Baznme
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 225
Quote:
Originally Posted by Unity55 
I went out on the search for Caylee today and was kind of surprised by my experience. There was definitely more than the "dozen or so" people there, as was reported yesterday, but still not nearly enough. Although I know that everyone is there for sincere reasons, and has in someway been touched by this case, I felt like many of the volunteer searchers weren't as effective as they could've been. Our group leaders had no more experience or knowledge of the area etc. than any one else, they just simply raised their hand and accepted the job. The command center was fairly disorganized (searchers not knowing where to go, with who, what to look for), and changed while we were on a search. I was disturbed that the team leaders decided for themselves what findings were important and which weren't. As far as we were told, if we find something-we tell the leader-they call the command center. Most of the searchers are locals who took a day off from work to help out, but ended up standing around confused or unguided for too much of the valuable time. I plan on going back as much as possible (working around class/bus schedules). I hope that everyone can pull together better in the coming days so that Caylee can finally go home and so that everyone involved can find peace knowing the truth, good or bad.
I am sorry if this is what your experience was, but you should have told Tim Miller at the command center, not this board. We are not to divulge any details as to what you found, when you found it or where. You signed an agreement to that affect, did you not?
I just hope that your post doesn't discourage other potential searchers. I too have experienced some aspects to what you say but it was remedied in a hurry when questioned. Become part of the solution, not the problem. Everyone there is part of a "team".
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I brought this over from the other thread because I felt it important to address this. (I'm forewarning, the train of thought is off as this was edited a billion times in the middle of the night and I've had very little sleep lately.)
Unity55 stated that when she returned after the search, the command center had been moved. She was not sure where she was supposed to go at that point. She came here to post this in the hopes that someone here would be able to offer some advice on how to fix these issues because she didn't know where to find anyone and wasn't given a number to reach anyone. Questioning was not an option at the search location. The post wasn't meant as an undue criticism or to discourage other searchers. It was an honest outline of the experience and an appeal for ways to find better approaches. She posted on this new thread that today's search went much, much better and it seems that most, if not all, of the issues had been addressed in a large group today. Perhaps that wouldn't have happened if, after not finding anyone in person to whom to direct the concerns, she had not posted the information here.
ETA: As for the agreement that was signed, I don't believe that there was any violation of that because the item mentioned was not something that was deemed important and wasn't even flagged. Therefore, as far as the search is concerned, that item was never "found". I am honestly asking, for clarification purposes, if someone finds something, say a suicide note (strictly hypothetical), that is later deemed to be completely unrelated because it's addressed to a Matilda and signed by a Bernard, is it a violation to mention it? Or is it a violation only if it is something that is flagged for LE or something believed to be related to the case at hand? If an item isn't flagged, then it's no more important than a rock or a turtle or sand, right? (I'm assuming that it's okay to mention those things.) So I'm not sure why something that was never flagged can't be mentioned.
In any case, to insinuate that, by her post, she is "part of the problem" is completely unfair and I found your post to be a bit harsh towards a new poster that is giving her time to search for a child she never met. She's doing what she can to help. She is trying to "become a part of the solution" and that's why she's out there. If you felt she was doing something wrong, some gentle guidance would have been a kinder, more team-oriented approach to pointing out the mistake. Most of us are not accustomed to searching for missing children and aren't necessarily acquainted with the rules. I agree that everyone there is a part of a team and that includes Unity55. I believe that WS is also a part of that team and a viable option to turn to when there are issues that need to be sorted out and no one can be found in person to whom to bring the concerns. As members of the same team, I hope we can find some nicer ways to talk to each other.
Anyway, after Unity55 addressed her concerns here, the only place she could find to address them and knowing that some members here are able to relay the concerns to TES, it seems the problems are being addressed. Therefore, the post had the desired effect as many of the searchers today felt much more confident about what they were supposed to do.
One more thing ... if this is a "journal" for WS members assisting TES but you can't write about what you saw and you can't post about your true feelings without being harshly and inappropriately accused of being a "part of the problem", then what exactly IS this thread for and who would want to come here to share their thoughts if that's the way we're going to treat them? A journal is about recording thoughts and experiences, is it not? :waitasec:
Just as you hope that Unity's post didn't discourage potential searchers, I hope that your post didn't discourage potential posters that might also be looking for guidance through an unfamiliar process or to share their experiences with us.
