Sandra Cantu: Breaking Stereotypes the Hard Way
14 Apr 2009 ~ Categories: blog • events • mind
Once in a while a news story comes along that draws my attention away from seemingly more colossal world events like war in Iraq, earthquakes in Italy, and pirates in Somalia. Maybe because of the local human interest element, or perhaps because it’s so morbidly compelling, but I’ve been riveted by the story of Sandra Cantu, the 8-year old girl who was recently abducted and killed in Tracy, CA.
For those of you that ignore the news (not always a bad thing), here’s what happened: Sandra Cantu left her home on the afternoon of March 27th to play in the neighborhood – a very sheltered, tight-knit mobile home community where everyone knows everyone. She never came back. Last week, farm workers found her body in a suitcase floating in a nearby irrigation pond. And Saturday, they arrested Melissa Huckaby, a young mom to one of Sandra’s playmates and a Sunday School teacher and daughter of the local minister.
It’s jumping the gun a little bit to assume that Melissa Huckaby is guilty of murder. But certainly, the press and local police are indicating that there was a confession. Prompting the greater community to wonder, WHY?
It’s a terrible story without a lot of redemptive elements. But for me, there has got to be a lesson here somewhere. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and what I’ve come up with is this:
Never, ever assume that you know what happened based on stereotypes or history. During the seemingly endless stretch during which Sandra was missing and then found murdered, I think most of us unfortunately assumed that a pedophile – a male pedophile – must have been involved. It’s a morbid fact that our minds do go right to that place, based on countless media stories and past events.
An excerpt from today’s news story: “Sandra’s father was questioned, as was a neighbor with a criminal past. They also questioned Huckaby’s 77-year-old grandfather, a church pastor. Then there was the man who admitted that he once kissed Sandra on the lips at the neighborhood swimming pool.” Up until the moment that Melissa Huckaby was arrested, we were all calling the perpetrator “he”, and using our fear and confusion to make up possible endings in our own minds.
The fact is, something horrifying happened to Sandra Cantu, but we don’t know (and may never know) exactly what, why and how. In the meantime, I’ll consider this a lesson in not jumping to conclusions. Just because the guy across the street looks kind of creepy, does not mean that he’s a potential killer. And just because my neighbor is a Sunday School Teacher, does not mean she’s an angel.
Ugh,
Amy
26 Apr 2009
Mallory
thats was just mean of her!