Somer Renee Thompson #1 10/19/09 - 10/29/09

[JessStar]

To everyone who has made a post about changing the laws, and to those that agree, please remember that the Supreme Court is going to consider the constitutionality of that portion of the Adam Walsh Act that permits the feds to civilly commit sex offenders that pose a continuing danger to children beyond their jail sentences. It is vitally important that this law be upheld. Justice Sotomayor can very well be a swing vote on this issue. In her life as an appellate judge, she gained the reputation of being soft on and sympathetic to criminals. So proponents of this legislation may be facing an uphill battle. If ever there was a time for "a call to arms" it is now. Write your legislators, state and federal, and voice your support for it. While it may not affect the judiciary, it will send a very clear message of the will of the people.

[crazybabyborg]

I just got home from work to this news. I hate to hear that yet another innocent child has been murdered. What are we coming to?   

My heart goes out to Somer's family, and I'm praying that Somer didn't suffer. As rampant as sex offenders are, I'm not at all confident in that prayer. The first child protection laws were an outcropping of animal cruelty laws. You'd think we have come a long way since then, but I'm not so sure. As long as judges don't see flashing red flags when a child's offender is before them, we'll never protect our children. I don't know who is responsible for her death, but whether it was a sex offender or not, we have to find a way to protect our children. This is so sad. 

God Bless Somer.

[mymonkey]

God Bless You Brandi such beautiful work,I know it breaks your heart to have to make these pics, as it breaks everyone's heart to see another angel killed by a evil person. Like other monkeys have stated...HOW and WHAT can be done to these people for these crimes, we have got to protect our children. WE NEED NEW LAWS ASAP!!!!!!

[Heart]

The girl's aunt, Laura Holt, said family members were going through an agonizing wait to find out whose body was found.

"I'm still holding out hope this is not Somer," Holt said Wednesday night, her voice cracking.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jku48f5fXyywrpAYRzKaZ-jgoEFAD9BFPST80

[higherhopes]

  TCB4Justice wrote:
This is just heartbreaking. The Times Union is reporting that the father has confirmed that the birthmark on the body found by police matches Somer's birthmark. He is on his way to Florida, and I believe him when he implies that whoever did this should hope the police catch them first. My prayers go out to both sides of this family.


this just posted on one of the articles..

[Leroy]

God Bless You Brandi such beautiful work,I know it breaks your heart to have to make these pics, as it breaks everyone's heart to see another angel killed by a evil person. Like other monkeys have stated...HOW and WHAT can be done to these people for these crimes, we have got to protect our children. WE NEED NEW LAWS ASAP!!!!!!

I agree that we need to protect our children however, most kids are taken while unsupervised!!!!  How many stories do you see of children taken while an adult was there with them. 

I know this is a terrible thing, but most of this has to do with the parents and not the law.  IMO

[crazybabyborg]

The girl's aunt, Laura Holt, said family members were going through an agonizing wait to find out whose body was found.

"I'm still holding out hope this is not Somer," Holt said Wednesday night, her voice cracking.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jku48f5fXyywrpAYRzKaZ-jgoEFAD9BFPST80

In this article, it says the birthmark story is just rumor. 

I wouldn't be able to help myself from holding on to hope if I were a family member either, but it sure doesn't look good.

[Leroy]

God Bless You Brandi such beautiful work,I know it breaks your heart to have to make these pics, as it breaks everyone's heart to see another angel killed by a evil person. Like other monkeys have stated...HOW and WHAT can be done to these people for these crimes, we have got to protect our children. WE NEED NEW LAWS ASAP!!!!!!

I agree that we need to protect our children however, most kids are taken while unsupervised!!!!  How many stories do you see of children taken while an adult was there with them. 

I know this is a terrible thing, but most of this has to do with the parents and not the law.  IMO

And I would like to add that protecting your children STARTS with the parents!  Like it or not, these sick ba$tards live amongst us. 

[darla]

Good Evening Monkeys and Guest!

Just now seeing where Somer has been found. My thoughts and prayers are with her family!
God Bless you Little One!

[JessStar]

It's a fight on two fronts, imho. One front is in the home. And on that front, you're right, Leroy. The second front is the law. And on that front, proponents of tougher laws are right. It needs to be fought on both fronts because you'll never have parents that supervise their kids, and who don't expose their kids to risks, and who are "perfect parents.". So you need to have tough laws as well. A friend of mine sent me an article today from Korea where that country saw a huge decrease in the incidents of crimes against kids because they started implanting detection devices in offenders. A great idea.

[theboyzmom]

God Bless You Brandi such beautiful work,I know it breaks your heart to have to make these pics, as it breaks everyone's heart to see another angel killed by a evil person. Like other monkeys have stated...HOW and WHAT can be done to these people for these crimes, we have got to protect our children. WE NEED NEW LAWS ASAP!!!!!!

I agree that we need to protect our children however, most kids are taken while unsupervised!!!!  How many stories do you see of children taken while an adult was there with them. 

I know this is a terrible thing, but most of this has to do with the parents and not the law.  IMO

DISCLAIMER:  Below statements are MY OPINION only. Not to be taken as an insult to anyone! These opinions are generalizations only.

While I agree with you Leroy, the sad fact is that it is not just the parents. Today's society allows women (and men) to abandon our kids to either day orphanages or to their own devices. Mom and Dad feel that having things is much more important than being home with the kids. Children are having children and no one does anything about it. Combine that with letting monsters run free and it is a recipe for disaster. New laws will not change anything unless society puts the emphasis back on parents raising their children.  But like I said, MOO

[Leroy]

It's a fight on two fronts, imho. One front is in the home. And on that front, you're right, Leroy. The second front is the law. And on that front, proponents of tougher laws are right. It needs to be fought on both fronts because you'll never have parents that supervise their kids, and who don't expose their kids to risks, and who are "perfect parents.". So you need to have tough laws as well. A friend of mine sent me an article today from Korea where that country saw a huge decrease in the incidents of crimes against kids because they started implanting detection devices in offenders. A great idea.

I agree completly.  There is no such thing as a perfect parent and I too would like to see toughter laws on sexual predators.  IMO, you cannot rehabilitate them.  But these defensless kids are being put out there with these creepo's and in my oppinion so many could simply be prevented by watching your kids.  It is just so sad.

And thanks for all you do Jess....you're an angel     

[Cappuccino]

To everyone who has made a post about changing the laws, and to those that agree, please remember that the Supreme Court is going to consider the constitutionality of that portion of the Adam Walsh Act that permits the feds to civilly commit sex offenders that pose a continuing danger to children beyond their jail sentences. It is vitally important that this law be upheld. Justice Sotomayor can very well be a swing vote on this issue. In her life as an appellate judge, she gained the reputation of being soft on and sympathetic to criminals. So proponents of this legislation may be facing an uphill battle. If ever there was a time for "a call to arms" it is now. Write your legislators, state and federal, and voice your support for it. While it may not affect the judiciary, it will send a very clear message of the will of the people.

Its time to raise our voices above all including those 9 that preside on our US Supreme Court & not stop until we have a resounding result for VICTIMS RIGHTS & SAFETY and not settling for anything less.  Its time to silence bleeding hearts with twisted ideology, their position becomes moot when every day we lose a child to the very animals they protect & empathize with.   Protect our children, dam it!

Write your senators, congressman/woman, governors, judges and send them the horrors we witness every day with the statistics we are all too aware of asking each and every one of them why being concerned with Level II and up sexual predators/human trafficking animals rights should  trump the welfare & safety of our children.  Locally, get involved and encourage your school system and law enforcement agencies to host safety & awareness clinics for the community.   If you are involved in extra curriculum activities with your children such as sports organizations, another perfect opportunity to encourage public awareness & safety tips.  Another aspect of these repetitive crimes is women being educated on the men they get involved with & what signs they need to pay attention to because these predators love to seek out women with children that are naive, undereducated and/or compromised in some fashion that makes them vulnerable to being victimized along with their children.  One day at a time, we can make a difference & save as many as we can collectively.

[Northern Rose]

Somer's Mother Speaks out at Candlelight Vigil

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=147039&catid=3

[Leroy]

God Bless You Brandi such beautiful work,I know it breaks your heart to have to make these pics, as it breaks everyone's heart to see another angel killed by a evil person. Like other monkeys have stated...HOW and WHAT can be done to these people for these crimes, we have got to protect our children. WE NEED NEW LAWS ASAP!!!!!!

I agree that we need to protect our children however, most kids are taken while unsupervised!!!!  How many stories do you see of children taken while an adult was there with them. 

I know this is a terrible thing, but most of this has to do with the parents and not the law.  IMO

DISCLAIMER:  Below statements are MY OPINION only. Not to be taken as an insult to anyone! These opinions are generalizations only.

While I agree with you Leroy, the sad fact is that it is not just the parents. Today's society allows women (and men) to abandon our kids to either day orphanages or to their own devices. Mom and Dad feel that having things is much more important than being home with the kids. Children are having children and no one does anything about it. Combine that with letting monsters run free and it is a recipe for disaster. New laws will not change anything unless society puts the emphasis back on parents raising their children.  But like I said, MOO

Exactly!

[can]

Let me ask my Fellow Monkeys what you would do under these circumstances.  I live in a relatively quiet neighborhood.  But I'm sure everyone thinks that until something like this happens.

Anyway, the street I live on is one of the busier streets.  It's also the street kids use to walk to school, as the elementary and middle schools are at the top of the hill. 

Since school started, when I leave for work, I see this little girl walking alone to school.  She must be in the 6th grade because I see her walking too early to be elementary.  She's pretty petite, probably weighs less than 70 pounds.  She has a fairly lengthy walk to school, and with the changing of the seasons, it's still pretty dark outside when I see her.  And when I see her, there's no one else around--no other kids on the street.  She's all alone people.

Monkeys, this scares the crap out of me.  I'm not sure exactly where she lives, but I believe my home is about 1/2 way between the street I know she comes from and the school.  She probably has a 1/2-3/4 mile walk.  I don't want her to become a statistic.  Yes, I live in a "safe" neighborhood, but like I said, everyone thinks that until a child goes missing, and that doesn't mean there's a fence around the place that keeps the sickos out.  I don't know what her parents are thinking.  They're making her a target for a predator.

I am so afraid for this little girl.  But what can I do?  I have to do something because if I don't, and something happens to her, I won't be able to live with regretting what I "should have done."

JessStar.  I hear your concern.  Perhaps you could call the school and ask them to remind parents through fliers that children should not be walking alone.  Ask if they will hold a safety seminar for the children and parents.  See if you can get a commitment from the school to do this.  Then follow up.  If no commitment then ring the Board of Education for the district, requesting same.
Also provide the school with a description of the youngster you are concerned about and the street/s involved.

Bless the children. 
Also describe the youngster and the specific route.

Awesome suggestion!  That is a great idea.  I'll even provide the flyers.  Thank you.

You're welcome JessStar - and God bless you for your concern.

Have been away most of the day and now sadly another little one is gone.
God bless Somer and her family.  May justice be swift and severe!

[Leroy]

Along the same lines as it starting with the parents protecting the kids, you cant ever forget about the "newbie" the "first timer"....no matter what the law is you cant stop these frucktards.

[Leroy]

You're welcome JessStar - and God bless you for your concern.

Have been away most of the day and now sadly another little one is gone.
God bless Somer and her family.  May justice be swift and severe!

Amen! and Hi Can!

[Edward]

All the laws necessary already exist.

People need to be more Vigilant in protection for the safety of themselves and there family members. From 38 year old women walking alone to 7 year olds walking home.
More laws will not stop Evil minds.

The truth of the matter is this. There has never been a safer time in history to live.
We just need to be more Vigilant and look out for others.
  From 38 year olds out walking alone to 7 year olds walking home. Giggly Americans have to wake up in order to stop the bad guys in my humble opinion.

[no rose colored glasses]

ORANGE PARK, FL -- Hundreds of people gathered in front of Somer Thompson's home this evening for a candlelight vigil just hours after police found the body of a little girl in a landfill in Georgia.

"I don't know if anyone has lost anybody...you guys have been amazing," said Diena Thompson, the mother of Somer Thompson.

Seven-year-old Somer Thompson was walking home from Grove Park Elementary School Monday afternoon when she was separated from her friends and brother and sister, then disappeared.

Surrounded by supporters in a massive hug, Thompson huddled on the ground sobbing. The community came out to the house on Horton Street holding candles, singing "Amazing Grace," and crying. Officials have not yet identified the remains found in the landfill; confirmation could come later tonight or Thursday.

Thompson thanked the community for its support during the past few days, telling them she didn't know how she would ever be able to repay them. "I never expected this...you guy's have been amazing."

"I love her and I'll miss her," Thompson said.