Who failed Tiffany Wright?

by Glenn Burkins – September 24, 2009
The Watchdog Add comments

  • Font Size
  • Make Text Smaller
  • Make Text Larger

It’s easy to point fingers when something goes wrong. Hindsight, we all know, is 20-20. But in the case of 15-year-old murder victim Tiffany Wright, the public deserves answers.

In today’s Charlotte Observer, a team led by reporter Christopher D. Kirkpatrick documents the painful missteps that led to Tiffany’s Sept. 14 death as she waited for a school bus in north Charlotte, eight months pregnant.

The Observer story is painful in its detail. (Minutes before Tiffany was shot, she was texting a schoolmate already on that bus.) And it’s explicit in exposing failures in the system that was supposed to protect her. (A Mecklenburg court clerk placed Tiffany under the temporary care of Royce Mitchell, a convicted felon now charged with statutory rape and indecent liberties against her. He’s also been named a “person of interest” in her death.)

As much as anything, the Observer story speaks volumes about the plight of children who, through no fault of their own, find themselves without the protection of loving parents.

Aside from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, which defends the way it handled early allegations that Mitchell might have raped Tiffany, no other government agency seems interested in talking – not DSS and not the court system.

I hope the Observer will keep digging and demanding answers.

Tiffany deserved better.

 

Other Ways to Share

Discussions and Submission Agreement

Report Abusive/Inappropriate Comments

User Comments (4 Responses)
posted by
hbomb

Sep 24, 2009 at 11:28 AM

Tiffany, and so many other children have been failed by society as a whole. By absent parents and family, the court system, family and children service, teachers, counselors and neighbors to name a few. I found it interesting that a grandparent and other relatives have made statements to the media about her death. Were they involved in her life. We have got to get back to the point where we know and care about another and are willing to reach out and help those that are in distress.
posted by
Jean Cureton

Sep 24, 2009 at 11:46 AM

This atrocious abuse and neglect by the very agencies and people whose obligation(legal or moral) was to protect her causes my heart to hurt. And most unfortunately, there are still plenty of other "Tiffany"s suffering right now.
posted by
Eric S.

Sep 24, 2009 at 12:47 PM

This is a sad story, but not one we haven't heard before. Many of these young children in foster care are not provided for correctly. These kids are sometimes mentally damaged and they a can be very hard to manage. They use the system to protect only what they want. I have been to several foster homes and most of the kids are very dissrespectful. The staff there doesn't get paid enough to deal with such nonsense. I am not saying all kids are bad in Foster care, but the whole system needs to be fixed. They need to really re-investigate what does it mean for the child's best interest. The county and state needs to reappropiate funds for this system. This system has been broken for a long time, but no one is willing to look at it to revamp it.
posted by
Renee

Oct 1, 2009 at 5:33 PM

I read that the grandmother was upset because the child was left at the bus stop alone. Where was she (The Grandmother)?
The Grandmother did not know where she was, and she is angry. I do not understand. Why do you not know where your grandchild is? You now know because she is dead. Did you look for her? How did she end up in the system? This is horrendous!!!!

Leave a Reply





On The Web

Happy birthday J. Dilla
A tribute to the late, great hip-hop producer responsible for some of the art form's greatest sounds.

Another insult for Michelle?
Republican Mike O'Neal reportedly forwarded an email making fun of the first lady's looks.

Qcity Jobs Search
Eg. Nurse

Los Angeles, CA



  
Charlotte Jobs by Category