Posted by slipandslide (anonymous) on September 4, 2007 at 4:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)

whats emporia becoming, an unsafe place to raise kids?

Posted by lisag (anonymous) on September 4, 2007 at 9:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)

If race isn't a current issue in Emporia, what does being Hispanic have to do with the whole report?

Posted by luckyforme1 (anonymous) on September 4, 2007 at 9:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

What is Emporia becoming? When I first moved here it was a safe place. Now it is no longer that way. I think our law enforcement needs to step up and derve and protect us more than what they are doing now.

Posted by peanutbutter (anonymous) on September 5, 2007 at 12:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)

You know I made a comment to my father a few months ago about Emporia not being safe anymore and he said that there were always molesters, kidnappers, rapists, etc in Emporia, but I was a child and didn't need to be bothered with those "things". Now that I am a mother, I a VERY aware of what is going on. There is evil everywhere, Emporia has never been "Safe" we are just more aware of what is going on. There is no such thing as a "safe" place to live. We are in the 21st century with crooks, liars, rapists, burglars, etc. We need to learn what the facts are and protect our children the best we can. With internet, email, text messaging this world won't be "safe". When our children can talk to anybody on-line and not know their true age, sex, etc. we know our world is not a safe place.

Posted by emporialifer (anonymous) on September 5, 2007 at 7:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)

peanutbutter - you are absolutely right. There are dangerous people everywhere and I think the older I get the more I realize it or else the more media attention they receive, so it's in our faces more.

Lisag - I agree that I don't understand why they were specific about the victim's race, but I can somewhat understand why they listed that for the alleged rapists since they have yet to be identified - maybe it's as a caution or to find clues if someone saw 3 men acting suspicious, etc.?

Posted by 47hclwym (anonymous) on September 5, 2007 at 9:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)

It helps to have a general idea of who to look for. KNowing they were Hispanic narrows it down alot. They probably shouldn't have said the victom was Hispanic but maybe they did because they know more then was posted in the artical. Maybe these guys are preying on young hispanic girls and it was a heads up?! For that matter they could have just a young female was raped and not put her age.

Posted by madpoet (anonymous) on September 5, 2007 at 1:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)

What a horrible thing to happen to a young girl (or anyone!), I hope she gets the support and counseling she needs. I hope the police finds these men before they strike again. Not to be rude, but what was a young girl doing out after 11pm anyway? What happened to her was totally not her fault but we all must be careful not to put ourselves in situations where we can be harmed. The police can't watch the entire city every minute. We have to take some responsibity for our own safety. I have not felt safe in Emporia since I moved here in 1990. I try not to be in town by myself after dark and have a stun gun in my car now.

Posted by KristieR (anonymous) on September 5, 2007 at 4:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Madpoet is right. All females need to be conscious of the dangers of being out/alone at all times. It's not even about it being 11:30 at night, but that is a high crime time.

I do think listing the ethnicity of the victim and suspects can help the community be aware of who could be next or jog their memory if they saw three men at that time in that area.

It also goes to show that it's not always one race against another, but within one's own and to not trust anyone.

That poor girl. I can not imagine how traumatized she was. I hope, for her sake, they can find these men and get them off the streets.

Posted by eljefe101 (anonymous) on September 6, 2007 at 10:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I Know Who it is And it was At a Party at the anderson building the guys put a drug in her drink that got her drunk and they thought she was drugged enough so they took her she told me everything she has three stiches and none of them wore protection she cried all night

Posted by eljefe101 (anonymous) on September 6, 2007 at 10:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I mean i dont know who the guys were but i kno who the girl was

Posted by KristieR (anonymous) on September 6, 2007 at 10:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)

eljefe-I'm so sorry that your friend went through this ordeal. Please be extra, extra careful, even at parties. I was always taught to keep my hand OVER the top of my cup and the cup at my chest, which would prevent anyone from slipping something into it. PLUS, if you leave your drink on a table to visit a bathroom - don't drink it! Get a new cup/new drink.

I know teens are going to go to parties, but you should never be at parties where grown men are. Those men are predators if they are partying with teens.

Posted by KristieR (anonymous) on September 6, 2007 at 1:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Kstre~I tried to find info on the Anderson Building and it appears to be a fairgrounds/party hall type thing. It could have been a wedding party for all we know. I certainly went to those types of parties at that age WITH my parents in attendance. I think more information needs to be released as to the nature of this "party". Also, she could have been drinking soda for all we know.

Posted by create (anonymous) on September 6, 2007 at 4:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Apparently she was not chaperoned by parents since the last line of the news story says, "The victim returned home and told her parents what had happened." Thank goodness she did do that.

I'm with you, trebuchet, Why was this girl alone?

I thought that when you rented the Anderson Bldg for a party that you had to provide security. Maybe I'm wrong.

15 is too young to be out at that time of night without parents or chaperones, party or not.

Is it time to open up a discussion on city wide curfew? What time? Weeknights? Weekends? Lots of bad things going on after 10 p.m. Maybe we already have a curfew and I'm not aware of one. Then again, do we have enough manpower to round kids up and chase them home? Am I opening up a can of worms?

Posted by 4Jayhawks (anonymous) on September 8, 2007 at 10:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The party was a Quincieta (probably spelled wrong, but it is like a coming out for 15 year old girls). There are always lots of single young men hanging around drinking, and dancing with the younger girls. And yes there is lots of booze at these parties. I have been to these parties (several of my daughters were involved in the ceremony) but not for many years because they have gotten so out of hand. These parties are held almost every weekend somewhere in Emporia during the summer, mostly at the Anderson Building and Las Casitas Park.

Posted by Kelonia (anonymous) on September 8, 2007 at 11:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

That it happened at/during a coming out party makes it especially tragic. 15 year old girls feel pretty grown up, but as we know they are still children.

To me, it doesn't matter what she was doing without her parents. Maybe she went with another family. Maybe a friend. Who knows? For whatever reason she may have made a small mistake and learned the hard way that sometimes the price for small mistakes are very very steep.

I hope those people are caught. I hope she will be ok. I hope that no one blames her for the sickness of other people.

Posted by create (anonymous) on September 9, 2007 at 9:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"There are always lots of single young men hanging around drinking, and dancing with the younger girls. And yes there is lots of booze at these parties." Troubling to say the least. I realize that the Quincenieta is a special celebration, but adults still need to provide security and safety for the girls involved. They are still minors. Who's minding the store when everybody is drunk?

Posted by 4Jayhawks (anonymous) on September 9, 2007 at 3:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I am sure if the police decided to drop in on one of these parties there would be plenty of MIPs (think of how that would help the city budget...all those fines.) It's tragic this has happened to this young girl. Hopefuly it will be an eye opener for those who are planning for future parties and they will keep better supervision to prevent it from happening again.

Posted by eljefe101 (anonymous) on September 9, 2007 at 8:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Look Everyone she was with friends and it wasnt at 11:30 it was at 9:00 and its Emporia its boring so the only day there was somtihing to she went i kno wat happend to her was wrong but she told me shedidnt know who it was and that i tried getting hold of her but they took her cellphone away from her and she was dizzy and it was at a quincera i mean my parents always tell my sister "Be inside because its safer , because outside all the guys are 20-40 and there all drunk and they have the power to pull a little girl and rape her and thats happened alot. If you were to go to a party at the anderson u would see at least 20 to 30 guys outside and about 10 to 20 girls and you wil knotice that most of them are dressed with skirts and tight jeans thats what make them all trying to get them AND RAPE THEM BUT THE GIRLS THAT ARE DOING THAT ARE NOT AWARE OF THERE SURROUNDINGS.

Posted by 4Jayhawks (anonymous) on September 10, 2007 at 8:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)

It doesn't matter what time it happened, it shouldn't have happened. The parents who made the party are responsible for the safety of their guests, including the teen girls. It is the parents responsibility to know where their kids are and what they are doing.

Posted by 4Jayhawks (anonymous) on September 10, 2007 at 8:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm sure if the police dropped in on these parties once in awhile they would find the building over crowded and some underage drinking. Maybe a few raids and it would get this problem under control.

Posted by create (anonymous) on September 10, 2007 at 9:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)

As I asked in an earlier post, Aren't party planners supposed to provide professional security? If not, we need to change a city ordinance for this. But it all boils down to common sense. Dressing in tight jeans and short skirts and hanging around drunk men is common alright, but makes no sense. You can't tell me these girls don't know better than to dress that way and hang around a place like this. This situation seems to be common knowledge in the Hispanic community. If I am correct, then parents who let their daughters go to these dances should have their heads examined. I'm with you, 4Jayhawks, a few raids would serve as a control. I think I'll find out if security is needed for those parties.

Posted by KristieR (anonymous) on September 10, 2007 at 9:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I highly doubt security is required to throw a party there, no more than it's required when I went to my cousin's Sweet 16. It's also not bad to say that she went with "3 Hispanic men"...no different than if I left with "3 caucasian men"....who is to know that maybe one of those men wasn't my brother? cousin? or even father? If the crowd is that large, no one knows who is who and aren't going to step in unless she is being dragged off kicking and screaming. The (alleged) drugs they used rendered her complacent and she went quietly.

As for the girls that age wearing short skirts and tight pants....that's all across America in every ethnicity. I see it in my rural town too and it freaks me out to see them dressed that way.

It all goes back to how our girls are being raised to WANT to be too sexy too soon. Girls with low self-esteem seek the interest of older men to prove their own womanliness. Unfortuntely, the scumbags of the male gender are all too happy to oblige.

We need to let our children be children. The parents MUST do a better job of supervising them. They need better protection than this.

Kristie

Posted by Weltha (anonymous) on September 10, 2007 at 10:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Very well worded Kristi. You beat me to the punch.

Posted by KristieR (anonymous) on September 10, 2007 at 12:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)

In Mexico, it is marked with the celebration of the Quinceañera, or 15th Birthday. From a north-of-the-border viewpoint, it may be seen as a cross between Sweet Sixteen and a debutante's coming out party. The celebration is a way to acknowledge that a young woman has reached sexual maturity and is thus of a marriageable age.

Also, the problem with the quinceanera is that once upon a time, these girls were of marriageable age. Times have changed, but the viewpoints remain the same. Maybe it needs to be an ochoceanera (18th bday).

Posted by tunit (anonymous) on September 10, 2007 at 1:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Security is required at the Anderson Building for gatherings. You must provide security from an approved security company and you must have a proportionate amount of security for however many people you plan on attending.

Posted by KristieR (anonymous) on September 10, 2007 at 3:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)

That's good that they require security. Does a security company have authority to detain a person from leaving with a teen or is it more crowd control/fights? I wouldn't think a private security company could do anything about underage drinkers either???? (I really don't know, does anyone else?)

Posted by create (anonymous) on September 10, 2007 at 3:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Thanks for the info, tunit. I kept waiting for a return call about Anderson Bldg security and never got it. Now this begs the question -- was there security that night the young lady was drugged and taken away? Still, you can't completely blame a security guard for this if one was indeed present. Sponsors of the party and/or Parents must still be accountable for proper supervision, and that includes serving alcohol to minors. A couple of hefty fines just might do the trick.

Posted by mythoughts (anonymous) on September 10, 2007 at 6:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)

KristieR posted:
"It all goes back to how our girls are being raised to WANT to be too sexy too soon. Girls with low self-esteem seek the interest of older men to prove their own womanliness."

I agree with that 100%. We let all kinds of messages get through about what makes a girl a woman, a "worthy person", what is to be "expected" from a female. And it's all WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. We let media and community oversex our little girls--think they're "cute" when they behave and dress beyond their years, and leave them to the wolves when things go wrong. Look at the Celebrity Britany's right now, even the Olson twins...yuck.

All that packaging and no substance--it's like abstinence education: "Just don't do it, daughter." "Do what mommy?" "You'll know when it happens, so don't do it!" Why are people surprised when they dress their daughters like Playboy bunnies and fill their heads with dreams of "Prince Charming," that they succumb to a succubus like Magallenez? If you're a consenting adult making an informed--even if stupid--choice, okay - but a 15 year old girl?

Why would you have a party announcing your child's ability to sexually reproduce? "ochoceanera" or even twenty-first-eanera would be much better. Sorry - much too upset about all of this to be rational. Forgive me!

Posted by 4Jayhawks (anonymous) on September 11, 2007 at 12:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

According to what I know of the Quinceañera, the point isn't that they are of age to reproduce. They have a church ceremony with a white dress and attendants, (kind of like a wedding), where they are commiting to God to remain pure until they marry. I could be wrong but that is what I remember about it. Unfortunately the real meaning has gotten lost and has become all about the "Party". Who can have a bigger and better one.
I agree also with KristiR, girls now days are subjected to much older styles at way to young an age. Look at the Bratz dolls, and t-shirts with sayings that are suggestive made for little girls.

Posted by create (anonymous) on September 11, 2007 at 1:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)

4Jayhawks, good comment about Bratz dolls and t-shirts. While school shopping for my granddaughter, I was appalled at all the suggestive sayings on t-shirts in little girl sizes. And glitter! What's with that! I refuse to buy those, but someone must be buying them or they wouldn't be for sale. I don't understand why anyone would want to rush a child to grow up. Time passes fast enough.

Posted by KristieR (anonymous) on September 11, 2007 at 2:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)

If you go through a school's dress code, you will see limits on see through clothing, belly shirts, pants around the ankles showing off boxers, etc. If parents did a better job of policing their kid's clothing, we wouldn't need it. The worst part of it all is when I see a parent get MAD at the school because their little darling was sent home for wearing next to nothing. "it's their freedom of speech"........gag me.

I have two boys and I am grateful that skimpy clothing won't be an issue for me, but I will have to teach them that just because a girl looks easy doesn't mean they are. Look don't touch. How can I teach them to respect a girl who doesn't respect herself?

(The above comments are just in general and not a reflection of the poor girl who was the victim in this story. For all I know, she was wearing jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt.)

Posted by brad_3178 (anonymous) on September 13, 2007 at 12:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

interesting how some of the content of these forums tie together.emporia use to be a nice safe place............then the beef plant came in!if hes illegal kick him in the balls and ship him back.if hes not illegal we need to hang him by the balls!!!!!before you react to my words think about your young daughter ,niece,etc.what would you do? i think most american fathers feel the same deep down!theres no place for this in our community!!!god bless that little girl!

Posted by brad_3178 (anonymous) on September 13, 2007 at 1:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)

i also agree with KristieR !