Morgan Harrington Murder: A Security Check On Security- Why Did It Fail?
Charlottesville, VA-
On the afternoon of October 17, 2009, Morgan Harrington and three of her friends drove to John Paul Jones Arena, located on the University of Virginia campus, to attend a long-anticipated Metallica concert. Following an apparent fall and chin injury occurring around the time she was visiting the ladies room, Morgan ended up outside the arena and attempted to gain re-entry to the venue.
How and why she got there comes in at a baffling second only compared to what happened to her next.
Nine months ago Dr. Dan and Gil Harrington, Morgan’s parents were notified their daughter was missing which is when their nightmare began.
On November 5, 2009, the day before a search which was organized at the request of the Harrington’s was to commence, a vintage black Pantera t-shirt placed on a bush in front of an apartment complex at the intersection near 15th Street and Grady Ave. was located by a nearby resident.
While this discovery was not released publicly, Charlottesville PD knew immediately it belonged to Morgan Harrington. Sara Snead, one of the friends that accompanied Morgan to the concert, immediately confirmed the distinct vintage design that compelled Morgan to borrow the t-shirt from her a week before the show.
Subsequently, DNA analysis confirmed the t-shirt was indeed the same one Morgan was wearing the night she disappeared.
On January 26, 2010 the remains of Morgan Harrington were discovered by David Bass, owner of Anchorage Farm, located in Albemarle County. Although her cause of death has not been released, her manner of death has been classified as a homicide by the Virginia State Police.
Dan and Gil Harrington marked the nine-month anniversary of Morgan’s disappearance from her memorial on Copeley Bridge 4 days ago.
Gil Harrington’s impassioned statement made it clear that her family’s mission is to prevent what happened to Morgan from happening to another victim and their goal is to educate young women about safety and personal security.
On July 1st, based upon an article posted on blinkoncrime.com inside sources confirmed a forensic link between Morgan’s homicide and a Fairfax County Case. Research on this case indicates it was a violent sexual assault that happened in 2005. The victim assisted in the sketch of a man police wish to interview in connection with both the Fairfax assault as well as the apparent abduction and murder of Morgan Harrington. .
What did it mean to the investigation and to the parents of young women in Charlottesville? We have a serial offender on the loose in multiple jurisdictions and an immediate need to beef up personal security.
As our very vulnerable student body returns to campus next month, blinkoncrime.com provides a glimpse at current conditions.
Unregulated Regulations In Security
The 2004 General Assembly, through House Joint Resolution (HJR122), requested the Virginia State Crime Commission to study safety at Virginia’s institutions of higher education. As a result, DCJS created the Office of Campus Policing and Security (OCPS) to address the law requiring minimum training and employment standards for campus security officers.
Campus Security Regulations for Institutions of Higher Education in the State of Virginia, fall under the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) Private Security Services Advisory Board. Below is an excerpt of the unapproved draft meeting notes of their quarterly meeting held December 8, 2009; the first and only since Morgan’s disappearance from JPJ.
The issue of safety and security on college campuses was addressed in a 2006 Crime Commission Study on Campus Safety. This study resulted in the statutory requirements under Code of Virginia (Code) §9.1-102 (49).
College populations represent a large concentration of students between the ages of 18-25 years with limited supervision and life experience. In terms of homeland security, campuses are identified as “soft targets” and are frequently targeted by domestic and foreign terrorists. Campuses also house volatile materials and research facilities that are also targeted by radical elements in society. Campuses host large stadium events and concerts that are potential targets for terrorism and riots. Most campuses also have facilities that are open to the public and are relatively difficult to secure and lockdown. Campus Security Officers are primary first responders to incidents of crime and violence on campus.
Although UVA campus security officers require a certification provided by DCJS, there are ZERO regulatory standards for certification. It was NOT until Morgan Harrington disappeared from the grounds of the JPJ Arena that emergency regulations were sought from Governor Bob McDonnell.
How does a woman on the campus of a University that provides it’s very own Police Department in addition to event security simply vanish without a trace?
By the time Morgan ends up in a hay field 7 miles away, she has passed through 3 different law enforcement jurisdictions and a slew of private campus and event security agencies and personnel. While private security regulations fall under the umbrella of the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, they also require a judicial amendment only if and when they are approved via “emergency” status by the Governor.
Who’s Looking Out For The Kids, Exactly?
As the safety on campus study showed, our college age kids are at their most vulnerable in the University setting. Out from under the watchful eye of Mom and Dad and wading through the rich culture and nightlife of downtown Charlottesville, students face a host of potential safety risks.
In fact, during the very development of this article, I received an alert from UVA security that a UVA student was sexually assaulted in the area of Roosevelt Boulevard. While I commend the swift response and warning from UVA PD chief Michael Gibson, I can’t help but wonder if a similar alert upon learning Morgan disappeared from the UVA/JPJ campus would have made a difference for her.
A simple Google of “Charlottesville security” produces the front page for HH Security Services, Inc, a local private security and bail bonding firm. I am no expert but isn’t it a bit odd to claim to protect one’s security and then bond out someone that may threaten it in the first place?
Who is vetting the security that is responsible for ensuring safety?
While HH Security or it’s employees have no known ties whatsoever to the Harrington case, it is a prime example of the weakness of current security regulations, involving students and private events, 6 years in the making.
At H & H Security Services, Inc. we specialize in Private Investigation, Private Security both armed and unarmed as well as fast efficient Civil Process Service. Our full-time professional agents are well trained, well equipped, well informed, and discreet.? Owner Rod Howard is a native of Charlottesville and central Virginia, where he’s been a well respected business owner for over twenty years. H & H Security Services, Inc. is his vehicle in his effort to help serve and protect the community he grew up in. Over the years he’s assembled a team of certified and experienced personnel who share his commitment to the safety of the community.
HH Security, in a business journal ad, claims to hire members of law enforcement and be very well connected with various police departments and security agencies for nightclubs, special events and home security checks as well in 2007.
HH Security is the security firm of choice for Club 216, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Rivals, which are bars frequently visited by UVA students and athletes.
Roderick M Howard, owner of HH Security and H&H Car detailing maintains active licenses issued through the VA Dept of Criminal Justice Services for private security and as a bailbondsman.
While blinkoncrime editors were researching this piece, a review of Albemarle County Court records show Roderick Howard was arrested for felony rape in 1993, subsequently indicted for same and a year later on the first day of trial, pled guilty to misdemeanor sexual battery whereby he was sentenced to 12 months, 11 of which were suspended and two years unsupervised probation.
Howard was also arrested a few times for felony bad checks; both cases ended nolle prosequi.
How can an accused rapist and convicted sexual batterer hold a dual license in the private security sector as well as two classifications of firearms, all of which is monitored by the VADCJS? It is specifically stated in the regulations regarding moral turpitude AND sexual battery that the VADCJS MAY DENY an applicant on those grounds.
According to Mr. Howard’s own advertisement, he has been in the security industry since 1989. Would that mean he was employed in the security field when he was arrested for rape?
Shockingly, It may be perfectly legal. Although the administrative statute for licensure prohibits granting a license to someone with a misdemeanor sexual battery conviction, if Howard divulged the crime in his application and requested a waiver from the director at the time, it is possible one was granted.
Blinkoncrime.com spoke to Lisa McGee, Regulatory Program Manager for DCJS, private security advisory committee:
“…there is a code in the statute that allows the potential for both an individual convicted of a felony and the outlined misdemeanors exceptions contained therein to obtain a director’s waiver. Two felonies we would never even consider are rape and murder, but dependent upon the criminal offense, the circumstances and the length of time that has transpired with a clean record, the verbiage in the statute would allow an applicant to at least request a waiver for our consideration…” Lisa McGee
Ms. McGee was not able to address Mr. Howard’s file specifically, citing privacy laws, but she was able to verify that Mr. Howard’s registration with the agency is current.
There are however, some discrepancies in the press release written to announce the “restructuring” of both companies, announced October 19th.
For starters, there was only a name change to Mr. Howard’s business, which actually took place prior to the October 19 release date, in May, 2009.
These are not two separate businesses. In fact, the bailbondsman license issued to Mr. Howard’s agent, Anthony Halstead, leads back to Accelerated Bail Bonds, which is not a listed entity in the state of Virginia or listed as a fictitious name for H&H Security Services.
I would be willing to wager that the police departments that allow off duty security employment with this firm would appreciate some clarification on both the personnel and licensing issues.
There has been no arrest in the homicide of Morgan Harrington. In a statement released by Corrine Geller, PR manager for the Virginia State Police, VSP has received approximately 100 significant leads from the release of the sketch of the alleged perpetrator of the 2005 Fairfax County sex assault.
Dan and Gil Harrington will be meeting with new University of Virginia President, Teresa Sullivan, next month to address safety and security issues on campus.
“..People think it cannot happen to them, IT CAN– Dan Harrington.”
Editors Note: I am not a resident of Virginia. However, I think the interest of the safety of our children is a National one. Any person that is placed in a position of public trust, most especially those that come into contact with our vulnerable students, should be REQUIRED to disclose past convictions that would negate them that position without some sort of subjective “pass”. How can we know-TRULY KNOW the level of presumed safety if we really aren’t aware of the backgrounds of those in charge of it?
Blinkoncrime.com editors Jason Mateos, Elizabeth Morton and Madeline Tanner contributed to this report
Images by Klaasend
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Susan
I agree completely in your assesment of the security situation. This ia an abject failure of UVA and that is the prime reason that they should NOT have the responsibility for security at an event. It should belong to the County PD. There should have been police at all entrances and parking lots, plus one or two cars with two officers per car just roaming the area. The event promoter should be responsible for paying for the extra time of the officers.
Bad guys do not try to operate in an area that has that type police presence.
AnotherB
You obviously can, from recent experience, express the general attitude of young people towards the police. This is a dangerous attitude, but if the police have a bad attitude towards college students, then shame on them. They should make every effort to change that attitude. Maybe all this bad activity (Morgan & Yeardley)will create some needed changes.
This attitude about the police may be the reason Morgan is no longer with us. If she was indeed drinking and (I don’t know that) was afraid of getting a ticket or picked up for underage drinking. Which is worse, getting a ticket or loosing your life?
This is the immaturity that older people, such as parents, have to deal with.
MsL
Your posts regarding security are excellent. I was the one who posted about not letting young women live in ground floor apts.
There is also a post I made about how to purchase and install proper dead bolt locks on entrance doors and bedroom doors. This may be in the old posts regarding Yeardley. To that, I would add a quality safety chain and a view port in the entrance door.
However, since young people new to the college scene have never been totally responsible for their safety, all the locks and chains are worthless unless they are used. Maybe there aught to be a sign placed on the inside of the room to remind them to “Lock and chain the door”.
Thanks for the link to Dr. Van Zant. He is a good writer and knows something about security.
Oh Fish- How is it that you can always bring me to tears?
You are right Fish- We are still here trying to get it right trying to figure out what happened.
I know we have said it before, but I will say it again, my Poison/Brett Micheal’s- loving friend-as I know you do understand, Morgan could have been us- We could have been Morgan….
So she liked Metal- like we once did- we know what people can assume
Metal=love of drugs=love of drink= promiscuity= she is asking for it
Thank you Dear Fish for standing up for Morgan, for standing up for me and you, and 1000′s of other metal loving girls who have never asked for anything but to enjoy their love of music.
If those people, that you were so kind enough to direct to BOC, do happen to come here and they do read-
It is not your fault that you have misconceptions-but now that Fish has tried to inform you- please spread the truth-
Morgan Harrington loved all kinds of music- She loved her family and her friends She had hopes and dreams. She went to a concert with her long time friends, she somehow got locked out of the arena- she was no different than any other college girl, alone- in need of help, on a cold misty night- she was last seen on that bridge that you walked across-she fell pray to a killer- He is still on the loose- the sketch of a person connected with this crime accompanies this article- please take a moment to look at it- Do you recognize him?
Hi Blink- I think a post of mine got lost again it was from August 15, 2010 at 12:57 pm
I believe It answered your question to where the flask story originated from- TIA
Found You.
Your up and thank you.
B
To the parents whose lunch was ruined in Charlottesville:
Better your lunch than your lives.
Denial is the worst thing you can do as you send that precious one off to school. I hope you are here, reading and learning that Morgan could have been anyone’s child, so that sometime soon, perhaps you can have that honest, frank conversation with your own.
I love that town like no other, but even in this very Virginian household, there can be no denial, and for God’s sake, we have to lose the arrogance. It is crippling an entire community.
Good on you, Fish.
Dear Fish,
I wish I had been there to see you open up that Jersey can of whoopass! And then you paid for their lunch?!? And told them they had met fish!!!! OMG that is priceless! I’ve been feeling down for the last few days because I ran across some really nasty comments on one site about the memorial on the bridge and I just can’t believe how mean and hateful some people can be. Just to know you’ve put some of those people in their place makes me feel better!
I would also like to know what’s going on with this case. Would really love to see you Lt Rader!
MsL,
Thanks for the excellent article with safety information. Today is move in day for us and I’m spending the night! Printing out the article and taking it with me.
Fish, so glad you accessed the site and got good information. The safety measures listed have been suggested by many here and on other sites, but I thought it was very good to read them all in one article.
As for the night Morgan disappeared. There were a lot of mistakes made that night. I think in all honesty, we have to admit, Morgan herself did make mistakes. If she was drinking or used drugs voluntarily, she should have been more cautious. If she was drugged, was it because someone she did not implicitly trust gave her a drink? If so, she should have never taken that drink. She should have never walked out of the arena alone. I just cannot wrap my mind around what would have caused her to make that decision. I just can’t buy that she felt scared inside and sought safety outside. There are event staff, any number of them female, posted at all portals to the concert area. I don’t “know” these people but I have become familiar with many during event attendance and they have always been helpful to me and my family. There is at least one first aid station located near where her seats were if she needed medical assistance. Bathrooms are numerous, maybe long lines but certainly no reason to walk across several lots for a port-a-john. At every concert or event I’ve attended, there’s a table set up in the main lobby specifically for attendees with questions or problems. Exit doors, in my experience, are always manned and there are numerous actual police officers in the arena. On the night of performances, they might be “rent-a-cops” but in their day to day life, they are sworn officers for the University, Charlottesville or Albemarle County. I can’t comment on the level of security in the parking lots during concerts, but prior to and immediately after, all lot entrances are manned by actual police officers with well marked official cars. There are also security people at crosswalks to assist in crossing the street. Perhaps this level of coverage is scaled back while the concerts are in progress, I do not know. Morgan should have been within a couple of yards of help, no matter where she was in the lot. There’s no way I can believe that she simply wandered out of an entrance/exit unawares unless she was incapacitated either voluntarily or involuntarily. Having found herself on the outside, not being able to return, her next mistake was to leave the relative safety of the well lit vicinity of the building. I know the majority feeling is that she did not accept a ride from a stranger, but do we really know that as fact? I think that is the majority opinion because it doesn’t seem what a rational, smart 20 year old would do. I think we all agree, Morgan seemed to be all of that, but maybe, for some reason, on the night of October 17th, she wasn’t the level headed young woman she was on October 16th.
Morgan’s friends made several mistakes. I’m not sure that they knew she planned to leave the arena, but when she did, some one should have tried to intercede on her behalf. I don’t know that they would have been successful trying to convince the door attendants to let her back in, but if one of them was holding her ticket, they could have certainly made an attempt. Working on the assumption that she would not have been allowed to re-enter, one or all should have gone to her assistance outside, not leave her alone in the parking lot for at least an hour. At the minimum, take the young woman her keys. I just can’t believe that door attendants would not have allowed her keys to be passed through the door so she could wait in her own car. Her friends then proceeded to leave Charlottesville without her and made no effort to contact Dr. and Mrs. Harrington to let them know they did not know what had happened to Morgan. Maybe they did wait around for her, but then they drove her car back to either Harrisonburg or Roanoke and contacted NO ONE. Dr. Harrington had to hear from UVaPD that his daughter’s purse had been found, then he initiated the call that started his family’s nightmare.
Kiddies needing breakfast so I’ll continue my list of mistakes later. Before getting angry, these mistakes do not center only on Morgan and her friends, and I’m in no way placing blame for what happened on Morgan. No time to proof read, so I’m submitting, spelling and grammar errors included.
Fish, our community needs you, our neighborhood needs you, I want you next door! A N D, this is Texas!
@ fish: How to navigate the teenage years: I did not mean to imply that I am a child rearing expert, only that I did, and do a lot of worrying about the dangers to my first son, and he is 6’3″ and still growing, 225, black belt in martial arts. If I had a daughter in this college environment I would be over the verge. The boys need protection too, and their size does not make them necessarily immune to the dangers, I think it may just be different dangers.
Frankly, I feel that so far I have been only a survivor, that with all of the things out there that can happen, I don;t think of myself as an expert, but “I survived so far.”
I would actually feel angry when my son said “I am going to so and so” whether it was that drinking festival horse race in Charlottesville, or some other ill supervised venue in another place.–Not angry at my son, because it is natural he wanted to do what his friends were doing, –but really angry at the event organizers who put these type of attractive events out there to attract the kids, and who know what type of criminal element, or other danger is on the fringe of their event, and they choose to ignore it, or “just not think about it.”
So, bottom line, kids will be kids, and they will do what their friends are doing, and it is up to the event organizers, the colleges who ALLOW this stuff to MAKE SURE that it is supervised, not an attractive magnet for the criminal fringes preying on the kids who ALL feel invulnerable.
We are not allowed to be there to baby sit when our child is 20, and Morgan was not at fault for wanting to go to this concert. The fault is a system who puts the attractive danger out there and then does not follow through with the safety net, recognizing the vulnerability and inexperience of our children.
The “policy” of non-readmittance without calling for “security” (assuming that security is on the up and up), or police to help, or without even asking, “how can I help connect you with your friends?, to a lone young woman, or young man, for that matter, is very wrong. The event management company, out of Richmond I believe, and the University, have some explaining to do about their hair brained idea of how to handle this situation, which could have happened to any one of our children. It is that policy which started the breakdown, and the child cannot be blamed for being a child, and not experienced in the “rules” of non-admittance. This is what children do, they are not experienced.
The breakdown is very obvious. I think event company was more concerned about collecting money and keeping out people who did not have a ticket, (if the ticket stub was not in Morgan’s possession,) and following someone’s hair brained policy of no-readmittance, was that UVA’s decision??, without thinking of the what if’s.
I am not a child rearing expert, I see myself only as a survivor, to this point. With the negligence of the ones who attract our children, with ill thought out safety policies and non-supervision of event and security staff, I am very afraid. I think both the UVA and the event people have a huge liability in this case. No Excuses for their failure.
The only thing we can do as parents is to explain the dangers, hope the kids listen, (they don;t), and raise you know what with the college or security when we see a breakdown or idiotic danger. I have done that more than once.
As a parent, I do not need extra, college supplied dangers, on top of the other dangers which are naturally out there to deal with.
Gil Harrington’s Blog from August 16th, 2010
My mind fills with a cacophony of struggle:
Why Morgan? so wrong / but it is.
Not fair, why us? / It is.
She was so fine had so much yet to give / it is.
We will never see her children, we won’t feel her soft hand on our faces as we die / it is.
Surrender sucks.
Stubbornly, insistently, incessantly I want to keep crashing against the rock of WHY?
How can this horrific murder be the destiny of Morgan Harrington? / It is.
God help us!
2 4 1
Dr. H-
Please tell Gil, Morgan’s Mother, and I say Morgan’s Mother, because it transcends this tragedy in my belief.
If she feels she must crash against the rock of why, please tell her on the swing back out that she is held in the soft and loving arms of those that will not rest until “the why” may be known.
B
All of us have grown to love Morgan and her family. It’s the love and inner beauty that radiates from each one of them, it’s like a magnet.
I don’t care what Morgan did or didn’t do, I don’t care what she wore, I don’t care if she was drinking , NONE of that matters one bit to me. There is not one thing that Morgan could have done that would make it remotely OK for someone to do anything to her, let alone this. Morgan is the victim and people need to quit judging.
(Continuation of my prior thoughts)Rules are established for a reason and should be adhered to, but with some degree of reason. Signage needs to be much more prevalent at JPJ warning patrons of the no-re-entry policy. Announcements should be made at the beginning of events and at intermission reminding patrons that once they leave, they will not be allowed to return. If a lone person such as Morgan is attempting to leave, door people should make it absolutely clear, there is a no-re-entry policy. I do not believe Morgan was totally unaware of this policy, the same policy exists at Tech, but reminders should be given several times during any event. No assumption should be made that patrons are aware of the policy. If Morgan was in anyway incapacitated or seemed dis-oriented, the person or people manning the doors should have realized that this young woman leaving or trying to regain re-entry needs help. She should have been offered assistance, not just allowed to walk through the doors turned away when she tried to gain re-entry. Maybe she was and refused, but if she was clearly having a problem, help should have been called for her protection whether she wanted it or not. I really can’t comment too much on the mistakes that could have been made by the door attendants because I don’t know what happened other than the fact that LE has acknowledged she did attempt re-entry. I do know, a young woman should not have been left to roam the parking lots alone. She should have at the minimum, been offered the relative safety of standing near the doors. Again, maybe she was and maybe she made the decision to leave that protection. I just do not know. I hope that there is a policy in place now that would allow someone such as Morgan to stay in a secure, safe place inside the building until either someone joins her or the shows are over. There has to be at least one room that could be used for such a circumstance in a facility as large as the arena. It would be worth whatever additional cost for the security people needed to operate this safe room. I don’t advocate an open door policy from the parking lots during events, but I do believe there has to be common sense applied to the no-re-entry policy. I’m not sure a common sense approach was used with Morgan. It seems that rules were followed to the letter with no thought to the situation. If there is some deficiency in security cameras at the entrances, this problem certainly should have been corrected before the next public event. I can accept the fact that inside the arena, with the press of thousands of people, a single individual could go undetected. It is hard to believe that not one image would have been caught of her when she tried to re-enter.
I think the parking lot entrances/exits are very well manned. If security is scaled back during events, this seems to be a very bad decision. I hope Morgan’s disappearance and subsequent death has caused a re-consideration of this policy if it does exist. I have to say, trying to be objective and fair, that I do not recall ever seeing a security person IN the parking lots, only at the entrances. Maybe there are patrols and I just haven’t noticed, but if not, there clearly should be. There needs to be security patrols on constant move in the lots at all times before, during and after events. This should include the RV lot and areas behind U-Hall and any lots where concert attendees might have the ability to park.
Morgan was failed by a number of people on October 17th, her friends, door attendants if they made no effort to help her, security if it was less than sufficient in the parking lots. She was also failed by the limited number of people she seemed to have interacted with in the parking lots. If kickee’s story is true, did he recognize that the young woman was not acting rationally. If so, he should have alerted authorities immediately. If Morgan did walk across the street innocently with the 4 MIB and was acting irrationally or seemed to be in distress, they should have offered help. If the basketball players thought she was having any type of problem, they should have never allowed her to walk away without offering some type of assistance. I think the actions all of these individuals, while maybe entirely innocent of any involvement in what happened to Morgan, are a sad commentary of our society. Most of us just don’t want to become involved. It’s easier to see someone in distress and just turn a blind eye, thinking, let someone else take care of this problem.
Who is to blame for what happened to Morgan? Most certainly not Morgan. No matter if she used bad judgment on the 17th and drank to access or used drugs totally voluntarily (not saying that she did, but just that it is a possibility) no one had the right to take her from that parking lot for any reason that put her in danger. It’s doubtful, but if she did die from some terrible accident, the person who found her or was with her should have had the decency to treat her with respect and call for assistance. Much more likely, she was taken for very bad reasons and then killed. Whoever made the vile decision to harm her in anyway, whether her death was anticipated or not, is the person(s) ultimately responsible.
I haven’t written this to put blame on anyone other than the person who caused Morgan’s death. In hindsight, there were any number of events that could have happened on the 17th that would have resulted in Morgan now being headed toward her senior year at Tech. None of us have the advantage of hindsight when making what can become a life and death decision. It seems that so many things went wrong that night. I’m not completely sure there were multiple people involved. Perhaps it was only Sketch. We already know he’s a very bad guy. I’m not ready to fault LE because they haven’t made an arrest, even after release of the composite drawing. Maybe there is someone out there other than the perpetrator who knows the story, but maybe there isn’t. The truth is, we just don’t know. I didn’t know Morgan, have no idea what type of person she was in her everyday life. I do know she should have gotten home from the concert, slept in her own bed, and visited with her father and mother the next day. As a parent, her story and what her family are suffering is my worst nightmare. If there’s any good that comes from this horrible event, maybe other young people as they return to colleges and universities will be more likely to think about their own safety, maybe there will be more concern when a friend’s whereabouts if in doubt, and maybe college facilities in particular will realize that there’s not a one-size fits all rule.
Boy, fish really has me going this morning with what she posted about the things she heard people say.
I am the type of person who sometimes have trouble keeping my mouth shut when I feel strongly about something.
I feel strongly about Morgan ( as obviously we all do as we are all still here
). I feel protective and defensive about her and her family. Can’t help it.
Who the hell are these people to judge what kind of music she listened to or what kind of clothing she wore or to judge her at all? Not that it is any of their business because it is not, but Morgan liked a wide variety of music, much like myself! What gives them the right?
How about talking about what a lovely, caring person she was? How about how gifted and talented she was? How about talking about how this was someones daughter, sister, friend. Have they read the letter from the one little girl who misses Morgan coming in late and then hugging them all and letting them play with her make-up? How about talking about that!!!!
Oh, I guess these people judging are perfect. They listen to the only acceptable music and anyone else who listens to anything else, well, should get what they deserve. They dress the only acceptable way and anyone who dresses any other way gets what they deserve. As a young adult in college, they did everything logical I’m sure, made every correct decision, right. At that age, they knew it all, right? Bullshit!
Let me judge them for a minute. I am going to judge their intelligence. Mr. and/or Misses know-it-all, since you have all the answers and know everything, how does one’s bones get shattered as a result of exposure? That would be a really good trick.
@ Fish: I applaud you for speaking up to the people at lunch. A predator is on the loose and they think their child is safe?? Some people are just in denial.
@ Texas Grandfather: I think we are kindred spirits on the security and vulnerability of the children issues. Thank goodness someone understands that the children cannot be blamed for being inexperienced. I think it is too easy for some to superimpose our adult survival skills on the ones who are experiencing this society for the first time without our protection. Furthermore, there are many parents who would sanction going to a UVA sponsored concert because of the supposedly superior level of safety of a college venue, when they would object to something not college sponsored or outwardly more dangerous. The supposed safety level of this UVA sponsored concert was very deceiving. The lack of security in the parking lot is appalling.
Fish,
In regards to your post from 8.15@11:26.
You have just turned around my day for me.
I am proud to “know” (or at least know of) someone of your caliber!
You go girl!!!
Acho and Fish, I’ve just read your comments. I agree with Acho, I love this town, but I don’t live with my head in the sand. Even had Morgan never come to Charlottesville and disappeared from the concert, I would know that there is evil here as well as a whole lot of good. That’s a given no matter where you live. Fish, not only were those parents making totally unsubstantiated accusations about Morgan, they could have been putting their own child in danger by giving her a false sense of security. I hope when I let my kids go and they are on their own, that I will have instilled in them the fact that life is to be lived, but that there are precautions that must be taken to remain safe. To do otherwise and I have failed one of my most basic responsibility as a parent. TX Grandfather. The suggestion about a view port is excellent. I’ve never considered one for an interior bedroom, but when there are multiple people with access to an apartment, it’s something a parent should insist that the landlord allow.
I am still here hoping and praying for justice for Morgan. You guys are incredible. Each time it seems this case is heading for the fridge, you stoke the fire. Hugs to each of you for all you do and have done. I continue to feel it is going to be the information on this site that breaks the case wide open. Peace to you all.
without a doubt there is law enforcement involved with this murder.
Cosmo- I think that accusatory statement needs some backing. Otherwise, it is a meritless accusation and you know I can’t have that.
B
@MsL: if Morgan was never outside of three yards away from someone who could help, how did this happen? Your adult view of all of the safety available is not likely the same view of a 20 year old. When you and your family attend concerts, I am assuming that your children are under your protection as a parent. Parents are not allowed to babysit 20 year olds at concerts. It is an entirely different ball game safety wise to have a 20 year old at a concert with friends than to be a family at a concert.
I am getting the impression that your kiddies who need breakfast are not in college yet. It is easy to superimpose the adult judgement on a 20 year old, and to assume that they know all of the angles, but it does not work that way.
I think that all of the most recent assertions point to the fact that we all want the truth to be told. Until then, we are making quasi-informed speculation, however, with the sole purpose of bringing Morgan’s murderers, and their accomplices, to justice. I’m glad that Fish told those people to wake up, b/c people in the Charlottesville area seem to be in denial over this and are ready to put it behind them, which is opening up the door for assessing blame on the victim over her “misguided” actions leading up to her abduction, apparent rape, and murder.
I’ve spoken to two people that I know well that live in Charlottesville (transplants no less). The first person that I asked said: “The word on the street is” that meth was involved. 2. The other person said: “no one’s talking about it”. My immediate response to that was, ‘THAT is the problem’. There is the camp that knows what happens that is not talking and protecting their own and there is the camp that is in denial that there is a contingent in that town that is dysfunctional, non law abiding, and murderous, but as long as it’s not affecting their world directly, then it’s not their problem. This says to me that this is almost a class struggle between the UVA/ old money element that sense this was perpetrated by the fringe element around town or the demographic that a Metallica concert might attract (I know that Metallica has a broad spectrum of fans, but I really don’t see TOO many of the UVA/ Farmington set attending that show).
They are willing to sweep it under the rug as long as it didn’t happen on that sacred turf, thus the reason to create a scenario where Morgan was no longer on campus grounds in order to mitigate liability on behalf of the campus, concert organizers, sponsors, and backers of the arena.
I was in Charlottesville recently and I personally didn’t feel a sense of safety around the UVA campus. This is coming from a male. The UVA campus backs up against a part of town that is, yes, diverse, but more importantly it’s low income. To think that the student population is immune to any crime during a an epic economic crisis, including violent crime, because they are on campus, is not just an attitude of denial but delusional, which makes the whole premise behind the WHERE (the C. Bridge) aspect of how Morgan supposedly met her fate (or which presumably started it), that much harder to swallow and a downright low attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of the public.
The public is smarter than that and the Harringtons don’t deserve to be given the runaround in order to protect hallowed grounds while seeking justice and answers as to what happened to their daughter.
I haven’t posted on this thread in a while. Not much to say, plus caught up in life. But Morgan is so often on my mind, as my family deals with a local predator, and as I watch our own local college students.
To everyone posting here, tell your children–always trust your instincts! Don’t worry about being nice, or that maybe you have that hinky feeling just because someone is different. Scream. Call 911. Do not be embarassed.
I want to say to Gil and Dan that knowing what happened to Morgan helped my own daughter (only 12) through her witness statements and photo line-ups (wow, do I have a strong kid). She feels that by speaking out maybe she saved someone, and I’m sure she did, if not from death, from harm. So, by extension, so did you, and so did Morgan.
And, thanks again, to Blink for her private support through my ***not for posting*** posts.
Oh, and fish, thank you for speaking out for all of us. I recently had my own “blame the victim” rant, and I’m sure I wasn’t nearly so eloquent. I certainly wasn’t gracious enough to buy lunch.
Gil and Dan Harrington, you will always be Morgan’s Mom and Dad forever. We will stay here, with you, until justice comes. Yes, Morgan was special. May peace come back to you.
More scandal at UVA…long article, but helps to show the tendency of the administration to stick its head in the sand…
“What Killed Kevin Morrissey?
How the death of an editor threatens the future of the University of Virginia’s prestigious literary review”
http://chronicle.com/article/What-Killed-Kevin-Morrissey-/123902/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
#
susan says:
August 16, 2010 at 10:56 am
@MsL: if Morgan was never outside of three yards away from someone who could help, how did this happen? Your adult view of all of the safety available is not likely the same view of a 20 year old. When you and your family attend concerts, I am assuming that your children are under your protection as a parent. Parents are not allowed to babysit 20 year olds at concerts. It is an entirely different ball game safety wise to have a 20 year old at a concert with friends than to be a family at a concert.
I am getting the impression that your kiddies who need breakfast are not in college yet. It is easy to superimpose the adult judgement on a 20 year old, and to assume that they know all of the angles, but it does not work that way.
It appears that morgan left the comparative safety of the arena first and then the parking lots second. I could see how no one would be looking at her on a bridge a good ways away from the JPJ entrance especially as the concert had started and there weren’t many people looking for parking or going in any more. Despite what people say, I still think it is possible she got in the wrong car voluntarily which would not have raised any suspicion.
Check out 2 stories on http://www.wdbj7.com (Colonial Parkway murders mention) and (Childs-Metzler murder case).
Susan: What is the use of talking to our children, whether college aged or younger, about safety precautions if we are then going to say that they don’t think like we do so how can we expect them to take actions that will possibly keep them safe. The death of a young person is a horrible teaching moment. If just one young person reads or hears about the events of October 17th and what happened to Morgan and thinks twice about walking or jogging alone or leaving an entertainment venue alone, maybe another tragedy can be averted. Maybe he or she will escape the hands of a predator. If one friend decides to give up a television show, a bubble bath, or a concert to go to a friend in a vulnerable situation, maybe a tragedy can be averted. Maybe that friend will escape the hands of a predator. If one young person decides to go to security if he or she feels threatened, maybe a tragedy can be averted. Maybe he or she will escape the hands of a predator. If a venue takes a 2nd look at their no re-entry or security polices more closely, maybe a tragedy can be averted. Maybe someone such as Morgan will escape the hands of a predator. I don’t apologize for saying that Morgan, her friends and JPJ made mistakes the night of October 17th. They did. If just one decision had been different, maybe Morgan would be home with her family today instead of having died at the hands of a predator(s.) That being said, blame lies solely with the predator(s.) No matter the circumstances or decisions that preceded Morgan walking into that parking lot, the responsibility was his/theirs when the decision was made to take Morgan from the parking lot or the bridge.
When I drive with my children, I make sure that all our doors are locked. When we enter our home I lock our doors. Simple safety precautions. I’ve always told them to never accept anything from a stranger and to never go near parked, unfamiliar vehicles. I do not let them go out alone after dark. I have always told them to seek out a manager at a store or security if they are separated from me at someplace like the arena. When they get to be teenagers and older, I refuse to believe that the lessons I have tried to instill in them to keep them safe will just fly out the window. I know a lot of them probably will, but I won’t accept that fact until I have to. If forgetting everything I’ve taught them about being safe is a certainty, then I will lock them in their rooms now and the EMT’s can let them out when I’m found dead of old age.
You are welcome Blink-
In your opinion, did that “witness” see Morgan?
Excellent Follow Up Question- I have no idea.
B
The granny sighting report says that after the grandmother said, “don’t do something tonight that you’ll regret tomorrow” to them, they walked off togetgher in the other direction. If Morgan didn’t know him, I can’t imagine that after an arm lock altercation between them, and this nice grandmother in her car, if Morgan didn’t know him, if she was afraid, she’d have run toward granny and got inside her car. The grandmother reported that it appeared they knew each other. Lt. Rader, who was that person? Open this case up and bust them all wide open! 10 months too long!
@ A Texas Grandfather August 16, 2010 at 12:20 am
Just as a general caveat – I am not Morgan’s age. I am a mid thirties academic who sings in a chamber choir, I am from the pre-facebook generation, and I have never been to the US. I have, however, seen the same student/police issues in several other countries, and I hear that it is still the same.
When I was Morgan’s age, I was incredibly naive, and I would have tried to sort out any potential problems by myself; in her situation, being locked out of the arena, and being bothered by someone on the parking lot (this is speculation), I would either have approached security or the firefighters who are usually parked outside, or, if this was not possible for some reason, I would have asked people on the parking lot for help, and then my choice would have been rather athletic looking fellow students, who could deter a bad guy. This is why I can see Morgan approach the basket ball players.
Otherwise, I have just been trying to understand why Morgan would walk towards the bridge; I began to wonder about it when you pointed out that she was wearing heels. So why walk all the way? Had she been trying to hitch hike, she could have stayed where she was. The more I think about it, I get the impression that she was trying to get away from the parking lot. Maybe she was just trying to stop a car because she needed help, and this was mistaken for hitch hiking by the witnesses.
When I went to university, we drank very little, and we didn’t do drugs. We did, however, usually have something to hide, such as a missing reflector on a bicycle, and I can state from my own experience that there were cases where students were fined for these things. We also didn’t have too much money, so this was serious for us. I have family connections to LE, and I respect their work. But there are certain types of LEO, in particular in student towns, whom I wouldn’t trust, because they could, for instance, call my parents.
As I have said, I have never been to the US, I didn’t know Morgan, and I am also much older than her. The situation in contemporary Virginia could be entirely different. Hope my comments are not misleading!
To clarify my comment that my kiddies (yes Susan, they are not college aged, but I think now is the time to ingrain safety, not just words later when they have already stopped listening) are told to seek out security if they get separated from me in a crowd. Seeking out security DOES NOT mean they are to go into a non-public area with the man or woman. A security person imo should be considered a stranger by kids and college aged students alike. Only trust them in a public area. My kids are told to ask that I be paged, and never allow themselves to be moved to an empty room or outside the store or venue.
I do think that if Morgan had voluntarily taken some kind of drug, or even felt she had drank too much alcohol she may have not wanted to ask for help from police officers who may have booked her for being underage, and that would have been humiliating to her to her and in her mind,most likely disappoint her parents.
Young people care so very much what other people think , and sometimes put themselves at risk rather than be caught breaking certain rules. Also if Morgan was involuntarily impaired due to being slipped something inside the arena, or had voluntarily had too much of any substance her thought process would be impaired. I have experienced walking in Morgans shoes as a young adult and feel lucky that no real harm ever came to me so I cannot judge Morgan.
My 15 year old daughter is about to start high school in the fall. yesterday she became very emotional and cried. She said she wishes she was born when I was, because things are so different now. That she has no real independence and feels like she is being treated like a 13 year old in a 15year olds body. That I continually embarrass her by talking about Morgans’ demise and the current epidemic of violence towards young women and children in the USA. That she thinks I am obsessed and it brings her down.
That she does not want to go against myself or her dad, but feels kind of trapped because she can’t just go for a walk or have any sense of independence , that she loves her parents but doesn’t want to be with us all of the time. I was stressed out anyway for various day to day adult “life” reasons and sat at the kitchen table with her, and felt like my hair was on fire!!
How to keep calm and validate her and make some sort of sense of this senselessness.
Deep breathe here…. I started by saying that I was sorry she was experiencing this and feeling this way.
That it breaks my heart. That I wish it was not so. That what she was saying was true. That things have gotten worse. That I SO wished she could have the same independence as I had at her age. That she is growing up in a huge metropolis and I grew up in a small rural town in New Zealand.
That the institutions that once housed and treated people with behavioral problems have lost government funding over the years and the patients are now on the streets. That our jails are full of drug offenders, and violent sex offenders and murderers are released way to early and not properly monitored. That the laws need to be changed. That I did not really realize all of this until I read “Lovely Bones” in the pouring rain and then zeroed in on Morgans’ missing story from a rock concert no less.
That it is my job as her parent to be truthful about what is going on in the world, with her my daughter who I love more than life itself and have sworn to protect. That it never really came home to me until I suddenly have a teenage daughter.That I too am sick of myself and my big mouth and how horrified I am daily by the mounting names of victims. That I am so sick of myself I am planning to volunteer as a victims advocate in our city in the fall once she has settled into High school because sometimes I feel so helpless and powerless, and refuse to feel hopeless and powerless and want to do something about helping rehabilitate the families of the victims and work towards changing the laws that are no longer protecting out precious young. That her stepfather in LE is in a position to help create real change in this area.
She said I am a teenager mom, and I am sitting asking what I can and cannot do ….because I want my independence but I want to be safe….. let’s make a list. she was crying …I was was so fr….g sad and mad and felt like a crazed mother trying to spin straw into gold……
So we made a list as follows :
1) when out in public stay in a group
2) Always go in pairs to the bathroom anywhere you are.
3)Don’t wander off anywhere with a person or people you don’t know alone or even with a girlfriend
4) Don’t allow any one of your girlfriends in your group to wander off alone with a stranger, call your parent or their parents if they refuse to cooperate.
6) establish a code with your parents that if you are in an uncomfortable situation and want to leave without advertising that say ( code phrase) and your parent will come and pick you up anytime day or night no questions asked.
7)Always keep cell phone charged
8) when it comes time to drive a car ( yikes!!) always keep at least half a tank of gas in the gas tank.
9) Don’t walk or jog alone whilst talking on the cell phone or listening to Ipod and stay aware of your immediate surroundings.
10) Have money or a credit card on you at all times
11) Do not automatically trust security personnel or police officers or any man in a uniform. There are impostors and some bad cops. if in trouble and in doubt call parents or 911.
12) Take a picture of the questionable person with your cell phone and/or questionable activity that you notice.
13) With regard to rock concerts, the rules of the night to be figured out prior to each event. prefer her to go with older siblings of friends or parents until she is older.
14) social parties….. to be figured out at each event . That I do not feel comfortable with her going to parties with out parents present.
15) That if she goes to any boys houses that I have spoken to and or met the parents and they have agreed on the “Door Open” policy in any room in the house.
We figured out some personal stuff eg. I said she could walk alone in the daytime to main street in our town within a large city but not at dusk or dark and she must follow the above guidelines and always let one of us know when she leaves and when she gets back.
16) She can walk into main St early evening as long as she is with a group of friends.
That is about a far as we got and then we set to manically deep cleaning her disaster of a bedroom removing all the “Tweeny” stuff and transforming it into a cool high school kind of room that along with her vintage record player , vinyl records , Beatles Poster , Led Zeppelin poster, limited Rolling Stones edition print from 1975 that she got for her 15th birthday ….well let’s just say it closely resembles Morgans’ room.
Morgan the shiny beautiful and kind. Sort of of like my daughters big sister (she does not have one as she is an only child) Morgan who has unwittingly become a poster child for hundreds of thousands of girls like her all over the world.
I like to think Morgans death was somehow not in vain , not that it makes it any more bearable to her parents or makes any kind of sense to be struck from her life like that by a cowardly murderer.
Gotta go now we need to get off this computer and go for a hike, my father in law is in hospital suddenly, my sister in New Zealand in emergency with swine flu on and on it goes ..thank God for all of you here on BOC and most of all Blink. Go Fish!! Gald your little one is healing Mom3.0
J4m and peace to Morgan and the Harringtons….love Hummingbird.
PS if my daughter had any idea I was posting this I would be dead meat!! have been carryong the computer around with me room to room as I post in stealth!!
@ MsL August 16, 2010 at 9:45 am
Absolutely. Somewhere, maybe in comments on the Hook, a flight attendant described her duties, and said that the security staff at the arena were very poorly trained. She said that flight attendants would have to report injured or distressed passenger to the captain, and that they would arrange for help to be available after landing.
At any major event I attended, there were ambulances waiting outside, and there was usually also a firetruck parked there, and there was police as well as security staff around. I also heard that there are sometimes plain clothes officers or social workers as well. This is for a reason.
It was very, very unlikely for Morgan to be murdered; but if the descriptions are correct, and she was intoxicated, disoriented, outside and without a coat, she was in serious danger of dying of exposure, or having an accident. This is where things don’t add up for me. If she was really in such a state, why didn’t people intervene, in particular the officials?
@ Blink August 15, 2010 at 10:19 pm
The case of the epileptic woman needs media exposure.
heh?
B
Susan, MSL- Hi I understand your points MSL- I have taught my children the same thing- I am sure Morgan’s mom Mom and Dad taught her something along those same points-
But we have a situation here, where we do not know why Morgan was outside the venue- She was injured- She may have saught medical help, from security or from outside the venue-
Kickee states that there was a commotion at the door between security and Morgan- we do not know what this commotion was- Was it Morgan trying to reenter? Was it a security guard kicking here out?
WT was a security guard- he states he talked to Morgan and wishes he did more to help-
What does this statement mean? Was Morgan trying to get him to page her friends? Was Morgan trying to get him to borrow his phone because hers was on the fritz?
We don’t know- and these points that we teach our children do not always protect them (think little Adam Walsh)- especially against a business or venue that refuses to help or kicks them out or in some way perhaps unknowingly contributes to the problem-
Remember after Morgans disappearance the screens and signs at jpj now point out the way to first aid – they didn’t before.
“anotherB says:
August 16, 2010 at 5:48 pm
@ Blink August 15, 2010 at 10:19 pm
The case of the epileptic woman needs media exposure.
heh?
B”
You link to a few screen shots of a CUE document. There is a featured case – an epileptic women who disappeared from her home. I just thought it was interesting. She could be a homeless today, suffering from amnesia. And someone must know how she left town. If the person who picked her up didn’t have anything to hide, why doesn’t he talk to the police?
Thank You anotherB
B
“anotherB says:
August 16, 2010 at 5:48 pm
@ Blink August 15, 2010 at 10:19 pm
The case of the epileptic woman needs media exposure.
heh?
B”
I mean, had she just wandered off, either because she was disoriented, or because she had decided to commit suicide, someone would have seen her, or they would have found her by now; had she taken a bus or a taxi, someone would have seen her, and there is no reason for the driver to lie about it; this leaves us pretty much with abduction – or that she voluntarily disappeared, but for that she would have needed a helper.
My point is – someone knows.
Sorry for hijacking the blog. I just thought this was interesting.
Thank you, hummingbird. I am having similar conversations with my son. It is heart-wrenching at times to be so brutally honest with him. Now I know I am not the only “meanest mom in the world.”
Love is hard.
hummingbird,
you’re a wonderful mother. Five years go by quick. My newly turned 20 year old and I have survived a brutally hot move in day and are now ensconced in her new apartment just off campus. First order of business tomorrow: Deadbolt needs work on the “striker plate” per husband. My daughter didn’t want to go over the safety article tonight but agreed to discuss it in the daytime. During our convo I brought up Morgan and she said her thought was, due to her own experience, that Morgan may have been trying to get to a quiet spot where she could hear on her phone, and then accidentally found herself outside. She said she had almost accidentally exited a venue for that very reason. A long time ago she questioned the phone call where Morgan said she would try to find a ride home, saying “are they sure it was her?”. I wondered the other day, was it Morgan? Or was it somebody saying, “Morgan says she will find a way home”.
I came up with a scenario where Morgan goes to party at the Econo Lodge with some guys she has met, they make a beer run, and while they’re gone, Sketch commits his heinous crime, leaves, and when the BIB return to find their new friend dead they freak out, thinking they’re going to be blamed for her murder, and take her to Anchorage Farm.
I’m hoping there is some kind of news soon about this case. My husband told some new friends the other night that I was “obsessed” with this case. I told him I would run it by you guys. Y’all don’t think that. Do you?
Ask the good Mr. Mary if it was your baby what would you do?
Great job on the safety talk.
O sweet Morgan, hang in there dear girl.
B
Blink I had just read the horrible story of the mom with her two children in the water, shades of Susan Smith, on the State newspaper website. Then I checked back here and saw your new article. I just cannot fathom the depths of evil.
So beyond angry.
B
anotherB, i have no idea which missing epileptic woman you mean. The recent one in Mobile was found fairly quickly. So it’s not immediately obvious, at least to me, to which case you are referring.
Thanks for thinking about me and 1.5 Hummingbird.
I thought worrying about my kids when they were little was the hard part- Teen years- Wow its a whole other ball game. I commend you for taking the time to listen to your daughter- She is lucky to have you.
Clarification needed Blink- was SS phone call to Morgan outside a text message or a conversation?
Conversation at 8:48 PM
B
Sometimes we do not understand why events unfold as they do. Morgan is in “God’s hands now and it is LE task if at all possible to find the perp(s) that committed this crime.
When we try to live in freedom as we do in America, there are always risks. The lesson that we may all take from this is we often live in our own little portion of the world thinking that everyone is responsible and good. The awful truth is that unless we work together to correct societies mistakes and take the responsibilites of taking care of our loved ones and those around us whether we know them or not, we allow the bad guys to win.
The thinking and work that those that post here have done to try and understand the why and how of Morgan’s death is monumental. Maybe someday Blink can weave this into a good book that will affect the behavior of LE, university administrations,event managers and most of all provide young people the tools that they need to keep themselves safe. Or maybe just a good book about how to keep yourself safe when at college.
If we see poor thinking and bad behavior on the part of LE, school administrators or any other portion of society that we come in contact with, we should immediately call them on it. If we don’t things will not get better.
Oh Hummingbird!
I have that same 15 year old!
I bring her down too. I took her to see the search for Morgan and what an impact it made on her life!
Morgan Dana Harrington was her teacher that day.
Sad it was and I wish it could have had a different outcome.
Maybe this and I’m not thinking that I was the only one that this girl touched but I’m thinking that this is the “Rock of Why” Morgan was taken.
No, I know that evil took her but as to the “Why” of it all.
I have sat and sit nightly wondering that myself.
See, Bird they all still had so much more to give, so much more love, determination, dedication, and life to experience and joy to give to all of us.
But, “The Why” gets me too.
Why did it happen?
Why couldn’t they have just left them alone?
Why did the need for rage and greed and obession outweight the need for them to be with all of us?
Hummingbird, I do not know that answer because if I did I would be in the car racing to give a Mother the answer as to “The Why!!!”
I just know that her daughter means something to each of us, who still to this day; keep her memory alive, search for the evil that took her, and preach to our own kids about their personal safety and yes, sometimes step in shit we shouldn’t ever of had to step in.
Yes, Morgan was and is that teacher she always wanted to be!
Her life cut way too short but not ever, never will it be in vain.
Her parents worked way too hard to get her to that point of success with their love, understanding, acceptance, and giving her those wings to fly. The wings I clip on my own.
I’m trying to be better with this but yes, at times that kid of mine, sees me as paranoid, overreactive, possessive, and every other adjective one could describe me.
She also sat facing me when I kept getting my chair slammed into by the father sitting at The Corner, preaching the crap he was preaching about how safe his kid was and all the different choices she would make as opposed to the ones Morgan Harrington made that fateful night.
My daughter had that same stunned, search look when I did my turn-a-round. Yes, Blink, I was put there to eavesdrop for a purpose.
I’m glad I did. I consider it my duty and calling.
(If anyone wants to meet me, I’ll be bridge-side on Friday)
(Supporting that family who lost so much)
No, Hummingbird, susan, Mom3.0, Saramom and all the rest of us out here. Keep the lines of communication open.
They will try us and it is their job to do such!
It is our job to be there in all our overprotective glory!
It is why, well, not really, but it is how I became a mom.
I am honored to stand here next to all of you.
Both the Moms and Dads on this board.
Even a TexasGranddad!
XOXO
mary, mary, mary:
Never in all my days have I ever offered my phone number up to another woman’s husband but if you want…
I can talk to him for ya!
Sketch’s connection to Anchorage Farm is through his friend.
A friend that he shares much in common with.
What could that be???
Family in North Garden?
Yep.
B
Does any one know if the video system at JPJA really covers the rototunda area and the front entrance? Are there any cameras that cover the parking areas?
If I wern’t 1500 miles away, I think I would drive to Charlottsville and do some serious video tapeing. From what I can see on google earth, this venue is an easy spot to abduct a student unless it is protected fully by LE. It would take at least a dozen officers to do this. Too many parking lots partially obstructed by buildings and not enough lighting.
MsL suggests he has good experiences at the location, but perhaps he has not attended an event such as Metalica where the promoter is more responsible for security.
Someone has stated that the campus is bordered by an area that is low income and they think it poses a danger. This happens at a lot of schools as the demographics change over time. One of the worst ones I know is the University of Illinois, Chicago campus where a large low-income housing project is at the South end.
I’ve been thinking overnight about what I wrote yesterday. I haven’t changed my opinion that there were bad decisions made on October 17th, but one thing I want to make absolutely clear and I hope all realize, I place no blame on Morgan. Let’s create a story at a major arena also involving the death of a patron. A young man finds an access letter that hasn’t been secures and decides to climb to the catwalk. His friends know what he is attempting but make no move to stop him. He has no idea there is a lighting roadie on the catwalk, a very bad guy. This young man leans out over the safety rail of the catwalk as far as he can to yell at his friends below, putting himself in a terribly precarious position. In the darkness at that height no one sees the roadie as he sneaks up behind the young man and pushes him to his death on the concrete floor below. Did the young man make a bad decision by climbing to the catwalk? Absolutely. Did his friends make a bad decision by not trying to stop him? Absolutely. Who was responsible for the young man’s death? Not the young man, not his friends even though they all made bad decisions. The evil person who took advantage of his precarious position was the cause of his death. That young man, even having made a mistake in judgment, should have climbed back down the ladder and gone on to live his life to it’s natural conclusion. The bad guy took that opportunity away from him. Whatever bad decisions Morgan and her friends might have made on the night of the 17th, leaving the safety of the arena, not going to her assistance when she was denied re-entry, the blame for her death lies solely with the evil person who took advantage of a young woman’s vulnerable situation.
Susan asked how do I explain the fact that Morgan seemed to have disappeared when help should have been only yards away. I have no explanation, but I do have 3 possibilities. She was forced into a vehicle at gun or knife point, she was quickly incapacitated with a blow to the head or some other means, or she got in a car voluntarily. Unless she was out of hearing of any concertgoers or security, it seems that the abduction must have been done very quietly and with little struggle.
I also want to add, even at my kids’ young age, I have learned, the more I preach to them, no matter the subject, the more they tend to tune me out. I’m not 20 something anymore, but I do remember that I didn’t always think my folks were the sharpest people in the world when they constantly told me to be careful who I associated with, where I went, etc. I do tell my kids how I think they need to avoid dangerous situations, but I try to also teach by example. If they see that we always lock our doors or our vehicles, and if they see that my husband doesn’t think it’s safe for me to make a quick run to the store after dark, I hope the message sinks in and stays with them more than constant harping on the subject. They know that it’s a rule that they have to let us know where they are at all times, and if there’s a change in plans, we have to be called. They see that this rule does not just apply to them, that my husband calls home with any change in plans, and I do the same. I know when they go away to college, I won’t be the person they’ll rely on, but I hope the examples we set will follow them and that they’ll establish good friendships with people they can rely on to have their backs when I’m not there to do the Mom thing. You can bet though, the day they are left at college, I’ll give then a written list of dos and dont’s I hope they’ll follow. I know the list will probably end up in the trash as soon as I leave so their roommates won’t see what a safety geek their mother is, but just maybe they will read the list before throwing it away.