she disappears and hear her mother’s pleas for a safe return in the same volume as I’ve heard for a grown woman from Alabama.
I realize this column is going to anger some - I've already received the emails and believe me I feel for the family, but the criticism is about behavior of the family (threatening to sue one of the safest places on earth), the missing woman's friends (for waving good-bye as she got into the car of men she did not know) and the media for focusing on this woman as if she is the only person missing on earth. There is a pattern about missing people and cases covered and call me whatever you want, but I don't recall a lot of attention paid to missing people of color - I am a conservative and hardly a player of the race card, but I call a spade a spade and when every person on television who is a victim is white and the victims who are not have no coverage or a mere blip, some people notice.
I did and wrote about it - it is what I do as an opinion writer and radio host. If you don't like the opinion - you should have stopped reading before you got here.
Steve Yuhas is a columnist and radio talk show host on KOGO AM 600 out of San Diego. He may be reached at steve@steveyuhas.com or www.steveyuhas.com
It's funny how naive one is to suggest that race has no part on the media coverage. Any one who feels this way probably dotes on the well known phrase, "I have friends who are black". Gimme a break!!! Not only does race play a part but economics as well and so what if Latoya's boyfriend probably murdered her. Should she receive less coverage? Ms. Holloway wasn't the "innocent" person everyone portrays her as but nor did she deserve her fate. Get over it and realize that RACE DOES MATTER!!!!
Natalee is dead .....move on!
You will always get my support in pointing out the elite behaviour of mainstream media communications. HOWEVER when you yourself seek to make this be a competition you are allowing THEM to define who you will compete with. Instead of making this be about black and white women how about just writing directly about the mass media . As a bi-racial woman I am sick and tired of watching this ping pong game between white and black women. There are as many white women NOT on the news either so please know your facts first or you appear to be as ignorant as the media you talk about.
This is about being WEALTHY. If Natalee was a black WEALTHY child she would be getting the same media and if you do not understand that then go re-educate yourself and stop hating all the white girls: they are not after the mandingo warrior man anymore, if they ever were( black female propaganda-excuse to hate all white women)….get over it and stop attacking all other women just because you think you know … but you do not know….( DMX)…this is about class and economics, he with the golden egg….yes race is a secondary discussion but if you insist on competing white with black women YOU empower the media to continue as fight between the blacks and whites SELLS LOTS.….
STOP BEING AN ENABLER!
I do apologize: my comments here were not directed to blog owner or any posters here..it is a general post to anyone conused about the multifaceted dynamics of media, the selling/buying market and race-gender....
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