Sexual assaults stymie troopers : comments

Posted by admin

Posted: January 30, 2008 - 12:45 am

Return to Sexual assaults stymie troopers

login or register to post comments

33 March 11, 2009 - 9:10am | tanyaozturk

www.ircask.com ircask.com

www.ircask.com ircask.com sohbet sitesi üzerinden sohbet ve aþk odalarýnda sohbet edilebilir. ircask sohbet siteleri

32 January 31, 2008 - 11:08am | arigaa

Read the article people...DUH

"Researchers DID NOT look at cases reported during the same period to municipal police departments, including those in Anchorage or other urban centers that account for 80 percent of Alaska's 670,000 residents."

So, this mean's that researchers ONLY looked at rural areas, where the Native population is the majority. Let's guess here, I bet in those same areas, Natives lead the burglary rate, and the breaking and entering rate...and the HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATE...and the highest scholarships paid rate...etc.

I bet if I "researched" RED birds killing each other and studied 940 red birds and 60 blue birds, over 90% of the KILLERS would be...(drumroll please)...RED BIRDS!

Come on people...quit arguing about soemthing that has skewed information to begin with, and and end result that is pretty much determined before "researchers" had even begun.

31 January 30, 2008 - 9:40pm | WhiteDiablo

Give them back

Their booze so they have the hole in the bottle to pleasure themselves with, and not their children.
Personally I would rather find the pervs frozen face down with their dicks in the snow, than in a child.

30 January 30, 2008 - 6:40pm | bigd76

We need to rid the planet of child molesters!

When you rape or molest an innocent child you take their innocense away forever! You can't say you're sorry to make it right either! Once a child molester ALWAYS a child molester! Because of that, if you're caught hurting an innocent child you should be put to death with NO questions asked so that you can NEVER hurt an innocent child again!!!

January 30, 2008 - 7:14pm | Northern_light

Could it be a

...long, slow, painful death complete with Bamboo shoved underneath the fingernails?

January 30, 2008 - 9:09pm | bigd76

That would be even better!

This is the one subject that I'm not budging on! Child molesters should pay dearly for hurting an innocent child.

January 30, 2008 - 10:40pm | hpwells

hey bigd

every chester that ends up at Anvil mountain correctional center in Nome gets their bones busted but good.

January 30, 2008 - 10:51pm | hpwells

17, 18, and 19 yearolds

are constantly picked on by the whole quads until they cry. There is no mercy, it's like living with wolves. I've come to determine that the eskimo is the most brutal, when I verbalized that I was corrected by the fact that the Interior indians currently hold that title.

January 30, 2008 - 8:16pm | pitterpatterofpaws

Could it be worse??? I can think of a few more things to do to a chold molestor, but I think I'd better not say!

January 30, 2008 - 9:08pm | bigd76

Me too!

It's a shame that crap like this even exist in our society...

29 January 30, 2008 - 4:02pm | bigd76

Inbreeding.

That explains why we get ignorant comments like we do from people with screen names like "twoheadedwolf"! I'd bet money that his mommy and daddy are brother and sister!

January 30, 2008 - 6:15pm | pitterpatterofpaws

I bet you're right!

28 January 30, 2008 - 2:13pm | gregmoses27

know your neighbors

parents and familys need to protect their own children too. know your neighbors it's not just a rural problem. look up your neighbors at familywatchdog.com

27 January 30, 2008 - 1:38pm | gojo96

Prevention

All the Troopers/VPSOs can do is respond AFTER the fact. The people who live in these area must BE THE ONES to make th change. The things mention have been occurring forever. Mist of the folks living in these villages are Natives. Don't say that alcohol isn't a problem, no where else in the U.S. will you find "dry" or "damp" communities. The power is within these residents and THEY must make the change.

January 30, 2008 - 1:45pm | hpwells

We've been dry for over 20 years,

and you wouldn't know it until someone told you. Marijuana and alcohol is allout rampant here, where are the Police? We need outside Help.

January 30, 2008 - 10:02pm | jfmgraphics2

Maybe

Maybe it's time for villagers to police themselves. If the state won't do it, then stop trying to rely on the state. I'm sure Natives had ways of resolving their issues before the White Man came. Most of the time, government just screws things up anyway...

26 January 30, 2008 - 12:46pm | arkerickson

arrogant and insensitive to others?

What a bastard, sterotypical thing to say about Natives, very thinly veiled racism there.... Natives are NOT arrogant and insensitive to others. How dare you. Shame "tundrathyme".

January 30, 2008 - 1:05pm | Northern_light

Oh its everywhere Arkerickson

This isn't the only article where commenters speak badly of the native people. Sweeping generalizations, racist remarks, you name it. It is tiresome.

January 30, 2008 - 3:00pm | pitterpatterofpaws

I agree!

25 January 30, 2008 - 12:44pm | arkerickson

the majority?

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 75% of Alaska residents are white.
15.6% are American Indian or Alaska Native. Don't say things you cannot back up.

White people are the majority.

January 31, 2008 - 11:13am | arigaa

Check your facts before you post...

White people ARE the majority...in ANCHORAGE, FAIRBANKS, JUNEAU...etc.

What is the percentage of "white" people in the area this information was collected? Certainly NOT 75% or "white" people would quit complaining about not getting their native dividend!

Make sure you read the ENTIRE article before you post "facts."

24 January 30, 2008 - 11:56am | ak4x4girl

white point of view

I'm a white grl in ak. both me and my sis are victims of rape...both abuesers were white. Ast did NOTHING in either case. Why? Who knows but I know if you want to commit a violent crime ak is THE PLACE to do it. As far as the native being the most victimized what eles do you expetct when they are the majority? I know that a lot of the native people are kind respectfull people not prone to violance. I'v dated several native boys and they never abused me I was with one white boy and he did. It's not about race it's about the person. And the fact that ast dont protect and serve!

January 31, 2008 - 11:07am | arigaa

Fellow whitey...

WELL SAID AK 4x4!!

It IS about the people...and I don't know if ANYONE actually READ the entire article...

23 January 30, 2008 - 11:43am | aj

No, it is not a cultural thing...

It's not traditional, either. Sexual abuse of a minor is a crime anywhere and a humanity sin. It is so bad in the inner cities too that they've created the "To Catch a Predator" series on NBC. What's missing is the severe punishment: Such criminals get off too lightly.

22 January 30, 2008 - 11:09am | fmspencer

Not sure if

this was paraphrased but this comment
"Sexual crimes are about power, and many in the region feel increasingly powerless as Native cultures are undermined" comes off as an excuse for sexual abuse.

January 30, 2008 - 12:39pm | fireside3

Rural sexual assult

The comment in this article implies that "as native cultures are undermined", natives feel increasingly powerless and thus commit crimes of sexual assult. Such an implication is not only weak and outlandish, it's also convenient for once again placing the blame for social ills affecting rural Alaska communities squarely on the shoulders of non-native society. Ducking responsibility for such vexing problems only makes it less likely that ruraul communities will ever make any real headway towards solving them. The first and most important step towards solving any problem is accepting ownership of it. The African-American community in the United States has finally learned that truth and is now making real progress towards bettering themselves and their culture in social, economic and political advancement. Rural natives of Alaska can do the same, but they must accept greater responsibility for their actions and ownership of the ills affecting their communities instead of being so quick to point the finger of blame.

21 January 30, 2008 - 11:23am | tundrathyme

Up the Ante Requirements to enter the A.S.T.

The Alaska State Troopers should require the V.P.S.O's to have at least an associate degree in either human services or a minor in psychology. The native V.P.S.O's don't seem very educated. An associate degree would allow them to be more efficient trainees and officers. Also the native people seem to represent themselves as arrogant and insensitive to others. However, I hope the State will follow through with more law enforcement.

January 30, 2008 - 11:52am | zidar

That raises a good question

Is an under-qualified VPSO better than no VPSO at all? It's a really tough job, a dangerous job, and there aren't a lot of individuals in small villages with AA degrees. It's a great sentiment to want law enforcement in every village, but practical reality is complicated. I think the tribal governments are more likely to provide a workable solution than the State of Alaska. As far as Natives presenting themselves as arrogant and insensitive, my experience has been the opposite.

January 30, 2008 - 1:39pm | hpwells

Outright scary it is.

No one wants to be cop here, not much to do with arresting relatives but for the fact that there's no one to help in the face of violence, self preservation is as I understand it "universal". which brings me to Tribal Governmments-Where the heck are they? oh I know, alot of PR with no substance.

20 January 30, 2008 - 10:58am | AlaskanbyCHoice

as long as...

the behavior is condoned, then it will be allowed .
the public masses will have to step up, and do something about it. need it be the death penalty for child rapists or putting them away for life, something should be done.
but nobody wants the prison in their backyard. nobody will support the death penalty in alaska, which by the way will take at least 15 years between each execution with appeals and all that.

it's not a native thing, it's not a race thing period. it's the depraved animal taking advantage of who they can take advantage of.

January 30, 2008 - 11:27pm | brett_chandler

Not sure it's "condoned"...

...as much as "overlooked". These are hard, painful issues to face, and sometimes a family is presented the painful dilemma of reporting a family member (frequently one who's contributing to the family's care), or putting up with it.

This isn't just a "native" thing, either. I remember a remarkable story from Ireland several years ago, where a 17 year old boy admitted to his mother that he'd taken part in the gang rape of an American woman tourist in a small village. The mother was brave enough to actually take her son to the police, and stood by him through his subsequent prosecution. However, she also endured a great deal of hostility from virtually everyone else in the village (including the boy's father, from whom she'd been divorced). They all thought she should have "minded her own business".

The last I heard, the mother stood by her son all the way through his trial and subsequent imprisonment; she wound up being the only person he trusted.

19 January 30, 2008 - 10:54am | Glory_to_God

It gets worse!

The children in the inner cities are not only molested, they are also prostituted. The other big difference is that apparently the rural children commit suicide at a much higher rate. If there was only someone out there that could tell them about Jesus. Reference: Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. (John 14:1)

January 30, 2008 - 11:46am | zidar

Buy an ad

If I were the editor I'd make you pay for all the free Jesus advertising you get. You're just selling soap, same as Amway.

January 30, 2008 - 3:26pm | Glory_to_God

Squeaky clean!

If you were the editor, we would only be reading your propaganda. Reference: Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. (Proverbs 23:23)

18 January 30, 2008 - 10:53am | roncostlow

alcohol/sexual abuse

Yes, the Troopers are understaffed in the "Bush", especially in the remote areas, Yukon, Kuskokuim, interior. Yes ALCOHOL is a factor in most case, Yes, it is committed by a person known to them, (family members or ?) Is it a "way of life" in the bush. "Bush Bum" metality of some of those "Unstanding white members" of those villages, so I have been told back in 1969 as the "first" Trooper assigned to open the new "Aniak Post". Don't over look this "fact" of those in positions of "trust", A "white person" who has been in the "Bush" for a number of years has a superior advantage over the natives, and they use that "power". Bootlegging is only one of the ways they become involved. A "bush bum" school principal has daily contacts with native girls, (Acohol & drugs) think about it... Talk to me at (509) 982 - 2336 Retired Trooper R.M. "Ron" Costlow

17 January 30, 2008 - 9:20pm | xango_xango

IT'S ALWAYS BEEN A RURAL EPIDEMIC - HELLO!

This has been common knowledge for decades. I used to daydream about more schools like Mt. Edgecumbe to protect these children. They don't even have a chance. Unlike a lot of areas, ALCOHOL IS INVOLVED. And like a lot of areas, it is usually a family member or close friend(?) to the family and the behavior gets passed onto the next generation. No wonder Alaska's natives have the highest suicide rates.

16 January 30, 2008 - 9:38am | leemayh

Not a Surprise

Sexual assaults in small communities are nothing new. Is it a cultural thing? It is about time that it is taken for what it is and find ways to stop the cycle not just make it news worthy for a day and forget about it.
Just say no means better legal protection for the victims, most of them children, to assure the victims that they are safe not only from their attackers but community as well and that they can get help. Education in the schools about what you as a child can do to prevent or report sexual abuse and be safe is the key. I experienced this when I was 8. If someone had told me to be aware of this crime and what to do to protect myself I would have been better off.

15 January 30, 2008 - 9:34am | steveconn

Make Believe Law Enforcement

So long as the troopers hold the bush hostage and pretend the Department of Public Safety with VPSOs can do a better job than another state funded policing model like
regional or subregional police organizations, the villages will remain underserved and no daily law enforcement will occur in the bush.

14 January 30, 2008 - 9:39am | pixieteeth

In one case

A child with english as a second language told her mother something sexual had happened to her. The child was approximately three years old. The mother went immediately to the authorities. The child was unable to name her "assailant". The child was quizzed incessantly by family and the authorities. Finally, one day walking down the street the child pointed to a man and said, in essence: "mama, look, a wah-wah". (wah-wah meaning something (?) in her language). The mother fingered the guy as the assailant. The man protested his complete innocence. Years later as the investigation progressed the child completely forgot the alleged incident. The child was harangued for years about the incident in english and she had no recollection of it at all. Her mother testified about the incident she did not see. Her testimony was allowed in. The man, who was possibly unknown at all to the child and family protested his innocence all the way to the Alaska Supreme Court and he is now serving a great deal of time based on the statement of a three year old child calling him a "wah-wah" (or some other babyish nomenclature). Gentlemen in Alaska based on our current law and overwhelming prurient interests in this largely aggrandized, exaggerated problem; there possibly go you, or your brother, sons and uncles. A three year old child can put you away for many years in Alaska without redress. The pendulum needs to swing the other way. Rantings notwithstanding.

January 30, 2008 - 10:55am | Blazerella

I'm sure the reason you

I'm sure the reason you heard this story is because it is an extremely rare case. It hardly sounds plausible. Many victimized children block out painful trauma. It could be years until that child is able to remember that again. You don't know the whole story so don't assume this man never did anything.

January 31, 2008 - 8:01am | pixieteeth

I assume

The man in the prison cell is innocent. There was no submitted evidence to the contrary. None. It is abysmal that these facts have become precedent setting in Alaska. This way anyone merely accused can be shoved into the gulags.

January 30, 2008 - 10:30am | xango_xango

CHECK YOUR FACTS AGAIN PIXIETOOTH

Sounds like you've been fed a line of bs by someone in a rural town in Alaska called denial.

January 30, 2008 - 3:16pm | pixieteeth

Actually,

this case was documented by the Supreme Court Decisions weekly Memorandums of Judgments. I have not sensationalized any of the case facts. The precedent set here (ask any Alaska Supreme Court Judge to comment) is that any small child can say whatever jumps into his/her head, and without determinative medical evidence, witnesses, without even the conscious memory of an alleged victim, with only the admitted hearsay evidence of a person not even at the scene: generally the male, is available for prison sentences and registry on sex crime listings. This is a fact. Alaska's fact. The reasons these crimes are sensationalized is that: 1. it may sell a newspaper; 2. precedent is set regarding an believably low standard of evidence which is allowed into Alaskan courts in these types of cases; 3. A targeted population (who lives in the bush) may easily be incarcerated thus removing such males of this ethnic variety from opportunity to have families. Nonetheless, this precedent of bad evidence in these types of cases would never be accepted in any other more civil judicial jurisdiction within the United States. And that is the real community atrocity.

January 30, 2008 - 8:15pm | jfmgraphics2

Right

Pixieteeth does have a point...

13 January 30, 2008 - 9:23am | broomhilda

Stop the violence!

Sponsor laws to castrate/sterilize repeat offenders. Instead of the online registry, the state should create a far off settlement to house these individuals - some island in AK. So they can't procreate and can't harm anyone else but themselves. We already pay enough for the ones that are convicted plus for the treatment of the ones they hurt. Have some electrified barbed wire. To feed this mass, send them road kill and excess fish. Anyone with me?

12 January 30, 2008 - 9:23am | broomhilda

Stop the violence!

11 January 30, 2008 - 9:13am | firstalaskans

Denning the abusers

we need to start "denning" these perverts.

the abuse will continue to future generations. I know some messed up and "not all there" people who were abused as kids by thier uncle, very sad they've spent most of their life in jail or mental institutions.

10 January 30, 2008 - 9:07am | Fisherlady

OK so we have a study

What is going to be done about it? Action then words. A program must be set up right now to protect actual and potential victims while the perps are taken to task. People in remote villages need to be helped with the remoteness and low wages and jobs.

9 January 30, 2008 - 9:02am | eldon

assaults

I lived in a village up north for 3 years. life is so different.... You have not got a clue to village life. STATE GET INVOLVED OCS where are you? We have laws, and they have there own set of laws. Here are theres wrong is wright, and wright is wrong.....

Ill tell you what we down here care about, there land and the GAS and OIL.....

8 January 30, 2008 - 8:35am | johnnye

Blame

This is Bush's fault...