Filed under: News, Race and Civil Rights
A gifted student from North Carolina who was visiting family in Baltimore over the holidays, Barnes was scheduled to graduate early from high school. She did not have a history of running away or being a troubled child.
"Based on the timeline and background we were pretty certain she did not run away and we expected foul play almost immediately," Baltimore Police spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi told Aol. BlackVoices in an interview.
Police thought that Barnes might have been abducted and taken out of the state of Maryland. The now-17-year-old was reported missing on December 28. They wanted to get her face on as many televisions and billboards across the country as quickly possible.
"In the event someone picked her up in van and drove outside of Baltimore no one knows she's missing unless we get the word out. If they drove her to Conneticut, no one knows she is missing," said Guglielmi.
That's when police reached out to the national media for attention. The response was less than enthusiastic.
"I noticed the reaction from national media was a bit anemic. It was very frustrating to turn on cable news channels and see the big story of the day was birds dropping out of the sky in Arkansas and dead fish. Meanwhile Phylicia is missing and could be in danger. I just wanted them to flash her face out there for a few minutes," said Guglielmi.
The reason soon became clear to Guglielmi when he thought about other missing persons cases such as that of Natalee Holloway, a white girl who went missing in Aruba in 2005.
"I didn't feel Phylicia's case was being treated the same way as Natalee Holloway. Phylicia is a wholesome, good student. She's not in a gang and not into drugs. She is a beautiful young lady who graduated high school early and is going to college," said Gugliemli. "The only difference between Phylicia Barnes and Natalee Holoway is that Phylicia went missing in Baltimore and is African-American."
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Critics have long said that missing people of color get less attention in the media. It's ironic because blacks made up 33 percent of the total number of people listed as missing in the FBI's database. Blacks only make up 13 percent of this country's population.
"We have been hearing about the disparity in coverage from the families we've been working with," said Natalie Wilson, one of the co-founders of the Black and Missing Foundation told Aol. BlackVoices in an interview. "Black families have asked me if their loved one would be getting more attention if they were white."
Part of the problem, said Derrica Wilson, CEO and founder of the Black and Missing Foundation, is a lack of diversity in the news media. The lack of diversity has only grown worse with the massive downsizing going on in the media industry.
"If we are not putting the information out there how do we know the person is in danger?" Derrica Wilson asked. "When it comes to missing persons we are not considered a priority. Missing persons of color are put on the back burner," she told Aol. BlackVoices
It was only after Guglielmi began voicing his concerns did Barnes' case begin getting national attention on shows such as Nancy Grace and CNN. She was also featured on some of the national morning shows but on their weekend editions.
By then, almost 10 days had passed. The time to get information out would have been in the first few hours and days that Barnes went missing.
"I don't know what makes news attractive for a national audience but we are talking about someone's life," said Guglielmi.
Police are still at square one, said Guglielmi. The FBI is involved as are Baltimore Homicide. About 100 law enforcement personnel are involved in the case. Clear Channel Communications has donated billboards along the I-95 corridor.
"She's an all-American girl. She's smart, educated, young and beautiful. We always hear about missing white woman syndrome but Barnes has everything normally needed for national media attention except for the color of her skin. The only difference is the color of her skin," said Derrica Wilson.
Police are asking anyone with information about Barnes to call 1 855 223 0033.