Anthony Protesters Are a Disgrace

Like many others, I have followed the story of two year old Caylee Anthony, who was reported missing last July. I have read the various twists and turns of this case, and felt the same frustration, sorrow, and anger that others have no doubt felt.

Certainly, in the case of missing children like Caylee, the need to find the child and learn the truth of her absence is of paramount importance. I wish every missing child could have the benefit of national media coverage Caylee has had. We might find more children alive, or learn certain truths sooner. There can be a huge benefit to such coverage or, as we've seen in Caylee Anthony's case, an ugly drawback.

When shows like Nancy Grace exploit a tragic story for the sake of ratings, and fill the stage with speculative analysts and various conspiracy theories, they do so in order to intrigue and incite the audience. Their interest in finding "justice" for children like Caylee Anthony (or Trenton Duckett, or Elizabeth Smart), extends only as far as the number of living rooms they reach. The more intrigue, the larger the Arbitron ratings are likely to be. For provocateurs like Grace, a case as twisted and complex as Caylee Anthony's provides a golden landslide of ratings, and an audience that's ready to be provoked and impassioned.

Caylee Anthony's big, beautiful eyes and sweet smile could rouse even the most news-hardened heart. To suspect that Caylee had been murdered was heart-wrenching enough, but the speculations put forth by Grace and others -- that Caylee's grandparents and Uncle were purposely misleading investigators and subverting justice -- fanned the flames of public outrage.

Angry mobs of vigilante-style protesters swarmed George and Cindy Anthony's house, ready to take their pound of flesh from Caylee's grandparents. Screaming, cussing, and ready to fight, their goal appeared to be less about finding justice for Caylee than about terrorizing the Anthony's into accepting their version of the events: that Casey Anthony murdered Caylee, and that the Anthony family was complicit in covering up the truth and impeding the investigation.

Under the tainted umbrella of news commentary came a host of incendiary accusations, including unsubstantiated reports of incest which cast a dark shadow on both Casey's father and brother. However, it was Cindy Anthony who bore the brunt of public disdain after appearing on several news programs to plead Caylee's case and defend her daughter against accusations of murder.

I'm not going to analyze the stated beliefs of the Cindy Anthony or her family. They have been published and broadcast, and it's clear that investigators, as well as the vast majority of the public, disagrees with the family's belief that Casey Anthony is innocent.

It's the public's right to form an opinion, and I have no issue with the opinion that Casey Anthony likely murdered her daughter. She is in jail on that charge, a body that is presumably Caylee's has been found, and a trial will be held. What I take issue with is that some members of the public felt it was necessary to terrorize Caylee's extended family for not sharing their opinion of Casey Anthony's guilt.

The families of murder victims are not specially privileged, nor does grief form a halo that leaves them above reproach. However, in five short months Casey Anthony's parents and brother have not only had to face the disappearance and possible death of their beloved granddaughter and niece, but have also had to struggle with an overwhelming number of stories, false leads, and dashed hopes. They've had to weigh their own facts, including the daughter and sister they have known since birth, with a version of her that is altogether foreign to them. Casey, despite many other flaws, had no history of violence or child abuse.

Tipsters were calling into hotlines with Caylee sightings in North Carolina, California, and Florida. It doesn't take much of a stretch of imagination to understand why the family maintained hope against all odds and believed she may have been kidnapped.

A portion of the public, however, decided that the Anthony family needed to suspend their hopes and help convict their daughter in the press. They decided it was their right to goad Casey's family into despising her as much as they did. To that end, they surrounded the Anthony home, demanding justice from those in the least position to give it -- a family left reeling by tragedy. A family for whom Caylee and Casey were not just pictures on a screen, but children they had nurtured, loved, and cared for since birth.

It was a disgrace to the cause of justice to watch protesters harass a family that was already distraught and plagued with anxiety and fears. That they seemed more prone to name-calling and threatening stances when the media was present speaks to something even more insidious, such as using a victimized child and her pained family in order to create their own Jerry Springer moment of fame.

I don't blame Lee Anthony for dismantling the "memorial" left on the Anthony lawn by protesters after the discovery of what may be Caylee's body. After being terrorized, it's not unlikely that the Anthony's saw less sympathy and love in the flowers, cards, and teddy bears than a mean-spirited and accusatory "we told you so, and we hope you suffer" directed at the family. And they will suffer. Long after the protesters and public have moved on, and Caylee's image fades from the collective conscience of the public.

Follow Jane Devin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/janedevin

Comments

[azbernie]

susan smith, andrea yates, diane downs, casey anthony. ect.....society is no longer going to or willing to tolerarate the murder of ones own child. no more. so, you all can support casey, put her in your will, donate for her legal defense, have her over for dinner every night. but, i suggest that you not give her any knives, have any sleep overs, or turn your back on her. she is a classic socio/psychopath. her own actions or inactions makes her guilt entirely believable. her pathalogical lying did her in. her not reporting her missing child was so the baby body would more be completely decomposed leaving little to no forensics. as her ex boyfriend, whom she also lied to, puts it;"she is diabolical." all the time, money, and pain she has caused to society and her own family. i want to be there when and if she gets the death penalty. another issue raised why more women are not given the death penalty as men are given.

[tenonyxseb]

I am very dissapointed in Casey Anthony as anyone can be, but to take that as a license to harass her parents who may not know what really happened at the time and are holding out some glimmer of hope their daughter may be innocent, it is their privilege whether they are right or wrong til Casey has her day in court and is proven guilty.
I don't understand how Nancy Grace can be taken seriously I feel this woman is dangerous, reactionary, full of false heroism, doesn't try to use reason, which is something that as an attourney and former prosecutor she should be highly trained on.
There was a case where a kid went missing and she grilled the mother so hard she ended up committing suicide and she justified this by saying if she had nothing to do with it why she commit suicide?, now we'll never know and the kid has never been found dead or alive, so much for her stupid and false heroics!! In other words thanks for nothing!!
And that she is practically inciting demonstrations in front of Cindy and George Anthony's home, one day it could get out of hand and someone could be hurt or killed, which would not only be wrong but flies against the idea of law and order which Nancy Grace seems to have forgotten as a former officer of the court.

[jalowe1957]

Casey Anthony is innocent until proven guilty by a jury of her peers. Unfortunately, she has been tarred and feathered in the court of public opinion, and her actions speak volumes -- about her psychopathology, her evasiveness, her unwillingness to be honest and forthright.

Just let justice take its course.

[ohioan73]

No real protester would waste their time harassing a family who lost a child. Protesting is a serious thing that requires research and organizing and training beforehand. You cannot gather a bunch of nutty, angry people onto a front lawn and swear loudly. There must be a problem, an issue, a target, and you must be ready for negotiations, signed agreements, police interaction and someone must be prepped to talk to the press because organizers are not allowed to. When I show up on somebody's lawn, its usually somebody like Karl Rove or the Bush Ed. Secretary. People who are rich and ripping us off and deserve to be embarrassed in front of their neighbors, not regular private citizens who are grieving over a precious child and hoping she's alive. What a waste of time.

Anybody showing up on the Anthony front lawn should direct their energy and anger toward the White House or their own corrupt local city hall. People "protesting" the war need to stop as well. If you do not have a personal target and demand a public meeting or something, please stop looking foolish by standing around with a damn sign. You are not helping, affecting or changing anything unless you have a strategic plan of action which requires you to call someone to the carpet and call them out for not doing their job. Protesting idealogies is a waste of time as well.

[Scryinglass]

I don't watch Court TV and the only info I have on this case is what I've seen on MSNBC. Honestly, I can't imagine why the protesters can't find better things to do with their time. OTOH, the Anthony family has courted the press since June. You would think they would realize that issuing daily statements and granting exclusives to various cable news anchors was like to draw attention and not the positive kind.

As to the particulars of the case, I have no idea, but I suspect the child's mother caused her demise(most likely accidental).

Making up storiesto the police and her parents about non existent Hispanic babysitters who reside in long vacant apartments should have been the first clue. The mother's behavior following the disappearance should have been another. Lying about her employment, bouncing and forging checks, getting a tattoo with the phrase "the good life" on it, partying every night, referring to her own child as "the snothead".... these are not indicative of a grieving mother.

[tyger]

I have to wonder about the grandparents. We have on tape the fact the she found the car and it had a smell of death. Her grand daughter missing and the child's mother lied again and again. Now the grandmother says a rotting hamburger has the same smell as a decomposing body. Even she know better. Finally the child remains is in a spot where Caylee's mother played as a child, how is she going to explain this. Unfortunately these grandparents care more about the daughter than their innocent grandchild.

[RoloTomassi]

From my armchair observations of Casey Anthony, she very much seems a sociopath, but the behavior of the family I believe is the very thing that has driven this case into the public spotlight, and continues to keep it there.

With one family member [Casey] behaving like a nutcase, and the rest of the family behaving in ways that seem to be evasive and obstructive, one has to wonder who did what, and who is covering for who--again, just more melodrama to drive the intrigue.

When I contemplate what all of this means, I have wonder if 1) Casey Anthony is the sociopath monster that murdered her daughter, or 2) a clueless flake who accidentally killed her child, and has enlisted her family to assist in covering up what happened.

I don't see how the protesters think they can accomplish anything by their actions, and I wouldn't do so myself--but this is one of those situations where a group of people [in this case a family] is behaving in a way that doesn't help, and those actions seem to be a collective attempt at hiding some detail[s] about this child's disappearance.

Once you know the details of what has transpired so far, the very human urge to know what really happened to Caylee Anthony is quite compelling.

[Lorifromky]

I agree with you. No one knows what they would do or how they would react if something as monumental as a child gone missing happened in their family. I for one would hold out hope as long as I possibly could, and I could never accept that a loved one killed a child. The community's reaction to the Anthonys is disgraceful - there is no other word for it. People have brought their small children to the front yard of the Anthony household to carry signs and shout obscenities. When I see these "protestors" on television, I see the torch wielding idiots of a bygone era. I half expect them to try and drown the Anthonys to see if they are witches. And would Nancy Grace ever apologize if it turns out that Casey turned over Caylee to someone who in turned killed the child? I doubt it. I do not watch the show on a regular basis, but I understand that Ms. Grace has been wrong before and never apologized for slandering an innocent person.

[cedwards]

I think the Anthony' are a disgrace. They have tried everything (but the truth) to cover for Casey. What's that old saying the truth will set you free? Caylee is the only VICTIM here. And Casey's family has allowed her to be the way she is because they always have covered for her. There are consequences to everythinng.

[Paprikapink]

Uh, no. If someone takes your purse, is your purse the only victim of that crime? When a child is lost, and murdered, that family suffers in a way that can barely be imagined. They are victims of the worst crime imaginable. You know how badly you feel just reading about it -- what if it were a child you knew and loved? Do you think you could be rational? Would it even be rational to be rational in such a circumstance? It's definitely not rational under any circumstances to assume that what you see on TV is The Truth.

[tyger]

I care about the innocent child. The adults can take care of themselves!

[MagistraY]

While I agree that it is tacky and distasteful, those protesting have that constitutional right AND seeing as the Anthony's recklessly sucked up what is likely hundreds of thousands of dollars of tax payer's money by thwarting this investigation, they must face the humiliation.

Knowing their daughter is a pathological liar and thief should have encouraged them to assist their helpless granddaughter and their neighbors who are footing the bill for their lack of appropriate parenting.

Y~

[msbrooksie]

Cindy and George Anthony are partially to blame for that crowd outside. They could have handled it differently then going outside on their lawn and yelling and screaming back at the crowd. Once their Daughter was back in Jail, the crowd left, that crowd was not there for Cindy and George they were there for Casey, and they also showed they are just as immature and just as neglectful of a parent as well for bringing children to that protest. It was immature and irresponsible for all involved. The joke of the hour is Leonard Padilla with his theories of how Caylee died, that man has changed his mind more times then Casey changed her story. He thinks he knows everything and Nancy Grace has him on her show as if he was an expert, last time I checked, Padilla has never been correct about anything he has said. He is a joke. Nancy Grace did give good coverage but that is all she has done. She needs to shut her mouth and let the experts speak even if it is not what she wants to hear. No one but Casey Anthony knows what happened to Caylee and she will never tell because then we would not care about her anymore as the mystery behind her death would not be a mystery anymore and that is the only reason why anyone cares. If they found Caylee four days after she was missing this story would be no more.

[ngspeaking]

I found many discrepancies with your rendition of the truth. First of all, Nancy Grace never made statements against the Grandparents Cindy and George Anthony and Brother, Lee Anthony for that matter. She has always been gracious when referring to Cindy and George Anthony and even Lee Anthony. And contrary to your remarks, Nancy Grace never condoned the atrocities of the mob that took the Anthony home by siege. Despite what you might think, the public is quite intelligent and very well able to make up its own mind without the need for media to interpret for them. As such, let me enlighten you, it was quite upsetting to the public when the Anthonys started stretching the truth, making misstatements, changing their story, tampering with evidence, not cooperating with law enforcement, and downright lying to protect their daughter, Casey. Cindy and George brought the actions of the mob down upon themselves when they started talking to the media instead of keeping silent on the issues. It was obvious they wanted the attention and they got what they asked for and a lot more. Brother Lee Anthony has refused cooperate with the investigation from day one which is puzzling to everyone. If there is nothing to hide why not cooperate? The thought of this innocent child laying in the ground out there somewhere decomposing and the family who supposedly loved her not cooperating is enough to bring out the mob mentality. Ms. Devin you owe your readers an apology.

[Jane Devin - Huffpost Blogger]

My post made it clear that I wasn't analyzing the words or actions of the Anthony family, but the mob that gathered in front of their house.

When NG, a source of news, asks whether the Anthony's "really believe" that their daughter is innocent, or whether this is a "trial strategy" I don't view that as gracious as much as I do baiting.

Show transcripts are here: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/ng.html

[Linn49]

Totally agree. NG hasn't really supported the Anthony's but has been what I would call passive agressive. She just baits her guests who are more likely to go off on them.

[bobbiesss]

Since everyone has a right to their opinion...I agree with you 100% Mrs Devin! Nancy Grace in my opinion is a disgrace to the network...On another note if Nancy Grace wants to report on the absolutely terrible happenings of little Caylee Anthony she should at least learn how to pronounce the little angels name properly...

[Linn49]

Oh, so right. How she claims that she cares so much but refuses to say Caylee's name correctly is so disrespectful. I think it is part of Nancy Grace's refusal to ever admit to being wrong. She started saying the name as Kelly and even though told it is Caylee she will not change because that would be an admission of mistake.

As for the whole issue with the Anthony's changing stories. When did it become a crime for persons in crisis to view things differently over time and to support their loved ones. I hope none of the people who have showed so much hatred for the Anthony family are ever in such a situation.

[RedDogBear]

I'm proud to say this is the first I've heard of the case. One of the benefits of no longer watching TV. I think Mark Twain pretty much covered the topic of stupid mobs in Huck Finn:

http://www.enotes.com/finn-text/chapter-xxii-lynching-failed

“You didn't want to come. The average man don't like trouble and danger. You don't like trouble and danger. But if only half a man—like Buck Harkness, there—shouts ‘Lynch him! lynch him!’ you're afraid to back down—afraid you'll be found out to be what you are—cowards—and so you raise a yell, and hang yourselves on to that half-a-man's coat-tail, and come raging up here, swearing what big things you're going to do. The pitifulest thing out is a mob; ... they don't fight with courage that's born in them, but with courage that's borrowed from their mass, and from their officers. ... Now the thing for you to do is to droop your tails and go home and crawl in a hole. If any real lynching's going to be done it will be done in the dark, Southern fashion; and when they come they'll bring their masks, and fetch a man along. Now leave—and take your half-a-man with you”—tossing his gun up across his left arm and cocking it when he says this."

[BSERIUS]

Sorry Jane ,,, Nancy is providing a great service ,,,, I know Countdown and Rachel and Hannity are so much more socially responsible... It took John Walsh' sons murder to bring out AMW and other childrens welfare programs.

[JerryTheAngel]

If Casey Anthony would have called 911 immediately to report her child had been kidnapped instead of waiting 30 days to report the child missing, maybe the story would have made sense. Cindy and George are in denial and may have committed crimes themselves, such as obstruction of justice. I have no sympathy for them.

If they cared about Caylee they would have seen through the lies of their sociopath of a daughter and did the right thing which was looking for the truth, not living in their fantasy world.