LATEST LETTERS

Short shrift to toddler

Saturday, September 29 at 12:01 AM

When I opened the Rocky Mountain News on Sept. 25, I was expecting the front page to be dedicated solely to Neveah Gallegos (“Body found in search for girl,” same day), but instead just undeserving old news could be seen (re: Christine Johnson).
If Neveah had been a murdered 3-year-old Caucasian, she would have most likely made the major portion of the cover, but instead she was allotted just a small picture and a sentence at the minuscule top portion.
Many had been hoping and praying for her return, and had volunteered in the search for her. I am extremely disappointed and disgusted with the Rocky’s choice and believe that it owes Neveah and any surviving family members an apology.

Jackii Davis, Centennial

READER COMMENTS

Geez, somebody else demanding that someone owes someone else an apology. Will it never end?

Posted by Michael on September 29, 2007 09:16 AM

Neveah's surviving relatives owe an apology to Neveah. They were complicite in her death.

They knew this little girl had been molested by her mother's sex offender boyfriend. They knew that the mother could careless and would not cooperate with authorities. They knew this man continued to be in the mother's life and around Neveah. They knew this man was babysitting the little girl.

The relative's should have stepped up and made sure this little girl was taken out of the home. The relative's could have taken her in.

Stop blaming the press,social sevices and society for this little girls death.

My question to the relatives is, " Where were you when Neveah was being abused?"

Posted by on September 29, 2007 10:48 AM

Jackii-

We have heard the heartbreaking news of that little girl's death for days and days and days. Why make an issue out of her ethnicity? And WHY make your snide remark about caucasions?

My God, Jackii, the little girl happened to be Mexican, had a mother who was not worthy of Neveah, and who never deserved to have her. She put a known sexual pervert in charge of her little one and after he killed her child, helped him try to cover it up. Those are the facts.

I would like to know where this woman's family was when they knew a pervert was around this little girl.

We all know the story well and coverage has been heavy. Your making an issue out of where the story was in the paper is ludicrous.

Posted by c on September 29, 2007 11:31 AM

Jim Jones, Hank, Keth and An American

Get up on the wrong side of the cave today guys?

The fault of Niveah's death lies with and in her family, specifically her mother. There is no way Social Services can, nor should they, monitor every child every day. Their ideology has nothing to do with it.

The only apology owed is to the child from anyone who had specific knowledge or a good reason to suspect abuse and failed to notify the authorities. It is the fault of the authorities in that their heavy handed tactics in innocent situations created a gun-shy feeling where people are afraid to start what might end up a teapot tempest.

How about we look at ourselves, our community and our ability to improve things. Then do something positive. Or at least do as much as the social services people have done when they asked for an outside review of the incidents?

More light. Less heat please.

Posted by momma y on September 29, 2007 11:50 AM

Social Services had their hands tied when the mother wouldn't cooperate. She wouldn't press charges and denied the allegations. Do you really want a police/government force that is responsible for every child in the country? What happened to this child and other children recently is sad and horrifying. But i have to wonder where people like Jackii were when all this was going on. Do they volunteer with the schools in their neighborhood? Do they volunteer with Big Brothers/Big Sisters to help children in need? Or do they just sit around and complain about the system/media when something goes wrong. This child should have received some attention in life that would have helped her. Her coverage in the newspapers of perceived lack thereof has nothing to do with the situation. If this child had been white, black or purple, the coverage would have been the same. Pull the racism out of it and do something valuable!

Posted by idk on September 29, 2007 02:31 PM

Just another neglected or dead Mexican kid. There will be plenty more to read about Ms Davis, you can count on it!!!!!!!

Posted by on September 29, 2007 04:03 PM

What is wrong with moms that rather than taking their child to a day care they leave them with a boyfriend?

How many stories of child abuse do we
read about, at the hands of a boyfriend!

Whats the point? Convenience? To save a dollar? What? There are many excellent
day-cares.

Posted by jl on September 29, 2007 10:34 PM

jl, daycare costs money, isn`t available at night in most places and if the gov did it that would be socialism.

Children are at the most risk in the care of an unrelated male.

Statistics prove this year after year.

I don`t think this awful man would have been alright around the child at any time, he would have molested her eventually.

Posted by Sharon B. on September 30, 2007 01:25 PM

Here is a thought...if you can't afford day care, don't have kids. There are situations where single moms weren't planning on being single, and other events that cause economic hardship. But it doesn't look like that was the case here. A woman decided to have a child with no resources to raise that child and thought it was fine to leave that child with "just anybody." There is a problem out there, no child should die at the hands of an adult that is charged with caring for them, but it isn't the media that caused this problem and the original letter writer is blaming the wrong people for what happened.

Posted by idk on September 30, 2007 05:50 PM