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#1
12-07-2007, 07:07 AM
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Missou Net-Suicide Incident Recalls Skidmore
A teen suicide in St. Louis suburb Dardenne Prairie, allegedly provoked by taunts from a hoax My Space page, is producing a vigilante style response... A sad but fascinating story..
YAHOO/AP STOPY: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071206/...oUh8cV8Fus0NUE LA TIMES FEATURE: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...adlines-nation The incident recalls the famed Skidmore, MO case of Ken McElroy, a controversial and disliked farmer-businessman shot dead in the town square in 1981. That murder was witnessed by many yet no one would come forward with any information to assist police in their investigation. Northwestern Missouri was also the site of the Raymond Gunn lynching in 1930.. Gunn, who was black, had been accused of raping and murdering a white school teacher. He was caught with a great deal of evidence including blood on his clothes, bite marks on his hands and a blood stained shoe. A large mob of Missouri residents did not wait for him to go to trial. The Dardenne Prairie case, and those that have proceeded it, urge the question of why Missouri has such a pronounced history and predilection for this type of justice.
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All ambitions are lawful except those which climb upward on the miseries or credulities of mankind. ~ Joseph Conrad A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right. ~ Thomas Paine Don't let anyone tell you that your dreams can't come true. They are only afraid that theirs won't and yours will. ~ Robert Evans Last edited by Kasept : 12-07-2007 at 09:54 AM. 
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#3
12-07-2007, 09:59 AM
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Quote:
My awareness of it may be heightened, but I believe you'd be hard-pressed to find this happening elsewhere as often as it's happened in Missouri. There is some kind of pronounced sense of 'justice in our own hands' mentality at play here. It may go back to the Civil War era in Missouri, and Kansas, where they had tremendous bloodshed and vigilantism. I think there is a developmental/societal effect involved.
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All ambitions are lawful except those which climb upward on the miseries or credulities of mankind. ~ Joseph Conrad A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right. ~ Thomas Paine Don't let anyone tell you that your dreams can't come true. They are only afraid that theirs won't and yours will. ~ Robert Evans
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#4
12-07-2007, 11:08 AM
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To me, the greatest example of vigilanteism in the United States right now is in the southwestern states. The minutemen patrolling the borders, coralling the illegal aliens back across the border.
These people in Missouri are vigilantes of sorts, but I think they perceive a gap in the law when it comes to internet harrassment. They are channeling their efforts toward the wrong cause, this mother who created the fake myspace profile to bully the unsuspecting teenage girl, when they should just be speaking out about the issue and raising awareness. One of municipalities close to here, Florrisant, MO, has already put in place an ordinance making internet bullying/harrassment illegal. But, I won't disagree with the point that Missouri has a history of vigilantes. Everything you mentioned about McElroy, even the bald knobbers and the border war are all examples of this. But it has, and is, occurring in other places. I have read a piece or two that criticizes Missouri's laws for promoting vigilanteism by letting certain criminals remain free on bond whereas in other states they would be detained until a determination of guilt. Last edited by jman5581 : 12-07-2007 at 01:02 PM.
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