NY NY - Chanel Petro-Nixon, 16, Brooklyn, 18 June 2006

http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/brief.cfm?id=30677
http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/brief.cfm?id=35729

Please be careful with your generalizations.

Now, if you are talking about sensationalized cases like Natalee Holloway or Laci Peterson, I would have to agree with you. At the same time, however, we must weigh the vast amount of people that are reported missing every single year. There is no way that the media can cover over 40,000+ people to that extent....please do not forget that there are plenty of "pretty white girls" missing in this country RIGHT NOW that have not recieved that kind of media circus coverage.

Not only that, but it is not profitable for the media. The nation, in general, are interested in the young mother, the happy bride, or the college student that disapear when everything for them is, in essense, perfect. Call it sick and twisted, but that is reality.

The media is a for-profit industry, whether you are talking about CNN or the National Enquirer. It is a shame, really. They put out there what they know will sell....not what is politically correct or what will make the ACLU happy.....it is all about the almighty dollar for them. For any changes to occur the American people must first confront their own biases....it is not just the media.

Do I believe there is bias? Yes. Do I believe in your statement of: "there has never been a case of a black victim getting national attention unless they are a celebrity like Michael Jordan's dad or Bill Cosby's son"? Not so much.

Here is a snippet of an article I found on media bias in cases such as these.....I believe it was a CBS website. The article is from 2005, so the numbers are clearly out of date, but at this late hour it is all I had the strength to dig up. As you can see, however, the missing persons cases in and of themselves are slanted...with the majority of missing women being white or hispanic. So clearly, there is also evidence on their side....

Since May 1, 2005, FBI statistics indicate there were 25,389 men and 22,200 women listed as missing. Of the total of missing women since May 1, 8,681 were minorities (this includes Asian, African-American, American Indian and other minorities except Hispanics.) This compares to 13,519 white and Hispanic women. (It is not clear how many of those are Hispanic.)

I'm sorry but I don't agree with you. I believe every missing person should get the same amount of media attention but it just don't and can't happen. It is impossible.

UM&AMWfan said:

It's amazing this case hasn't even had a post since 8/1/06 and it's not really even a cold case since it's less than a year old!! Yet there are cases on page 1 or 2 that are 10 to 20 years old!

HOW INCREDIBLY OBVIOUS IS IT THAT BLACK VICTIMS DON'T GET AS MUCH ATTENTION AS WHITE VICTIMS, especially pretty white women/girls!!

This case was just on Nancy Grace yesterday and this New York Post writer said it is very upsetting that this case is not getting any national attention and the implication is obvious.

She is black girl and there has never been a case of a black victim getting national attention unless they are a celebrity like Michael Jordan's dad or Bill Cosby's son.

If this was a pretty white girl you would see her picture all over the news almost every day. Just look at Jonbenet Ramsey.

The amazing thing about this case is that she was abducted in broad daylight and the body was dumped in a public area where trash is collected and no one saw anything????

I find that hard to believe!!

What do you all think?

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lilsister said:

"Somebody out there knows something that led to what happened to Chanel,” said the Reverend Al Sharpton. “I don't care if they're black, latino, white. You must come forward. We can't have community where our children go out with the garbage and we act like it's normal and remain silent."

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I thought this was well said.

Mygirlsadie said:

I'm sorry but I don't agree with you. I believe every missing person should get the same amount of media attention but it just don't and can't happen. It is impossible.

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I am NOT the one who is saying black victims should get less attention. I just said that is the way they are treated by the MEDIA so I agree with you that everyone should get the same attention but the reality is that they don't.

And yes, it is true there are plenty of pretty white women who don't get the media coverage BUT the few cases that get the huge national attention are ALWAYS pretty white women or girls.

I can't even think of a missing white man or ANY man that has gotten anywhere close to the national attention that Natalee Holloway, Laci Petersen, etc. did.

They interviewed a criminologist once and he said the media execs give white women the coverage because the public can most easily relate to them like they are our wife, sister, daughter, friend, neighbor, etc.

A lot of people would disagree with that but that's what he said.

UM&AMWfan said:

HOW INCREDIBLY OBVIOUS IS IT THAT BLACK VICTIMS DON'T GET AS MUCH ATTENTION AS WHITE VICTIMS, especially pretty white women/girls!!

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The Amber Harris case was/is mentioned almost daily on our local news, and she wasn't a white girl.

iNTERESTEDWOMAN said:

The Amber Harris case was/is mentioned almost daily on our local news, and she wasn't a white girl.

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That's your local news but I've not seen that case on a national show and I've never heard of her.

It's because all (or the vast majority) of the national media execs are white men.

UM&AMWfan said:

That's your local news but I've not seen that case on a national show and I've never heard of her.

It's because all (or the vast majority) of the national media execs are white men.

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You can read all about her here:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=100

She has an entire forum dedicated to her here on Websleuths spot light cases. It's a very sad and heavily viewed case. Researching her was what brought me to this awesome WS forum. I'm hooked.

Getting back to the case at hand, I agree with Old Broad, It very well could be a jealousy crime. Not only a jealous girlfriend, but even a competitive girl who always felt she fell short of Chanel. If Chanel was a straight A student, popular, and smart, another student, (perhaps a girl she beat out on the "top of the class" status, head cheerleader, or what ever she excelled in) could take out revenge.

I have heard of a case in MO many years ago where a jealous class mate snuck into her rivals bedroom in the middle of the night and hacked off her long beautiful locks of hair. Though a long way from murder, but still a serious crime.

I hope all her class mates , (especially the ones with high GPA's) where questioned by LE.

iNTERESTEDWOMAN said:

Getting back to the case at hand, I agree with Old Broad, It very well could be a jealousy crime. Not only a jealous girlfriend, but even a competitive girl who always felt she fell short of Chanel. If Chanel was a straight A student, popular, and smart, another student, (perhaps a girl she beat out on the "top of the class" status, head cheerleader, or what ever she excelled in) could take out revenge.

I have heard of a case in MO many years ago where a jealous class mate snuck into her rivals bedroom in the middle of the night and hacked off her long beautiful locks of hair. Though a long way from murder, but still a serious crime.

I hope all her class mates , (especially the ones with high GPA's) where questioned by LE.

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But the police said Chanel was kept alive for days before she was killed. How could a girl pull of such a violent crime without ANY help??

Even if Chanel was killed immediately I don't think a girl around Chanel's age could kill and carry her body to the trash cans.

If a girl did it she must have had help from someone, most likely a man.

There was recently a case in the Post about a girl from Brooklyn who had been abducted, forced to work as a prostitute and some how managed to get away. They haven't found her abductor/rapist and are not releasing her name. I remember they posted a picture of her on a bed but blurred out her face. Does this ring any bells with anyone.

It is unlikely that Chanel was kidnapped by the same person since she wasn't sexually assaulted. I can't imagine a girl committing this crime though. did any of her girlfriends have questionable boyfriends or anything? I'm wondering if maybe she warned a friend to stay from some guy and this was his retaliation or something.

UM&AMWfan said:

I am NOT the one who is saying black victims should get less attention. I just said that is the way they are treated by the MEDIA so I agree with you that everyone should get the same attention but the reality is that they don't.

And yes, it is true there are plenty of pretty white women who don't get the media coverage BUT the few cases that get the huge national attention are ALWAYS pretty white women or girls.

I can't even think of a missing white man or ANY man that has gotten anywhere close to the national attention that Natalee Holloway, Laci Petersen, etc. did.

They interviewed a criminologist once and he said the media execs give white women the coverage because the public can most easily relate to them like they are our wife, sister, daughter, friend, neighbor, etc.

A lot of people would disagree with that but that's what he said.

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You are right, but so is that criminologist. I know the Laci story grabbed me because so many of the facts hit so close to home. There were so many things I felt I had in common with her. Same with my first case that got me totally hooked - Jeffery McDonald. Even though I was a teenager when I read the book, I could imagine being a young mother, pregnant, and murdered by the person I loved the most. And Charles Manson, too. Maybe it's the whole vulnerability of being pregnant and under attack. Whatever it is, it strikes at my core and my deepest fears.

The other thing that I think is so ignored is the use of the media. The media doesn't just go sifting through stories and pick their favorites - well they do, but that's not the only criteria. I think the families that use the media well and to their advantage get more attention.

Laci's family had thousands of fliers made up before dawn the day after she disappeared, and a home base of operations within a day or so. They motivated people, went on TV and the radio, had a website up, and used everything possible within a very short period of time.

Same with Natalie Holloway. Her mother was pounding on doors and screaming to everyone she could get to about her daughter. You would have been hard pressed to ignore her.

Not everyone has that kind of time and money at their fingertips. Not everyone has those kinds of connections (IIRC, Laci's family/friends knew a printshop owner who opened in the middle of the night to print fliers, etc.). But, it is a big factor in the media attention.

I am still amazed at some cases that are almost impossible to find on the web. We have a teenager locally who ran away to be with her dad, but never made it. This is an upper-middle class, attractive white girl from a very good high school in the area. A google search of her name comes up with NOTHING. There is no website for tips, and the only fliers are around her school. It hasn't been on the news. BUT, her mom is a single mom without a huge support system here. She is trying to work when she can so she doesn't lose everything, and she is wrung out from fear and grief. No one is pressuring the media.

It's not always about race. Sometimes it's about connections, time, money, and pressure.

UM&AMWfan said:

It's amazing this case hasn't even had a post since 8/1/06 and it's not really even a cold case since it's less than a year old!! Yet there are cases on page 1 or 2 that are 10 to 20 years old!

HOW INCREDIBLY OBVIOUS IS IT THAT BLACK VICTIMS DON'T GET AS MUCH ATTENTION AS WHITE VICTIMS, especially pretty white women/girls!!

This case was just on Nancy Grace yesterday and this New York Post writer said it is very upsetting that this case is not getting any national attention and the implication is obvious.

She is black girl and there has never been a case of a black victim getting national attention unless they are a celebrity like Michael Jordan's dad or Bill Cosby's son.

If this was a pretty white girl you would see her picture all over the news almost every day. Just look at Jonbenet Ramsey.

The amazing thing about this case is that she was abducted in broad daylight and the body was dumped in a public area where trash is collected and no one saw anything????

I find that hard to believe!!

What do you all think?

Click to expand...

I disagree with you. Have you ever heard of Amber Hoopes?

Her family is still missing her. She's never been all over the national media.

Jahi Turner did get national attention as well. He has also never been found, although it seems to be pretty clear what happened to him.

BirdieBoo said:

I disagree with you. Have you ever heard of Amber Hoopes?

Her family is still missing her. She's never been all over the national media.

Jahi Turner did get national attention as well. He has also never been found, although it seems to be pretty clear what happened to him.

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I never said ALL white women/girls get national attention. Of course not since there are just too many missing people to give that much coverage.

But all the ones who do get the MOST national attention are all white women/girls such as Natalee Holloway, Laci Petersen, Chandra Levy, etc.

UM&AMWfan said:

I never said ALL white women/girls get national attention. Of course not since there are just too many missing people to give that much coverage.

But all the ones who do get the MOST national attention are all white women/girls such as Natalee Holloway, Laci Petersen, Chandra Levy, etc.

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I didn't say you did.

Your question was:

UM&AMWfan said:

UM&AMWfan said:

It's amazing this case hasn't even had a post since 8/1/06 and it's not really even a cold case since it's less than a year old!! Yet there are cases on page 1 or 2 that are 10 to 20 years old!

HOW INCREDIBLY OBVIOUS IS IT THAT BLACK VICTIMS DON'T GET AS MUCH ATTENTION AS WHITE VICTIMS, especially pretty white women/girls!!

This case was just on Nancy Grace yesterday and this New York Post writer said it is very upsetting that this case is not getting any national attention and the implication is obvious.

She is black girl and there has never been a case of a black victim getting national attention unless they are a celebrity like Michael Jordan's dad or Bill Cosby's son.

If this was a pretty white girl you would see her picture all over the news almost every day. Just look at Jonbenet Ramsey.

The amazing thing about this case is that she was abducted in broad daylight and the body was dumped in a public area where trash is collected and no one saw anything????

I find that hard to believe!!
What do you all think?

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My answer was that I disagreed with you.

UM&AMWfan said:

I never said ALL white women/girls get national attention.

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Please explain this statement, then. At a minimum, you have to admit that the quote below is a pretty gross generalization.

UM&AMWfan said:

If this was a pretty white girl you would see her picture all over the news almost every day. Just look at Jonbenet Ramsey.

Click to expand...

angelmom said:

The other thing that I think is so ignored is the use of the media. The media doesn't just go sifting through stories and pick their favorites - well they do, but that's not the only criteria. I think the families that use the media well and to their advantage get more attention.

Laci's family had thousands of fliers made up before dawn the day after she disappeared, and a home base of operations within a day or so. They motivated people, went on TV and the radio, had a website up, and used everything possible within a very short period of time.

Same with Natalie Holloway. Her mother was pounding on doors and screaming to everyone she could get to about her daughter. You would have been hard pressed to ignore her.

Not everyone has that kind of time and money at their fingertips. Not everyone has those kinds of connections (IIRC, Laci's family/friends knew a printshop owner who opened in the middle of the night to print fliers, etc.). But, it is a big factor in the media attention.

I am still amazed at some cases that are almost impossible to find on the web. We have a teenager locally who ran away to be with her dad, but never made it. This is an upper-middle class, attractive white girl from a very good high school in the area. A google search of her name comes up with NOTHING. There is no website for tips, and the only fliers are around her school. It hasn't been on the news. BUT, her mom is a single mom without a huge support system here. She is trying to work when she can so she doesn't lose everything, and she is wrung out from fear and grief. No one is pressuring the media.

It's not always about race. Sometimes it's about connections, time, money, and pressure.

Click to expand...

I couldn't have explained this any better, angelmom. Great post. Also, whoever said the media is about the almightly dollar - you are correct, with a few rare exeptions. Just remember it's the big bosses who worry about that, not the peons who are doing the work.

lavonne said:

Please explain this statement, then. At a minimum, you have to admit that the quote below is a pretty gross generalization.

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If Chanel was an attractive white girl then based on the history of the media she would have a better chance of getting nationa media attention especially considering the way she was just dumped in the trash.

It's not a generalization but it's the truth. You need to open your eyes. Obviously not ALL white women get national media attention but the cases that receive the most national attention are attractive white women. That's the media's fault.

Amanda Jones was JUST LIKE Laci Petersen. A pregnant woman who went missing. But Amanda Jones, who is white, was overweight and Nancy Grace covered it maybe once or twice then it was gone. It also had little coverage from other national media outlets.

Amanda's family did a lot of work to get the case to the public just like Laci's family did but what does it tell you about situations that are so similar and the attractive woman gets huge national attention and the overweight one doesn't?

Also, there has not been a case where a minority or even a white man has received the national attention that Natalee Holloway, Laci Petersen, etc. did.

UM&AMWfan I am sorry, but you seem to be so bent on making this a race issue that you have totally taken focus off of this beautiful little girl who was killed and treated like trash. Let's not start down that road, lets put our focus back on Chanel, it is the only thing that will help her case. What happened to this sweet innocent little girl is just horrible.

curious1 said:

UM&AMWfan I am sorry, but you seem to be so bent on making this a race issue that you have totally taken focus off of this beautiful little girl who was killed and treated like trash. Let's not start down that road, lets put our focus back on Chanel, it is the only thing that will help her case. What happened to this sweet innocent little girl is just horrible.

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Well you or no one else bothered to post here in a quarter year about Chanel and no one bothered to post that it's the 1 year anniversary of Chanel's murder as was featured on Nancy Grace last night. Doesn't anyone watch Nancy Grace?? LOL!!

For whatever reason no one seems really care about this case and race is at least part of the reason since if this was cute white girl (Jon Benet Ramsey) it would definitely get more attention. But there are socioeconomic factors as well but race is big factor too.

I saw the story on Nancy the other night too. I also remember when the parents were first on Nancy. I don't remember anyone else covering this story. Chanel was a very pretty girl and she had so much going for her. It is such a puzzle that nothing is known about her murder. Why would someone take her and keep her for a few days without raping her or something? I wonder what the purpose was?

I wonder how throughly that apt building was searched? The one that she was found in front of. How well did LE question everyone that lives there? If no one will talk to LE how are they supposed to get any info? I wish the killer in this case would be found out. Chanel's parents impress me. That isn't really the way I want to express it but it is the best I can do at this time of night or morning! I know that their hearts have to be just broken over the loss of their daughter. She was such a good girl and I can't imagine who did this to her.