“A terrible story has been unraveling on Long Island since last December. That’s when the remains of four bodies, disposed of in separate burlap bags 500 feet apart on a scant quarter-mile of beach, were identified as belonging to young women in their 20s who advertised themselves as escorts on Craigslist. Just weeks ago, six more victims were found nearby.
It’s not yet clear whether one killer or multiple killers are responsible. No suspects have surfaced. But that’s not what makes this story really tragic. Some of those 10 people might be alive today if it hadn’t been for the lackluster response of law enforcement and the press coverage of the case — much of it sensationalist and dehumanizing — all because of the first victims’ sex-worker status.
“There’s a certain voyeurism in this kind of coverage — a sense that you don’t have to worry about violence because it only happens to these kinds of women,” notes Melissa Gira Grant, a writer, activist, and former sex worker.”
- Getting Away with Murder on Long Island, Nancy Goldstein (The American Prospect)
It’s not yet clear whether one killer or multiple killers are responsible. No suspects have surfaced. But that’s not what makes this story really tragic. Some of those 10 people might be alive today if it hadn’t been for the lackluster response of law enforcement and the press coverage of the case — much of it sensationalist and dehumanizing — all because of the first victims’ sex-worker status.
“There’s a certain voyeurism in this kind of coverage — a sense that you don’t have to worry about violence because it only happens to these kinds of women,” notes Melissa Gira Grant, a writer, activist, and former sex worker.”
- Getting Away with Murder on Long Island, Nancy Goldstein (The American Prospect)