New details: Smart arrives as Morgan Harrington’s parents launch search
published 1:38pm Wednesday Nov 4, 2009
Write a letter to the editor
Smart brought a message of hope to Morgan’s parents, Gil and Dan Harrington.PHOTO BY HAWES SPENCER
“We will stop at nothing until she is found,” says the father of missing Morgan Harrington, as he and his wife were joined in Charlottesville Wednesday by the father of once-abducted but miraculously recovered Utah resident Elizabeth Smart.
But before the November 4 press conference announcing that the public would be invited to join the search, new information suggests that the injured 20-year-old Virginia Tech student’s efforts to regain entry to the John Paul Jones Arena after she somehow ended up outside during an October 17 Metallica concert were more intense than previously reported.
“She did make a few attempts to get back into the arena at different entrances,” says Virginia State Police spokesperson Corrinne Geller in an email, declining to elaborate on which entrances or exactly how many times she tried. Previously, police had confirmed only one attempt around the time of her last phone communication with her friends, an 8:48pm incoming call.
“She did not make any other phone calls on her phone,” Geller said at the press conference.
In a pre-press conference email, Geller declined to elaborate on the number and source of texts sent or received, but Morgan’s father, Dan Harrington, told national crime show anchor Nancy Grace that his daughter texted that night with a “young man” who was not in the Charlottesville area and was not considered a suspect.
Morgan’s purse and battery-less phone were found Sunday morning, October 18, in the RV parking lot adjacent to the UVA track, where Morgan was seen, according to a police timeline, between 9:10 and 9:20pm the previous night. The phone’s battery, says Geller, has not been recovered.
One of the perplexing questions— and one that police may have an answer to, even if they’re not sharing— is how Morgan ended up outside, alone. At Wednesday’s press conference, Geller shot down the rumor that Morgan might have been ejected from the Arena.
“We have no information to believe,” says Geller, “that she was forced to leave or asked to leave, or anything of that nature.”
Security at the 16,000-seat facility is outsourced to RMC Events, a Richmond-based firm with a Charlottesville office. Company President Dan Schmitt declined comment, referring questions to Arena management, who also declined comment.
In the days immediately following Morgan’s disappearance, however, the Arena’s General Manager Larry Wilson defended John Paul Jones’ policy of prohibiting reentry during events as “standard operating procedure of every major venue I know of in the country.”
Security personnel working the doors, Wilson explained, are trained to inform anyone leaving the arena that they won’t be allowed back in, even with a ticket stub.
According to Morgan’s father, dean of academic affairs for Roanoke’s Carilion Clinic, Morgan left her friends to use the bathroom before Metallica took the stage. Early speculation focused on whether she got lost on her way to find one of the 18 women’s restrooms in the Arena.
Witnesses have reported seeing her at various points both inside and outside the Arena after she separated from her friends, and police recently confirmed that she suffered a facial cut, but one that was too minor to suggest an assault.
Geller says police have reviewed hours of surveillance footage from the Arena and from area businesses yet have found no images of Morgan. But according to the owner of the closest convenience store to John Paul Jones Arena, the 7-11 on Ivy Road, it was several days before investigators reviewed her store’s tapes.
“I believe it was Wednesday, October 21,” says 7-11 franchise owner Sabiha Raja.
Asked why it took so long, Geller said at the press conference, “It depends when that information might have come in.”
An employee of nearby BB&T bank declined comment on investigators reviewing surveillance at the bank, and the manager of the Cavalier Inn Best Western on Emmet Street did not return the Hook’s call by posting time.
The grieving parents have invited a tsunami of media coverage from local and national outlets. They are inviting interested searchers to a 7pm meeting on Thursday, November 5 at the Cavalier Inn in preparation for a massive search coordinated by a group called the Laura Recovery Center this weekend.
And bringing in Ed Smart offers a new round of headlines. But according to former FBI profiler Mark Safarik, now a consultant in Northern Virginia, every day that passes is bad news.
“Time is the enemy,” he says. “Evidence degrades.” And police currently don’t seem to have much to work with.
“They have a crime area, but not a scene,” he notes. “When you don’t have a scene, you don’t know where she disappeared, or how, and you’re left trying to figure out what you do have.”
After the press conference, Morgan’s mother, Gil, remarked that her brother’s best friend in high school was Franz Stillfried. As longtime Charlottesvillians may recall, the wheelchair-bound Stillfried died in 1988 when he and his heavy motorized chair rolled down the ravine at the site of today’s John Paul Jones Arena.
“It makes me happy,” Harrington said, “that Franz might be looking over Morgan.”
~
Lead investigator State Police Lt. Joe Rader urges tipsters— who may remain anonymous— to call the tip line at 434-352-3467 or email information to . The reward now officially tops $150,000.
–last updated at 3:13pm (with press conference photo and info)
–original headline: ‘Still missing: Ed Smart joins Harrington parents; new details emerge’
Thank you. This is very good reporting.
If anyone can figure out what to do, it is probably Ed Smart. May God be with him and you all.
i think jpj should let people back in if they subject themselves to be searched…..they are responsible for not letting that little girl back in and if i were her parents i would sue!!!
What I want to hear JPJA to state publicly is that NOBODY is ever allowed back in under their NO RETURN POLICY… And that would be a LIE ! I , as many have went back in and video footage will show that since the place opened .
INdeed.. this is good reporting, Hook. Thanks and please continue to stay on top of it.
“She did make a few attempts to get back into the arena at different entrances,” says Virginia State Police spokesperson Corrinne Geller in an email, declining to elaborate on which entrances or exactly how many times she tried.
How does declining to elaborate help find Morgan?
Sounds to me like maybe somebody is covering for JPJA . Maybe it wouldn’t look good to know that contracted security (rent a cops) turned away a injured girl in distress , You know that injury she recieved INSIDE the JPJ Arena .
Yes , I wouldn’t want to elaborate on that either nor would I want to answer the phone at JPJA.
“There’s no question that in small cities like Roanoke, or Danville, or Charlottesville, we have gang membership and gang recruitment,”
Timothy Heaphy
USAttorney Western District of Virginia
When my daughter at UVA was recently a victim of a car break-in. the police investigator told us that gangs were targeting UVA students as a rite of initiation. They especially looked for inebriated students to jump from behind. If true, I do not know why police or UVA staff have not warned students about this.
Counterintuitive, but if Morgan is being held by someone, I would think all this searching would put her in more danger and not less, and make it more likely that the mentally ill person or persons, who did this would either harm her, so as not to be discovered, or make it more difficult for her to be found with so much attention focused on finding whoever is responsible. This is a serious question and I would appreciate an answer if anyone knows. Has there ever been a case where a beautiful girl of this age was abducted and returned because the parents asked them to ? In the case of the Smart girl it was only after everyone had stopped publicly searching that she was found.
” Nine months after her kidnapping, Elizabeth was discovered walking in a city suburb with one-time itinerant street preacher and self-proclaimed prophet Brian David Mitchell and his now-estranged wife, Wanda Barzee. Both have been charged with Smart’s abduction, and Mitchell has twice been deemed incompetent for trial, delaying his prosecution. ”
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20315838,00.html
Bodies and evidence has been found by community search teams in tangled growth etc. More eyes on the ground means less possibility that something will be overlooked The Smart girl was found because she was recognized by a person who saw her picture on a newly released Television show, reviewing the case.
Families of victims report that community involvement helps them with their fear and loss. I hope the community will respond with compassion and support and turn out in large numbers. It will encourage the police and FBI to stay on the case. Does anyone want this abductor to remain at large?
But perhaps the abductors in the Smart case were careless and walking down a street because they thought no one was looking anymore? While there is such public intense scrutiny I would think, if her abductors were hiding her, they would be far more cautious not to be caught.
The purse in the RV Lot does not sound good to me. Do the RV’s have to check in like they do here in CA at campgrounds? If so, I would suggest start looking into who was there.
What bothers me about the Elizabeth Smart case was the fact the Salt Lake City cop shoppe was zeroing in on an innocent man, Richard Ricci, as their prime suspect. Had Ricci not had a brain hemmorhage and died, I often wonder if any type of “confession” would have been fabricated against him in Elizabeth’s dissappearance.
Ricci had worked for the Smart family at one time, just like the real abductor had. The Smarts had a history of hiring homeless people to do odd jobs around their home.
It’s a chilling thought to think Mr. Smart inadvertantly had invited to his property the man who ended up abducting his own daughter.
I hope many community members will join in this search. The more people are involved the better. It’s the least we as a community can do - to show we care.
Harringtons Seek Volunteers To Search For Their Missing Daughter
http://www.wina.com/Local-News/3077192?contentId=4993824
The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Cavalier Inn at Emmet Street and Ivy Road.
Many thanks to The Hook for staying on top of this…Still frustrated with the secrets. No comment on the number of texts on Morgans phone. Will not elaborate on the attempts Morgan made to get back in. No comments from security…It just goes on and on. Notice to the police:
HELP THE PUBLIC HELP YOU !! ENOUGH WITH THE GAMES !!
I too am disappointed w/law enforcement. Too much time has passed to still be keeping secrets for what appears to be a cover-up for the JPJA. Police often go to great lengths not to mention possible gang-related activity for fear of a public outcry, even when it is clear that gangs may be involved. It would seem that the FBI would have generated a criminal profile for this case and the double-murders at Va Tech, but nothing in either case.
It’s been 3 weeks. We know little about the evidence and only now are they conducting the first large-scale search. Enough with the secrets and stalling, tell us what you know and let’s find this girl.
It seems that every day brings us yet more terrifying news, and it is incredible that we have not already demanded safer streets. I suspect that it’s even worse than we think, and that coverups are systemic - and not just in Charlottesville. The authorities may not believe they have any choice but to hide the truth from us: that crime is so pervasive we can only hope we are not “unlucky”.
It may be that something else, entirely, is responsible for Morgan’s disappearance, and I hope she is found.
In either case, the public should demand full disclosure as it pertains to the truth of a menace that actually does threaten all of our families. We have a right to expect a clean sweep.
We are a village as Hillary once described. My child is your child too. In grief, we like to find a simple reason for tragedy but in the end it’s up to us to recognize that our freedom demands vigilance, caution and awareness. We are only as good as the next villager, so let the cops do what we are not trained to do. If something is out there that you think will help Morgan and her family, let them know. Avoid pettyness but contribute.
I don’t disagree that it might be helpful to know which entrance/exits Morgan used at the arena to leave and in her attempts to re-enter. Maybe, if someone realizes they were standing in one of those areas taking a break between bands, it will jog their memory. I just don’t understand why the public thinks they need to be privy to texts sent, who authorities are interviewing, etc. We all know, just the mention that someone is being interviewed by the police in the case of an apparent abduction automatically makes that person a suspect in the eyes of the public. Many an innocent person has lived under a cloud of suspicion. If the authorities are investigating someone, but with not enough evidence to arrest or question at the moment, they certainly don’t want to tip their hand. Mrs. Harrington has said the best case scenaio would be that Morgan is being held against her will. If John Doe has Morgan and it’s blared over every network that he’s under suspicion, how long do we think he will keep Morgan in the same location or even alive? Right now the primary concern is to retrieve this young woman alive if at all possible. Sometimes caution on the part of the guilty starts to lessen when that person thinks he/she is home free. I don’t disagree that the friends should be more forthcoming. They are the ones most intimately connected with Morgan on that night. I don’t know that her frame of minds needs to be made public. That information will help law enforcement decide if there was indeed an abduction, but if the public makes the wrong assumption that she just walked away, interest will start to wane. Even if it puts Morgan in a bad light, perhaps it should be made public whether she was using any mind altering substances. Knowing that she was drunk or high could make someone remember that yes I did see a young woman who didn’t seem to be completely with it heading outside or with someone in the parking lot. I do think they could add the personal touch, make it public specifically how she was dressed. Did she wear a jacket over the Pantera tee shirt? As someone has asked, was it short sleeved or long sleeved? We know she was wearing a black mini-skirt, but what was the style? How did she wear her hair that night, long and curled, long and straight, pony tail or whatever? There has been a report that she bought a tee-shirt, did she switch into that tee-shirt? Anthing that would help concert goers invision Morgan on that night would help. Apparently there are no still or video shots of her either before or during the concert. If there are, releasing those images could be invaluable. As for how disjointed this investigation appears to be, we don’t know what the authorities were told initially about the car. It’s very possible Morgan’s family thought one thing, reported that to the police, and then realized from the friends that they were wrong. The authorities started out at a disadvantage from the very beginning. This young lady was missing for close to 12 hours before anyone became aware. If only her family had known that she was not seen after the concert ended, I believe they would have moved heaven and earth to get the investigation started before mid-day Sunday. I also have something to say about people criticizing the family and most especially the mother. Thankfully, most of us have no idea how we would react and what we would say if our child was missing. May we be lucky enough to never know. What business is it of any of you if Morgan gave her father access to her passwords and accounts? That was between the two of them and is not up to us to look for hidden meanings. If there was something going on in the family that caused her to decide she had to leave, doesn’t sound likely but right now there are no real answers, that’s probably one of the first things the authorities investigated. For everyone who thinks they are an amateur detective, your police shows should have taught you that the first questions are asked of the family. Maybe the authorities haven’t been efficient as they should have, but right now, none of us know that for a fact. Wasting space criticizing, family, friends and those looking for Morgan is doing nothing to help locate her. If you have legitimate information, share it, go out this weekend and walk through the underbrush looking for her. I hope that some type of evidence is found that will lead to her alive and well. If that doesn’t happen, then I pray that something will be found that will let her family move from what has to be pure he** and will lead to the person or persons responsible for her disappearance.
quote: “Many an innocent person has lived under a cloud of suspicion.”
Correct.
In the Stauton double murder case recently, a man was maliciously and wrongfully charged, and later cleared by a jury. And he continued to live in that cloud of suspicion for decades after his trial - until the truth was finally revealed not long ago.
In the Smart case, Richard Ricci, although not the perfect role model citizen himself, also lived in that cloud of suspicion until the cop shoppe found the real suspect.
And in the Dugard case recently, the step father was a suspect for decades. Until Jaycee was located and the real abductors were arrested.
The list goes on and on and on and on…
I read some place that everyone went to the concert in Morgan’s car. Why did her friends let her leave alone like that, without her own car? I do blame her friends for not looking out for her.
Hoo fan
This is one of the best responses to this whole thing that I have seen. All this armchair pontificating doesnt advance the search for Morgan. If you have an observation about anything you have seen –report it. If you don’t like the way the members of he family look or act –that is your opinion but what good does that to this search. Not really the time for your biases, remember this should be about trying to find someone. The parents are doing everything that they can to keep the public involved in looking for Morgan. You, especially anyone who has children or young family members should be thankful that you are not going through this. Please just try to help–not tear at people.
If you really care, stop talking about how upset you are and help in the search this weekend.
This story seems to confirm that Morgan WANTED INSIDE, doesn’t it? If she tried over and over at various doors to regain entry than much of the speculation about her leaving on purpose for a rendeveous really doesn’t make sense, does it? Is that timeline even correct? I hope the searchers will really use where Morgan’s belongings were found as the starting point for the search and go ahead and do a search inside the arena too with dogs. Remember how much time lapsed before they found Annie Lee?
What astounds me is the lack of REAL PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT by the police and the delay in getting the facts out - why did this happen? Who is responsible? Lt. Rader claimed the State Police needs tips but they are not being forthright with basic information common to any missing person case.
I have wondered WHY if the UVA police had the lead with this case for a moment why the UVA CHIEF OF POLICE has not addressed anyone? I wonder why an UVA patrol lieutenant stands off to the side, Lt. Rader after receiving a question he can’t seem to answer turns to this woman who tells him the time. Why does it bother me so! And who wrote that initial missing person media release for UVA Campus Police? Did the UVA Chief of Police have to approve it?
And NOW THAT WE KNOW SHE APPARENTLY TRIED EVEN HARDER THAN PREVIOUSLY REPORTED, WHO VIEWED THE SURVEILLANCE TAPES? AND HAS ANYONE FROM THE FBI VIEWED THEM AT THIS POINT? HAS HER FAMILY BEEN ALLOWED TO VIEW THEM? They would know how their daughter walks, what she was really wearing, better than anyone.
Get involved!! Let’s find Morgan.
JPJ is not to blame, I don’t know how many more times someone has to say this. It is standard operating procedure for every large concert venue in the country. Re-admittance is not permitted, and security always lets exiting persons know this policy (not to mention it’s written on every ticket.) They don’t do this for some evil maniacal plan, they do this for a reason: to keep people from trading off tickets to others, to keep people from maintaining a level of intoxication with whatever they’ve stashed in their car, and to keep weapons out of arenas. It’s a form of crowd control, and a way to keep over 10,000 people safe, not just one.
This is not to say that I do not feel terribly about what Morgan and her family have gone through, and I implore anyone with information about what caused her to leave the arena in the first place to come forward. I understand that everyone wants to scramble to place blame on someone, ANYONE, especially when (so far) there is no known culprit.
I don’t think anyone would be so quick to blame JPJ if arena security allowed someone into a concert you were attending with a knife they retrieved from their car after the person next to them had picked a fight, or if the person sitting in front of you kept getting up and coming back even more intoxicated than they were moments before. If a crime had occurred inside the arena as a result of one of these occurrences, the public would blame the arena for the lack of enforcement of the exact policy that is currently under scrutiny. I understand that Morgan is (presumably) an innocent victim in this case, but instigators come in all shapes and sizes, and sadly Morgan was no exception.
What I fail to understand is (if she was, in fact, in a state of distress) why she didn’t approach any of the dozens of police officers that are always stationed at the corner of Copeley/Emmet/Massie/etc during arena events. I have a feeling that if she was upset about anything as she attempted to re-enter, it was because she was missing the concert, not because anything was seriously wrong. Why else would she then text her friend that everything was fine and she’d find a ride home?
Regardless of my opinion, I will continue to pray for her safe return, and for the proactive action of the Charlottesville community in this matter. Passing judgment or blame is as irrational as it is useless. Remember that in times like these, the only thing we can do is offer assistance when we can, and trust in the trained and experienced law enforcement officials that are undoubtedly distressed and disturbed by the situation at hand.
“and trust in the trained and experienced law enforcement officials that are undoubtedly distressed and disturbed by the situation at hand…..”
oh god, here we go. Here comes Gasbag Self Ordained Expert with his 50 cents worth of snarky commentary. Sounding off in 3….2…..1…….
Sorry, Mr/Mrs/Miss cough…. but I’m sure Lt. Rader and his troops are distressed and disturbed by this situation at hand. And they, just like the family, have had MANY sleepless nights for the last few weeks. And they will continue to have them right along with the family and other concerned citizens.
The answer to Morgan’s disappearance is with those “friends ” !
Anybody else find it odd the LE are giving not only false statements about Morgan’s car but have never included the make, model , color or included it’s location on the visual time line . I mean I guess the LE have determined contrary to what they were reporting in the first few days that Morgan’s was in fact at JPJA according to “friends”
SO what we have are “friends ” drive Morgan and her car to JPJA ( allegedly) . “friends” enjoy the concert and make there way home safely in Morgan’s car . The only information we are hearing is from Morgan’s “friends” who were in contact by cell phone and text messages .
We are hearing A LOT about Friends, We are hearing NOTHING from these “friends” .
Somewhere in the inner circle of friends hold the key to where Morgan is .
I bet you won’t find a single one of those “friends” even close to C-ville during this search !
Dakota
I wonder if they will help in the search? Have they been sequesterd, or are they out and about, attending classes, etc?
To wahoowa- you mentioned “legitimate” reasons to keep folks from re-entrying. I want to take them one at a TIME - granted I am approaching from a perspective of following missing person cases for over two decades so my sensitivity and priority is SAFETY FIRST-
OK - first you mention “trading tickets off” — wouldn’t this result in a single person in the arena using a ticket for a specific time frame? So safety problem- same size of the crowd, one ticket for person. The reason for this policy would be SO THE VENUE AND PROMOTERS can make more money, right? I have no idea if the Metallica concert was sold out, if it was - then the promoters had the money they expected, why would they care which pair of eyes was watching them from the audience? And the Arena had no tickets to sell, so they really would have not lost a dime, right? Now if that PARTICULAR concert was not SOLD OUT- then we are still waiting to know IF Morgan tried to buy a NEW TICKET; there was some report that she was spotted near the ticket booth. Someone has mentioned the policy of JPJ is to NOT allow RE-ENTRY EVEN WITH A NEW TICKET. IF that happened (and the surveillance may be the proof), it would defy logic and your first reason for denying her re-entry would not apply, right?
Second reason you offer was “to keep people from maintaining a level of intoxication with whatever they’ve stashed in their car” — Can’t folks get bombed before they initially enter? Does JPJ make people pass a sobriety test to get in the door initially? I have been to several concerts where I have had seats up high and folks nearby are smoking marijuana and drinking- they bring the stuff IN. So do they frisk or make sure folks are not bringing stashes inside initially? If they aren’t taking these measures it how can they justify “levels …stashed in their cars”. And wouldn’t it make more sense to have patrols and surveillance working in concert (pardon the pun) and should anyone be sneaking out to a car and tipping a bottle, isn’t it more responsible to arrest them for drinking in public? Whose to say they will even try to get back IN the CONCERT? In that instance, the real problem is being drunk in public, right? Now if someone does go out, drink, and try to get back in, why not administer a sobriety test (and use their NOSES and EYES) and again if drunk in public, arrange for them to spend some time in jail sobering up. Now let’s talk MORGAN HARRINGTON. There remains a mystery around WHETHER or not her car was in the parking lot at JPJ arena in the first place so your number two could be IRREVELANT, right? And secondly, there is the question of whether or not she had keys to her car or whatever car she arrived in. So YOUR NUMBER TWO begs four questions - DID POLICE FIND ANY KEYS IN HER PURSE? DID review of surveillance (and witness accounts) show she visited any vehicle in the parking lots? If yes, why wasn’t that specific info relayed to the public to try and advance the search for her?
Number 3-”to keep weapons out of arenas”. Do they use metal detectors? Do they go through purses and such when folks first enter? Why not do it again when someone tries to re-enter?
You mention CROWD CONTROL - gotta explain that one - I think I covered the size of the crowd in your number 1.
Your last explanation was to “KEEP 10,000 SAFE not just one”. That one really hits a nerve. What you are saying is by keeping Morgan Harrington out, the arena management was keeping the rest SAFE? Come on. When you are managing any facility you have to pay attention to keeping EACH AND EVERY PERSON SAFE, not some collective NONSENSE! THIS IS A COLLEGE TOWN, there are a great number of sex offenders who are in striking distance, and folks come to facilities like this from outside the specific town. It is the arena’s JOB to keep those who come to their venue SAFE.
Morgan was a 120 lb. 5′6″ 22 yr old who just wanted to get back in to see the concert. WHY she got on the other side of that policy and those doors remain a mystery. WHY she did not make it safely back inside DOES NOT.
That was THE decision JPJ made and whoever worked security. And those in positions of authorities need to take a HARD SENSIBLE LOOK at what the Harrington and Charlottesville is living and make some changes to make ensure safety to ALL who are on their property and have paid money and made the trip to JPJ.
wahoowa- I forgot to add, Morgan Harrington apparently was injured, right? So JPJ kept a young lady without a coat with a visible injury from re-entering.
Trading tickets off does not mean necessarily that one person leaves and one person returns. Purely hypothetical, but if there’s an open re-entry policy, what’s to stop a group of 6 from sending out 1 legitimate ticketholder with the scanned tickets from 5 who have remained inside. Five people who have not paid would then enter, and perhaps only wander the corridors rather than entering the concert area. I believe it’s at Kings Dominion where they do use a hand stamp policy, but returnees have to put their hand under an ultra-violet light rather than just having a colored hand stamp sight viewed. Also, the idea of wrist bands could work, but none of these two ideas stop people from going back to their car, lighting up, shooting up, snorting up or guzzling up, then coming back in the arena in what so many like to refer to as an “altered state.” I do think the idea of no re-entry answers legitimate safety concerns. As a matter of fact, in light of what has happened in recent years, only yesterday at Fort Hood, I think security concerns should be more stringent at all facilities where large groups congregate. It’s impossible to know what’s in the most normal looking persons mind. In the case of Morgan, I think it’s obvious lots of things should have been done differently, from her decision to go outside, her friends decision to make no attempt to find her and not even call her family, to arena security personnel sending her away. But let’s face it, she is a lovely young woman, but we have no idea what state she was in when she came back to the arena, we have no idea her demeanor. I do not think the arena should change their policy of no re-entry, but I do think a security area should be established where someone who is denied re-entry could wait in safety, after a THOROUGH screening, until friends/family come to meet them.
It reminds me of the baby switching case a number of years back, where the University of Virginia took one newborn and gave it to the mother of another newborn and said, “Here’s your baby!”
The resultant outcry was, “that mother is trash!”
I could not believe how easy it was for the victim of such a tragedy to be maligned.
Today we have a case where a young, beautiful woman with blood on her face, shivering and in the cold was trying to get into a concert that SHE PAID FOR. SOOO many people are saying that it was RIGHT that she be left out in the cold despite her MANY attempts at reentry because it would reduce the amount of money that JPJ could potentially make from concerts.
Who are these people? Do they own stock in JPJ?
JPJ making money is not more important than the safety or life of this young woman.
Mr/Mrs/Miss astonishing, well said! Thank You!
Sooner or later, people will finally wake up and realize Charlottesville is no longer an All American City or a safe place to live. I’ve been preaching it for a long time, but nobody will listen.
If this can happen where there’s 100+ cops present, and perhaps as many cop shoppe cars sitting around, what does that say for the rest of the city?
I used to live in Cville. While I lived there I personally know of one girl attached etc etc on the grounds. University did nothing she was a student and they just kept it quiet.
Re the do not return policy, I hope the the spokesperson from JPA concert venue can look at his safe family with a clear conscience, knowing the results of his policy. Colleges and Universities are full of young people and in a univesity town, one would think that concerts would have some concern about young concert going attendees. Saw previous post about a young femele concert goer who couldnt get back in to this concert either and was treated rudely by security. Mettilica has been phenominal in all this–they have been standup and have shown concern. Would be nice if JPA exibited any compassion either at the time or now.
hoofan, I think the criticism of the police has to do with the fact that there is little confidence in their performance in this case.