http://www.aolnews.com/crime/article/alissa-blanton-killed-by-stalker-after-judge-denied-protection-order/19356645?icid=main|main|dl1|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Fcrime%2Farticle%2Falissa-blanton-killed-by-stalker-after-judge-denied-protection-order%2F19356645
I hope the judge feels like a dick
a restraining order would not
Agreed
I gotta agree with this. A restraining order is really just a piece of paper and if this person was crazy enough to kill this woman a restraining order was the last thing that was going to stop him. More than anything else it's really sad that she was unlucky enough to get wrapped up with such a psycho in the first place. My thoughts go out to her family.
This is very true.
I've lurked here for about 6 months now and its sad that this is my first post on such a topic, but it is true about restraining orders. My cousin was with a man for 6 years and he beat her that entire time. In the last year, she finally got enough courage to get a restraining order, they gave it to her, but it didn't do anything. He ended up stalking her, killing her and then killing himself last March, so the paper doesn't exactly do much. I feel horrible for this woman and her family.
Joey: Want some jam?
Chandler: No thanks, I just had a jar of mustard.
No, a restraining order would
No, a restraining order would not have kept her safe. A restraining order would give documentation that this woman had a reason to fear this man and would be justified in defending herself. This I believe is the real value of a restraining order.
WTF is wrong with some
WTF is wrong with some people? The judge is put in a tough spot in these types of events. He is bound by the law and can end up looking like a complete idiot when some lunatic goes off. I remember a similar case a few years ago where a man doused his ex with gasoline and set her on fire while she was at work.
The Team, The Team, The Team.
It's a tragedy...
but, WAY off topic here. I'm sorry, but I come to MGoBlog to get away from real life crime news and feed my craving for all things U of M sports-related. This just in't the place for this kind of stuff.
"Dad, Julie said that State was better and I said, 'HaHa, whatever...'" - My 7-year old son.
The title was pretty clear,
The title was pretty clear, and yet you clicked. This is no further off topic than pictures of girls in bikinis.
True.
I should've known better. I lurked here for over a year and a half before signing up or posting anything. It has been a refreshing diversion from real-life news. A great escape. I was hoping that it would continue that way. My post wasn't meant to offend.
"Dad, Julie said that State was better and I said, 'HaHa, whatever...'" - My 7-year old son.
(No subject)
This is not the thread for
This is not the thread for something like that even if it was stated as an example. Get a soul.
Congrats!
By replying to his comment, you locked his forever! He can't even edit his post if your soapbox preaching actually made him feel so badly that he wanted to! You preserved the shaking boobs until a moderator wants to remove them!
I'll add some more!
I put up a tough front, but deep down I just want to be held.
Not trying to be a dick, but
If it has an informative title, and says OT, and you don't want to read, just skip it. It doesn't hurt to have a few news related threads once in a while.
"I wonder if J. Boren still has 45 peeps stuck in his mouth. And a penis in his ass."
Point taken.
But, if, all of a sudden, there comes a rush of threads like "OT - US-China Trade Deficit solutions" or "OT - Hypoallergenic rugs", doesn't that defeat the purpose of this blog? Not trying to be a dick either, but, come on.
"Dad, Julie said that State was better and I said, 'HaHa, whatever...'" - My 7-year old son.
Gotta agree with Steweiler
Gotta agree with Steweiler here - the bar should be raised for what OT that is postable. We all get this news everywhere else, all the time. We dont come here for it. Even reading the title it unpleasant - whether you click on it or not.
Nah...
Nah I gotta agree with the people who say if its labeled off-topic and has an informative title then its fine. It is after all the off season and every post cannot be about UofM and have a rosy disposition. As discussed in the past, to many on this site, Mgoblog has become a social community of sorts. Many people come here to read others thoughts that they've grown to appreciate and trust on various subjects. Sure I don't want to roll out of bed and read as distressing story as this one but sadly this is the world we live in.
MGoDouble Standard
How may times do guys bitch like lil girls when politics gets brought up?
I say keep this kind of stuff out of here. We don't need perspective on a sports message board. If we want perspective, we can tun on the tv news or go read any number of online news thingies.
The only thing that really matters is sex.
C'mon man
This is the board where there are threads like "showering", right?
not just "douchey" MGoBlog user, but now TRUSTED MGoBlog user
and don't forget
dog anal glands.
Love & Hate are horns on the same goat.
well...
When it isn't football season and the hockey and basketball teams are having the disappointing seasons that they are currently in, people tend to post stuff to pass time. It's not a big deal. During football season you see much less OT posting. When the basketball team is often painful to watch, we try to get away from that and post off topic stuff to discuss with fellow fans.
I can only continue to reference the fact that I live in an onion factory.
Seconded ^
True enough that this is a Michigan sports/in general blog, but when sports aren't in plentiful supply, we're pretty much stuck with whatever we can come up with.
Technically there's still plenty of Michigan athletics for the rest of the year, but the fact is that 99.99% of the population is here for some combination of football, basketball, hockey, and baseball in that order of popularity.
So with the exception of the Spring Game and an occasional baseball thread, we're pretty much done until people start getting their football tickets in the mail.
"Good evening, and welcome to Michigan Stadium for this the one-hundred thirty-second season of Michigan football, and the thirty-ninth meeting between Michigan and Notre Dame." -Carl Grapentine, September 10, 2011
This is a shameful failure of
This is a shameful failure of the criminal system. Protective orders should be liberally granted, especially between strangers. Sure a protective order would not have been of any immediate help, but if she had received one a year ago, he may have been arrested by now for violating it. I also am in favor of severe penalties for violating restraining orders. There is simply no reason for us to be soft on stalking; there is no excuse for it and when it is demonstrated, i.e. with violation of a restraining order, it should result in long-term imprisonment, in my opinion.
Admittedly, I recently watched Cape Fear.
I don't see a problem with
I don't see a problem with this.
Not everybody is a perfect person in the world. Uhh...everybody does...murders people, kills people, steals from me, steals from you.
Congratulations!
You are the 40 Billionth Michigan Fan to use this line! Wow--ne'er an original thought shall strike these pages again, I guess.
The only thing that really matters is sex.
You know what? I don't like
You know what? I don't like your tone, Mister.
So what's your original contribution to the board then? Snarky comments about other posters? Pretty sure I can head over to Deadspin if I want that crap.
Follow me on Twitter
If you do not think that
If you do not think that working in a classic Terrelle "Socrates" Pryor quote is ALWAYS appropriate, then I'm aftraid you may have come to the wrong place.
Perhaps...
Perhaps we shouldn't use this quote when somebody actually is murdered...
True, but...
this is probably an example of something TP could put in his "research paper" to back up his thesis of "everybody steals...etc.."
"There is simply no reason
"There is simply no reason for us to be soft on stalking; there is no excuse for it and when it is demonstrated, i.e. with violation of a restraining order, it should result in long-term imprisonment, in my opinion."
Uh, there is an "excuse" to be soft on stalking, it's called "civil rights." Everyone has them, whether you like it or not, and you can't go restricting people's freedom of movement without proper cause and legal process. The world you imagine is one where any woman can simply say "I feel afraid because of this man" and have him shackled; we have to have some balance. Clearly the balance is out in this case, but that doesn't mean we need to start writing up and locking up any man a woman doesn't want around her.
It is unclear as to whether the man explicitly threatened her; if he didn't, then it's a gray area where there's no clear legal answer.
PFA orders aren't worth a crap
I've known some women that got them and like was mentioned earlier, if the perp is dedicated/or crazy they don't mean a thing. Worse yet is that some women have learned to use them to be vindictive toward ex-husbands. When someone files a PFA the accused is required to surrender their firearms. This includes hunting gear.
The women that I mentioned earlier felt much more secure with concealed carry permits.
I loves mah gun, loves my gun!
Awesome, removal of guns seems like the first thing they should do if someone is menacing or threatening. I'm glad to know laws in Michigan are more proactive about protecting humans' lives than protecting humans' guns.
Yeah, I know, second amendment, yadda yadda. I don't feel bad taking away guns from people who don't have squeaky clean records when it comes to violent crimes (or potential violence). If, in the end, the worst thing that happened was that an innocent guy with a bad ex got his guns taken away because a judge believed her side of the story... well, that's not really so bad. Switch to bow hunting, I guess.
Not going to get into a political discussion
because it has no place on this site. I dated someone that worked at a women's shelter for several years. I got to know a few of the residents and staff members during that time and shared my firsthand observations instead of baseless opinion.
I hope you feel better after venting.
ah geez
I hope you feel better secure in your insider status as someone who dated someone who worked at a shelter. I'm sure you have black friends, too?
As someone who grew up in a household with lots of guns and lots of spousal abuse, I can testify—not baselessly—that they don't usually mix well. Is that enough abuse-cred for you?
Even if nobody gets shot. I'm not saying guns are the problem per se, but they can make a bad situation worse. If we require background checks before someone can purchase a gun, it seems only prudent we take them away from someone who has to be ordered to stay away from someone else for that person's physical safety. At least.
Anyway I'm curious to know what made you think I was such a schmuck? I'm no anti-gun nut. I just don't see why people take the protection of firearms more seriously than the (potential) protection of human lives. It seems like the problem you have is with disgruntled exes and the judges who you say are issuing unnecessary protection orders, not the gun laws.
Why no posts for the other 14,800 murders?
While it is sad that this woman died she is but one of nearly 15,000 to die from an act of violence each year.The vast majority are men with black men making up a majority of those.
This is a story because she is a pretty white girl.
The simple truth is that far more Americans die by the hand of fellow Americans than they do of terrorists.Mrs. Blanton is an unfortunate addition to that sorry list.
The team, the team, the team.-Bo Schembechler
You're right dude. This
You're right dude. This article had NOTHING to do with the fact that the girl saw it coming/took steps to prevent it. Or the fact that she was turned away after making those efforts. The whole world is is just racist, and this article wouldn't exist if the girl wasn't white.
Come on man. Really?
well
the world IS racist, and i'm quite sure there are other cases where a woman of color was refused aid by the authorities only to be murdered later and no one wrote a story about. it's actually quite likely that this story wouldn't exist if the girl wasn't white, wouldn't be the first time.
verified
If the Onion is on the case, then it must be true:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/missing_white_girl_drives
Seriously, if you have the stomach to check cnn.com daily, you'll a weekly FRIGHTENTHEMASSES story about an attractive caucasian kid being abducted.
"..."
Actually, the story I
Actually, the story I referenced earlier about a woman being set on fire was a black woman. So I have to disagree.
The Team, The Team, The Team.
Obes is undoubtedly right -
Obes is undoubtedly right - the circumstances of the crime you reference is what sets it apart, what generates interest. You are not comparing apples to apples here.
understood
I see the point and it is certainly valid. There is no doubt that crimes like these get more attention when the victim is caucasian (especially if it's a pretty girl). I guess my reaction was just knee-jerk, because the article had such a clear angle that had nothing to do with race. I guess if you read between the lines, you can pretty much always find a way to highlight the subtle (sometimes blatant) racism that exists in today's media coverage.
It is a story because...
the woman tried to defend herself against a guy she thought was a threat by following the procedures of the law. The law turned her away and wouldn't help and the guy killed her. Could it have been prevented? Who knows but it might have detered him a little. There is nothing racist about this unless it said the judge denied her because he was racist, which it didn't. I am pretty sure it would be a story if her skin color was green or blue too.
When you reach the end of your rope tie a knot and hold on...
You are missing the point -
You are missing the point - Obes and the others are not saying THIS event was racist, but rather the representation of these events in the media is racist.
You are selecting on the dependent variable - your arguments are biased by media selection. It is quite unlikely that what is presented to us in the media is representative of what actually happens. The point is - how many of these stories HAVEN'T we seen?
Obes and others are saying that it is likely that you haven't seen many of the cases in which the woman was black. Your argument based on what you have seen is a faulty argument, and the argument from the other side is based on conjecture. One would need to compare crime stats and media stories to see if there is actually bias.
OT is getting out of control.
OT is getting out of control. Not to belittle this woman's life, but it's just one woman. But unless this is some sort of pattern I think the only reasonable response can be, it's too much to expect the judges to get it right 100% of the time. Sometimes people get murdered by the people you let off, it's a numbers game you can't win.
Galileo was also chastised.
I hope her attorney insisted
I hope her attorney insisted on pre-payment before writing a 72 page petition for a restraining order.
I put up a tough front, but deep down I just want to be held.
Horrific. I have several
Horrific. I have several questions about this case, first being how did this guy get past the gatekeepers and to the woman's desk? Sounds like really bad conops at the AT&T call center. The judge is called so because it's his job to make a judgment; his peers will figure out if he just made a bad one or was outside the bounds of the law.
The comments that a restraining order wouldn't have prevented this are correct...people that want to kill are not stopped by laws or pieces of paper. There's another thing we have to acknowledge in this situation - the abuse of restraining orders, which hurt the credibility of legitimate domestic violence claims. It is more common than anyone would want to think that a false abuse claim is laid, in particular in the process of divorce to establish cause for the custody fight. Usually this is without any real due process.
All of this makes things tougher for true victims of crimes. Clearly this case was legitimate - I am not a mindreader, but the facts above may have influenced the judge in erring on the side of not granting the order.
The whole point of my post
was to show that murder is all too common. Why is this story such big news? Plenty of women have been killed in similiar circumstances.
The justice system failed? That isn't unusual either.
This is a story because she was an attractive white girl.
The team, the team, the team.-Bo Schembechler
Where are the thread police
Where are the thread police when someone posts a thread with the title: Don't Click Here which contains a post with a picture of kittens? I'll respond when I want to respond and ignore everything else.
Hail to the Victors!
a restraining order would not have kept her safe
All in and always in