Help Latoyia Figueroa
July 29th, 2005 by JoshIt’s almost patently irresponsible of me that I have not yet written about Latoyia Figueroa, the 25-year-old pregnant mother who has been missing from the Philadelphia area since July 18. Unfortunately she’s not white, blond, or about to get married, so until Richard Cranium of All Spin Zone picked up the drum beat, the mainstream media had completely ignored this woman. Almost immediately, bloggers all over the Philadelphia region began writing about Latoyia, ASZ established a reward fund, and finally the media began reporting on her a few days ago.
Latoyia is still missing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Philadelphia Southwest detective division at 215-686-3183 and bloggers should keep writing about her. By keeping her profile high, and the media aware, hopefully this beautiful young woman can be found faster.
July 29th, 2005 at 11:44 pm
This story has reinforced every negative stereotype about inner-city minorities. The interview with LaToyia’s best friend was classic. She said: “She could have been picked up by anyone, her baby’s fatha, or one of the other guys she’s messin’ with.” The national news anchors who have been bullied into covering this story are obviously doing so with complete disinterest, humiliation and disdain. The reason stories like this don’t make the news is b/c Latoyia’s lifestyle is anathema to that of most people, and the lifestyle itself is dangerous in most people’s judgment, and the very reason why she is missing. Yes, it is bigger news, much bigger, when a girl with a full scholarship to college, who is bright, articulate, and pretty disappears on a vacation to an island beach resort. It makes sense, like it or not.
July 31st, 2005 at 1:42 am
I need to have about five more drinks before I can begin to dissect the layers of racist hatred in your comment, Mike.
“and the lifestyle itself is dangerous in most people’s judgment, and the very reason why she is missing.”
Wow, that’s low.
Can you go back to the hole you crawled out of? I think we’ve heard enough.
July 31st, 2005 at 6:31 am
Matt,
Stop being a bedwetter and face reality. This is not national news, by any measure, and has only served to reinforce negative stereotypes. By her best friend’s own admission, this woman could have been harmed by any one of the scores of guys by whom she’s getting long stroked. There is nothing unusual about a woman, living an unconventional lifestyle, missing in a high crime area–that’s just fact. It’s barely local news. Although I hope she returns safely, I’ve seen this movie before, and it doesn’t end well. The upshot will be that it really enforces racial stereotype when it’s all over–the attempt to thrust this story into the national media to make a point about race and news coverage has backfired miserably. Those who would exploit a story like this one really need to learn how to pick their battles. Bad, bad judgment.
July 31st, 2005 at 7:23 am
Isn’t there another picture of her that people can reference? This “glamour shot” looks ridiculous and reinfornces negative racial stereotypes.
July 31st, 2005 at 10:51 am
POSSIBLE SUSPECTS: Baby Fatha No. 1; Baby Fatha No. 2; “One of the guys she’s messin’ wit (quote from her best friend); Woman also pregnant by Baby Fatha No. 2 who kicked LayToyia in the stomach. It also could have been someone at the fried seafood place her and Baby Fatha No. 2 went to after not having enough money for the $35 co-pay to get prenatal care for the child. Nice–real class. Not quite enough for child care–let’s go get some greasy fish sticks and fries. Pure savagery.
July 31st, 2005 at 12:29 pm
Richard Cranium is a hoplessly transparent political opportunist who’s blog is filled with mindless, radical left-wing dribble. He doesn’t permit any opinions about this matter that don’t fit his agenda, and spends his entire day censoring the majority view on the coverage related to Laytoyia Figueroa. The only good that will come as a result of national exposure in this case is to make those who would otherwise be tolerant of Miss Figueroa’s outrageous lifestyle now look at it with disdain and disgust. Raise your children to be the anti-Latoyia, and they’ll do well.
July 31st, 2005 at 2:38 pm
Although this case has been bullied onto the national news to prove a point about race and media by political opportunists like Richard Cranium, it never was a case about a missing woman and is not national news. There is nothing particularly unusual about this case. She is an inner-city African-American/Latino woman, living a more than unconventional lifestyle in a high crime area, and now she’s missing–big surprise. Furthermore, this story is hurtful to minorities because it has done nothing other than to reinfornce negative stereotypes: (1) LaToyia’s father and other relatives are barely literate; (2) LaToyia’s best friend said: “She coulda been snatched up by anybody, or one of her baby’s fathas, or some guy she’s messin wit” (rolling eyes); and (3) rather than save up more money, LaToyia and Baby Fatha No. 2 took their money and bought fried seafood rather than pay the $35 co-pay for prenatal care. The Natalee Holloway case is national news. She is a beautiful young woman, with a full scholarship to the University of Alabama, who disappears on what would otherwise be a dream vacation to an island resort with the lowest crime rate in the world. Big, big difference, in every respect. I hope LaToyia returns home safely, although I doubt it. In the end, however, we should not have to have our national news littered with this story. I assure you the end result will only cause more embarassment and humiliation, and it’s clear that national news anchors are annoyed by having to cover this story because they too, of course, realize it’s not national news. Wise up Cranium, this isn’t about you and your outdated political agenda.
August 3rd, 2005 at 12:42 pm
You sure are consumed with this story Mike for someone who feels it’s not news worthy.
August 4th, 2005 at 12:17 am
You all don’t see the forest behind the trees. There are hundreds thousands of missing people in this country, many under suspicious circumstances. We are so used to it, that “there is nothing particular unusual” in it, let pregnant women disappear, big deal, we are used to it already. The crime area is not near our home, let’s wait till it gets there.
August 4th, 2005 at 4:23 pm
The crime is in my town, Nick– here and now.
Philadelphia police have taken a whopping 4500 missing-persons reports so far this year. Among this group, Latoyia Figueroa is notable for being an adult (80% are kids), a parent, pregnant, and a reliable worker at a regular job– factors that put her at the top of the list. Keep your eyes open for Ms. Figueroa, the one with all the media attention and the $100K reward, but also for the thousands of others.
Read more in today’s Inquirer, http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/front/12297206.htm
August 5th, 2005 at 10:16 am
MIKE
You keep mentioning one of the guys that she met with could have harmed her thats the reason she dosen’t deserve the attention. But wait little Miss Holloway got drunk then left with THREE men when she disappeared.
August 5th, 2005 at 7:58 pm
Re: “The Natalee Holloway case is national news. She is a beautiful young woman, with a full scholarship to the University of Alabama, who disappears on what would otherwise be a dream vacation to an island resort with the lowest crime rate in the world.”
You forgot the part where she got drunk and left to get gangbanged by three strangers. YEAH Baby
August 7th, 2005 at 2:40 pm
I read your posts in reply to mine, and regretably, I was not moved by them although I can tell they are heartfelt comments. Come on, folks, lets put aside the idealistic thoughts and focus on being credible here. Thus, in furtherance of my previous commments on this “story,” this case presents a miserable failure by left-wing, radical bloggers to bully a barely local news story onto the national news scene to make a point about race and media. As I’ve said repeatedly, this is not national news by any measure, and thankfully the national news broadcasts have dropped the story after just one or two days. This woman led a selfish, irresponsible, and dangerous life, just as her mother did, and she is now likely suffering for it in the same way. During the one or two days that this was on the news, the Natalee Holloway story did not receive quite as much attention as it usually had, but it is now back in the limelight once again because it is national news that people care about. No one cares about the LaToyia Figueroa case because it has nothing to do with the lives of 88 percent of the American public. Instead, the LaToyia Figueroa case is a clear and vivid reminder to the large majority of American families about how not to raise your children. LaToyia, who didn’t have even $35 between her and Baby Fatha No. 2 for the insurance co-pay for prenatal care, turned around and went out with Baby Fatha No. 2 and bought fried seafood platters. This, in spite of claims that she was “hard working.” This sort of behavior is more indicative of animals or savages than human beings. Let’s get our focus back people, and concentrate our efforts on Natalee and other deserving people and let God’s will take over the LaToyia case. The LaToyia case has been a huge embarassment to minorities and society as a whole–let’s drop it. It has reinforced every negative stereotype and now has nearly everyone saying: “Stereotypes are the rule–let’s not be confused by rare exceptions.”
August 15th, 2005 at 4:21 pm
Please people, stop replying to mike. He is all over the internet and is known as a homosexual misogynist. He has launched a campaign to upset Latoyia’s family. It is not working and he is mad. He is worst than the racist names he’s has been calling others because he hates EVERYONE. Let’s just all remember that we are on a different page than him and leave him to his asinine, eccentric ways. He is not worthy of our time.
I am confident that with our collective prayers and thoughts for Latoyia will result in positive news, regardless of coverage. Her and her unborn baby’s life is worth more than ineffective arguing with weak, illogical, and half-witted people.
He wants people to accept his lifestyle (as a homosexual), but he persists to put down others who are not like him. Just ignore him folks, concentrate on people who matter.
December 20th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
Natalie Holloway may have been a smart girl, but booze and drugs (easily available on Aruba) isn’t exactly ‘brain food’ is it? Leaving with 3 strange local men and probably having wild, drugged out sex may have given her a shock when she sobered up and realised that ‘normal’ sex would no longer be the same. So she went for a moonlight swim, to be eaten by sharks. The End.
Rather than face the fact that their daughter went wild and has probably been waiting for the right moment to proclaim her sexual freedom, they have turned the world (and reality) upside down. Their American Dream went wrong somewhere, as all silly Republican fantasies will.