Disturbing topic - you've been warned.
So I had the news on tonight, and I heard that twelve year old Jahmeshia Conner, who was reported missing two weeks ago, was found in a South side alley way, badly beaten and dead.
She left her aunt's house at 8PM and took a CTA bus. By herself.
Who in their right mind allows this? WHO? Who allows their daughter, who is in FIFTH grade, to ride a bus alone at night to a bad area of the city?
I am just horrified. I do not go out alone at night ever, and we definitely do not live on the South side. It's relatively safe here, but I am still overly cautious.
I just cannot fathom letting my young daughter out alone at night. It's mind boggling.
I feel awful for the family and for the girl, who will never get a chance to grow up. But I'm still so confused and horrified.
Re: Disturbing topic - you've been warned.
Sigh. I know. I know that I know this, and still, I just can't imagine it. I hyperventilate at the thought of stepping out at night because I have huge anxiety issues. I just don't know how parents do it.
I know...sometimes I feel like I can't turn on the news or use the internet. I was looking for something about Africa today, and totally by accident came across a news photograph of an emaciated child in Africa crawling towards a United Nations food center, while a vulture stood behind him, waiting for him to die. I was so so disturbed, I don't think I will be able to sleep for a week. It made me want to sell all my belongings and then take the money and give to children in need.
It also made me want to smack my 7 year old niece who threw a temper tantrum last week when she didn't the color balloon that she wanted at Friendly's.
See, this is why I think I have a hard time comprehending. When I was twelve, I lived in an extremely rural area. There was no sneaking out or anything of the sort. You could get attacked by some crazy animal.
She was leaving her aunt's house to go home, so her aunt knew what she was doing. The mom didn't know, to be fair.
I missed it on the news. I saw the "breaking news" this morning on Fox about a body found in naperville at the H.S.
I don't know, I don't get it. Sometimes I think parents just don't care. It seems to be a standing problem here in the city w/ the violence.
Oh God
I had no idea 
I have to say in today's day and age, on the south side nonetheless, I'd never in a million years let my child ride public transportation like that. I look back at my childhood and my mom sent me, at 12, downtown to work with my dad. I took the train and when I got there, I used a map my mom scrawled on an index card to get there. Now this was nearly 20 years ago, and we live in the NW suburbs, but looking back on it, I cringe, and frankly, so do my parents!
What a tragic loss
Just be thankful you have that choice. Like pp said, some people have to rely on public transportation and maybe not the best pick of babysitters afterschool. Maybe the aunt had no idea what the girl was doing or even that it was a bad idea.
74 books read in 2011
Things have definitely changed. They showed this girl's neighborhood - it is not a nice area.
This.
My Mom had to ride the city bus in a bad section of town every night with her 2 younger siblings at the age of 7 to get from my great grandmother's house back to her own house because my grandmother left her abusive (every which way abusive husband) and was single mom trying to keep a roof over her kids head, with no support from her family, ex-husband or friends.
It's just not a "choice"
This confuses me a bit. Wouldn't she have been better off staying at the aunt's house alone until someone could get her? The L is terrifying at night IMHO.
They found her in Naperville?? North or Central?
That's just awful. I had a hard time letting my 16 year old take the bus into downtown Philly over the summer with her friend, in broad daylight. I can't imagine letting a 5th grader go out at night and take public transportation, alone. That poor little girl.