Relisha Rudd

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even if you’re desperate for childcare, you don’t let your child go with some random old guy. Leaving your child home unsupervised is awful and you hear about that but Shamika was home. She also was mentioned in interviews with people at the school as coming late to pick up her kids to the point that they would wait for her at a nearby laundromat. Washington Post reporting.

+1


I really don’t see how anyone else is to blame besides Khalil Tatum, first and foremost, and then Shamika. Relisha was at school all day and then had cheer practice or after care or whatever. Then you let her go with an older non family member? Who takes her to hotels and gives her gifts? That is complete negligence.

I blame Shamika first. She held the strings to who had access to Relisha. She put her in the hands of a child molestor. Even if Relisha hadn't gone missing, she still was likely abused. Her mom fed her to the monster. The monsters are there no matter what. It's the parent's responsibility to protect her. She was mentally well enough to say who had access to her child.

Exactly. She wouldn't let husband have a say, unless it was convenient. She was manipulating

[Anonymous]

Maybe Shamika was jealous of Relisha. She had lots of personality, a father who was involved and loved her. We see it on this board all the time. My mother, in fact, is jealous of my accomplishments. Suggested beauty school instead of going to college. I was very smart and good student. Graduated from a top university. She was never proud. Lots of girls suffer as Relisha did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe Shamika was jealous of Relisha. She had lots of personality, a father who was involved and loved her. We see it on this board all the time. My mother, in fact, is jealous of my accomplishments. Suggested beauty school instead of going to college. I was very smart and good student. Graduated from a top university. She was never proud. Lots of girls suffer as Relisha did.

That was astrokitty's take on the web sleuths message board. Mother daughter jealousy and dysfunction. Why Relisha was out of the home all the time and not the boys. Apparently there were public Facebook posts by Shamika complaining about Relisha that are referenced on web sleuths back in 2014.

I'm sorry you went through that. As someone whose mother favorited my brother and disliked me for existing, I understand. I'm proud of you though! I'm glad you preserverd and followed your talents, dreams and goals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is the kind of podcast that repels conservatives and I can see why. As a moderate democrat it drives me crazy how media tries so desperately to blame "systems" and "circumstances" while letting Relisha's family off the hook. It's crap.

Don’t believe you’re not a conservative

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the kind of podcast that repels conservatives and I can see why. As a moderate democrat it drives me crazy how media tries so desperately to blame "systems" and "circumstances" while letting Relisha's family off the hook. It's crap.

Don’t believe you’re not a conservative

I'm not the poster that you're quoting but it not a conservative viewpoint to hold a parent responsible for allowing her 8 year old daughter to go off with a non relative older man, not speak to the daughter or have any contact for 18 days and then lie about where she was when it's discovered.

Systems and circumstances can can contribute to many events but in this case, no. It didn't need to happen and none of the other families at the shelter allowed it to happen to their child and they were caught up in the same system and had similar circumstances. Everyone living in that shelter was homelessness by definition and it's a rocky road to get to that point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the kind of podcast that repels conservatives and I can see why. As a moderate democrat it drives me crazy how media tries so desperately to blame "systems" and "circumstances" while letting Relisha's family off the hook. It's crap.

Don’t believe you’re not a conservative

I'm not the poster that you're quoting but it not a conservative viewpoint to hold a parent responsible for allowing her 8 year old daughter to go off with a non relative older man, not speak to the daughter or have any contact for 18 days and then lie about where she was when it's discovered.

Systems and circumstances can can contribute to many events but in this case, no. It didn't need to happen and none of the other families at the shelter allowed it to happen to their child and they were caught up in the same system and had similar circumstances. Everyone living in that shelter was homelessness by definition and it's a rocky road to get to that point.

+1

Why in the world can’t a person who blames a parent for their child’s welfare be a liberal? She gave her 8 year old to a grown man with felony convictions and didn’t think twice. This decision has nothing to do with IQ or being at the shelter or working two jobs and being tired (I don’t believe she had a job at the time). She didn’t speak to her child for 18 days!!!!!! She also showed no remorse or concern for what happened to her. She is a horrific mother and person. Regardless of her own childhood or circumstances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe Shamika was jealous of Relisha. She had lots of personality, a father who was involved and loved her. We see it on this board all the time. My mother, in fact, is jealous of my accomplishments. Suggested beauty school instead of going to college. I was very smart and good student. Graduated from a top university. She was never proud. Lots of girls suffer as Relisha did.

That was astrokitty's take on the web sleuths message board. Mother daughter jealousy and dysfunction. Why Relisha was out of the home all the time and not the boys. Apparently there were public Facebook posts by Shamika complaining about Relisha that are referenced on web sleuths back in 2014.

I'm sorry you went through that. As someone whose mother favorited my brother and disliked me for existing, I understand. I'm proud of you though! I'm glad you preserverd and followed your talents, dreams and goals.

Thank you so much. There, but for the grace of God, go I. At least we didn't have Relisha's childhood.

One idea about the podcast. Maybe reporter wanted an alternative take, a new perspective, to not blame Shamika. A strawman of sorts, to blame the system.

Or maybe, like a PP suggested, she wants to open the door for an interview.

But 18 days w/o seeing or speaking to child? Unless I was dead, I could never.

[Anonymous]

That's that thing that bothers me. No Contact with your child for 18 days, more than 1/2 a month and the child is 8. You can be homeless, disenfranchised, whatever but you can check on your little girl.

There is no excuse especially since Shamika was posting on social media those photos of the new sneakers, the expensive winter coats and the cash windfall at the same exact time. Obviously she was connected to the world outside the shelter since she could go shopping and seems to have a phone.

The worst is (getting this back to DCPS) is that IF the school social worker hadn't sounded the alarm, the situation would have continued.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's that thing that bothers me. No Contact with your child for 18 days, more than 1/2 a month and the child is 8. You can be homeless, disenfranchised, whatever but you can check on your little girl.

There is no excuse especially since Shamika was posting on social media those photos of the new sneakers, the expensive winter coats and the cash windfall at the same exact time. Obviously she was connected to the world outside the shelter since she could go shopping and seems to have a phone.

The worst is (getting this back to DCPS) is that IF the school social worker hadn't sounded the alarm, the situation would have continued.

That's what bothers me too.

Not just Shamika, but NONE OF THEM. None of these supposedly loving relatives saw or spoke to her for almost 3 weeks. If Antonio and Melissa and Ashley were all asking Shamika about her and Shamika was just lying, that's one thing. But you'd think that at some point, someone would wonder why this girl hadn't seen her cousins or been home to see her brothers for the better part of a month.

I don't necessarily think that Shamika SOLD Relisha but I do think that she knew exactly where her kid was.

[Anonymous]

Agree. She was just gone. Out if their lives with no contact but no concern about it either. This is family pathology and it's offensive to other similarly situated families who are homeless and destitute to blame anyone other than Relisha's family for getting her into this situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree. She was just gone. Out if their lives with no contact but no concern about it either. This is family pathology and it's offensive to other similarly situated families who are homeless and destitute to blame anyone other than Relisha's family for getting her into this situation.

+1

Thank you for saying what has been nagging me about this but I’ve been unable to express! It’s as if the conclusion of this is all families in poverty can’t care for their children so the government needs to step in. It’s paternalistic, has racist undertones and is offensive. This woman was a bad mother but that’s not because she lives in a homeless shelter or had a rough childhood. There are many others in the same situation who would never hand their child over to a grown man! This is an individual issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the kind of podcast that repels conservatives and I can see why. As a moderate democrat it drives me crazy how media tries so desperately to blame "systems" and "circumstances" while letting Relisha's family off the hook. It's crap.

Don’t believe you’re not a conservative

I’m a moderate dem and I also felt the same. The narrative was quite contradictory on the one hand blamed institutions for automatically treating black mothers as unfit but on the other hand she says the institutions failed to protect relisha from her mother, essentially. I don’t see how you can have it both ways. Also she said a felon shouldn’t have been allowed to work at the shelter but also that felons shouldn’t be excluded from jobs??! Apparently the real culprit is somehow the eviction process so i guess if her mom had met a predator somewhere else this wouldn’t have happened? I don’t buy that.

It was just a messy, disappointing npr-backed piece of sloppy meanderings that I regret helping fund through my npr donations and does nothing for future relishas of our world. I expect better of npr. Relisha deserved better too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the kind of podcast that repels conservatives and I can see why. As a moderate democrat it drives me crazy how media tries so desperately to blame "systems" and "circumstances" while letting Relisha's family off the hook. It's crap.

Don’t believe you’re not a conservative

I’m a moderate dem and I also felt the same. The narrative was quite contradictory on the one hand blamed institutions for automatically treating black mothers as unfit but on the other hand she says the institutions failed to protect relisha from her mother, essentially. I don’t see how you can have it both ways. Also she said a felon shouldn’t have been allowed to work at the shelter but also that felons shouldn’t be excluded from jobs??! Apparently the real culprit is somehow the eviction process so i guess if her mom had met a predator somewhere else this wouldn’t have happened? I don’t buy that.

It was just a messy, disappointing npr-backed piece of sloppy meanderings that I regret helping fund through my npr donations and does nothing for future relishas of our world. I expect better of npr. Relisha deserved better too.

+1000

[Anonymous]

I’m so disturbed that Relisha’s mother AND grandmother spent their life in foster care as well.

My god. Relisha’s mother has obviously been emotionally and physically abused too and that should be acknowledged.

It’s obvious she doesn’t understand boundaries given the lack of emotional security she never had growing up. I’m sure she saw and went through unimaginable things in foster care and didn’t get the proper care a child should receive.

The family’s entire story is heartbreaking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree. She was just gone. Out if their lives with no contact but no concern about it either. This is family pathology and it's offensive to other similarly situated families who are homeless and destitute to blame anyone other than Relisha's family for getting her into this situation.

+1

Thank you for saying what has been nagging me about this but I’ve been unable to express! It’s as if the conclusion of this is all families in poverty can’t care for their children so the government needs to step in. It’s paternalistic, has racist undertones and is offensive. This woman was a bad mother but that’s not because she lives in a homeless shelter or had a rough childhood. There are many others in the same situation who would never hand their child over to a grown man! This is an individual issue.

Did you miss the part that Relisha’s mother and grandmother spent their life in foster care as well??!

Hello!?!?