The Pickton inquiry report is out

[Canuckistani]

The Pickton inquiry report is out, and of course points out the failures of he police forces involved to properly investigate the disappearances of the 70 or so women. It recommends liason workers between sex workers and the police, and funds to help the children of the victims as well as funds to allow "healing" of the victim's relatives.

Nowhere is discussed why these women were hooking on the street in the first place. The angry relatives blaming the police never mention what happened in their families that drove these women to addiction in the first place. Christie Blatchford, in the Vancouver Sun, finally brings up the elephant in the room:

The report includes mini-profiles of almost six dozen women — the most common numbers of the missing and murdered used in recent years. For the aboriginal women in particular, these profiles paint a ghastly portrait of a culture that is pathologically ill. These stories, many written by family members, have many common elements: Alcoholism and drug addiction; fetal alcohol spectrum disorder repeating itself as a generational issue; physical and sexual abuse in the family; involvement of the child-welfare system; the prevalence of mental illness, such as schizophrenia; families rent by shocking violence, such as suicide and murder.

Read more: http://www.canada.com/Pickton+report+highlights+broken+state+aboriginal+culture/7717305/story.html#ixzz2FWSgXV

Nobody wants to talk about this because that would mean the families would actually look at how they themselves failed these women. And how the cure for this failure is within the families, not castigating the police or giving money for "healing" (Ah, the white man's guilt comes out again.) The spot light should be redirected back at the families of these women, the very ones demonstrating about how the system failed the women. Yes it did, but only after the families themselves failed to a far greater extent.

[The_Squid]

It's the families' fault that the cops did a horrendous job and failed miserably at following up and catching a serial killer.

Of course, no heads rolled in the police departments....

The taxpayers spent millions of dollars on an inquiry that came up with answers that were already plainly obvious.

The entire thing was a waste of time and money that could have been spent on resources to help vulnerable people like the victims.

EDIT: Why is this in the federal section?

Edited December 19, 2012 by The_Squid

[Canuckistani]

What section would you put it in? Aren't Native issues Federal.

It's the families fault that created these vulnerable women in the first place. The families failed them long before the police did. For the families now to protest that the police failed, without looking at their own failures is disingenuous. But of course you only get money by crying racism.

[BC_chick]

Nowhere is discussed why these women were hooking on the street in the first place. The angry relatives blaming the police never mention what happened in their families that drove these women to addiction in the first place.

Of course, the risk of getting murdered is just part of the job. Why should police bother looking into these things.

[The_Squid]

The inquiry is a Provincial issue.

Yes, blame the victims for the lousy police work.... idiotic.

First, not all the victims were natives. And no one says there aren't systemic problems creating poverty, mental illness, drug abuse, etc. particularly i the native community.

However, the cops really messed up big time. They allowed this serial killer to keep on killing through their shoddy work.

[Canuckistani]

Of course, the risk of getting murdered is just part of the job. Why should police bother looking into these things.

Nice twist. The police have been rightly castigated for their failures for years now. Kim Rossmo told them a serial killer was operating but command didn't want to hear it. But to put all the blame on the police for not taking care of these women is ridiculous. Police investigate after the fact - somebody's already dead. Somebody's life was already ruined by their family. I would like to see the family members do a bit more self reflection instead of just blaming others.

[BC_chick]

Nice twist. The police have been rightly castigated for their failures for years now. Kim Rossmo told them a serial killer was operating but command didn't want to hear it. But to put all the blame on the police for not taking care of these women is ridiculous. Police investigate after the fact - somebody's already dead. Somebody's life was already ruined by their family. I would like to see the family members do a bit more self reflection instead of just blaming others.

You can ponder what went wrong in your daughter/sister's life to end up a drug-addicted prostitute, but at the same time you can have anger against the police for their inaction when it comes to a proper investigation.

The two are not mutually exclusive.

[dre]

Prostitution needs to be legalized so that these people can work in safe environments like everyone else, benefit from worksafe regulations etc, and so that they arent afraid to go to the police for help. Criminal drug enforcement also needs to be replaced with treatment.

Society at large treats sex workers like dirt... thats the real problem, and to change that you need to bring them out of the shadows.

Edited December 19, 2012 by dre

[Canuckistani]

Prostitution needs to be legalized so that these people can work in safe environments like everyone else, benefit from worksafe regulations etc, and so that they arent afraid to go to the police for help. Criminal drug enforcement also needs to be replaced with treatment.

Society at large treats sex workers like dirt... thats the real problem, and to change that you need to bring them out of the shadows.

I agree. And we should have better supports for poverty and mental illness. But I still stick to my point that the families doing all the blaming should be looking within to see what role they played here and where blame lies with them. Legalizing sex work is a good idea, but many women come to it because of addiction, and he addiction was caused by abuse or neglect when they were children. So legalizing sex work is more of a band aid in that case.

[The_Squid]

....the families doing all the blaming should be looking within...

How do you know that they haven't? All you see is what is in the public sphere at the inquiry as reported by the media.

You have no inside knowledge as to what these families have been through or how they have dealt with their issues.... your idle speculation that they are to blame is a bit sick and twisted.

[Canuckistani]

How do you know that they haven't? All you see is what is in the public sphere at the inquiry as reported by the media.

You have no inside knowledge as to what these families have been through or how they have dealt with their issues.... your idle speculation that they are to blame is a bit sick and twisted.

Wait, first you say they have been looking at their role, then you say they aren't to blame? If little Suzy got raped by her father, he's not to blame? If little Wendy was born with fetal alcohol syndrome, her mom carries no blame? If little Vanessa grew up emotionally damaged by her neglectful, abusive, alcohol or drug addicted parents, they shoulder no blame?

[The_Squid]

first you say they have been looking at their role, then you say they aren't to blame?

You are seeing words in my posts that I haven't put there....

[Canuckistani]

You are seeing words in my posts that I haven't put there....

You challenged me that how do I know the parents haven't looked at their role in this - that implies they would be taking on some of the blame. Haven't heard them say so in public. The you do the old blaming the victim thing, where the relative that raped one of these women or otherwise abused them is apparently the victim.

[The_Squid]

Haven't heard them say so in public.

Why should they? So you can be satisfied?

The you do the old blaming the victim thing, where the relative that raped one of these women or otherwise abused them is apparently the victim.

Show me where I said anything about rapists being victims.....

[Canuckistani]

Why should they? So you can be satisfied?

Show me where I said anything about rapists being victims.....

You have no inside knowledge as to what these families have been through or how they have dealt with their issues.... your idle speculation that they are to blame is a bit sick and twisted.

You're not seriously claiming that these 72 women were all raised in loving homes and who knows what drove them on the street? Read the article Iinked to.

Edited December 19, 2012 by Canuckistani

[The_Squid]

You're not seriously claiming that these 72 women were all raised in loving homes and who knows what drove them on the street? Read the article Iinked to.

You are reading into my post what is not even there. I didn't say what you claim that I did.

[cybercoma]

Nowhere is discussed why these women were hooking on the street in the first place.

Nor should it. Sex workers deserve the same protection all other Canadians get. Gang members don't get let off the hook when they kill other gang members. Their victimizations are investigated and prosecuted accordingly just the same. So why would it matter why these women were in the sex trade? It doesn't.

Edited December 19, 2012 by cybercoma

[BC_chick]

You're not seriously claiming that these 72 women were all raised in loving homes and who knows what drove them on the street? Read the article Iinked to.

Who cares? Police still need to do their job properly.

[cybercoma]

But I still stick to my point that the families doing all the blaming should be looking within to see what role they played here and where blame lies with them.

How do people go from freaking out about victims families being revictimized when it comes to a doctor murdering his children, but when it comes to sex workers, the victims families are to blame and need to figure out how and why they are to blame. Ridiculous.

[Canuckistani]

Who cares? Police still need to do their job properly.

Yes they do. And that's been said over and over again. But that doesn't allow the families to shift blame to the police. They need to look at what they wrought. Maybe some of the very people crying in the media about their loss are the ones who abused the girls in the first place.

[Canuckistani]

How do people go from freaking out about victims families being revictimized when it comes to a doctor murdering his children, but when it comes to sex workers, the victims families are to blame and need to figure out how and why they are to blame. Ridiculous.

You really think the women's families played no role in why they were on the street?

As for your comment, not sure what you're talking about. At all.

[cybercoma]

You really think the women's families played no role in why they were on the street?

As for your comment, not sure what you're talking about. At all.

I never said that. I don't know why they were working in the sex trade, but blaming their families, especially after they were victimized by these women's murders, is ludicrous.

[Canuckistani]

I never said that. I don't know why they were working in the sex trade, but blaming their families, especially after they were victimized by these women's murders, is ludicrous.

As I think it's ludicrous that these families are only blaming the police for not investigating after the fact, but not themselves for the fact these women were on the streets to begin with.

[cybercoma]

As I think it's ludicrous that these families are only blaming the police for not investigating after the fact, but not themselves for the fact these women were on the streets to begin with.

As I said, whether these women were on the street or not, and the reasons for them being on the street is completely irrelevant. They did not die because they were on the street. The investigation into their deaths was certainly a failure because they were on the street. And that's because there are people, as you are doing here, that imply that it's not that big of a deal if a sex worker gets killed. Their lives are somehow less valuable. So we should look into why they became a sex worker in the first place, so they we can solve the problem of them living a life that you deem worthless.

[BC_chick]

Yes they do. And that's been said over and over again. But that doesn't allow the families to shift blame to the police. They need to look at what they wrought. Maybe some of the very people crying in the media about their loss are the ones who abused the girls in the first place.

Nobody is blaming the police for the women's drug-problems. The 'shift' of blame is for the blatant disregard for their call of duty to protect these women even if they were drug-addicted prostitutes.