Sign Petition for Missing Adult Alert System

PetitionOnline.com ^ | 1/23/03 | valleygal

[valleygal]

Many of you may remember a thread posted in November, "Missing Adult, Help Needed, Crime in Progress?" It was a plea for help from the sister of Alice Donovan, 44, of Galivants Ferry, S.C. who was kidnapped and her car stolen from a Walmart parking lot by two escaped convicts. It was originally posted by Alice's sister on Timebomb 2000 and then posted here just hours after it happened, before LE was involved and days before the media picked up the story.

The thread began as one of prayers and hope and trying to get information, to one of sadness and grief as weeks went by and reality set in. Then came anger when the kidnappers were caught but refused to give answers as to Alice's whereabouts.

Now our grief has turned to activism. We believe the time has come for an adult alert system similar to the Amber Alerts for children. While we know adults are legally free to make their own decisions, many go missing everyday not by their own choice. We feel there should be an alert system of some kind in place for adults in jeopardy. Forty-eight hours is too long to wait to be officially declared "missing".

This may take some time and effort, but you can help us by signing the petition. Thank you!

Missing Adult Alert System Petition

Alice Donovan website

[valleygal]

I totally messed this up the first time I posted it so I decided to try again. :)

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

PLEASE sign the petition & help support the development of an adult alert system.

http://www.petitiononline.com/adalert/

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

Bump-ping for change. Feel free to pass this through your ping lists, please!

http://www.petitiononline.com/adalert/

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

My last bump for the night (zzzzzzzzzz). C'mon...we need some help here. :)

[valleygal]

We'll try again tomorrow. We just need to put a link to the petition in some other threads that are somewhat related from now on. Don't worry, it's just the first day!

[Otta B Sleepin]

Bump for the Alice Alert System!

Great job, valleygal!

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

Bump

[Velveeta]

It feels so good to be able to do something in honor of Alice Donovan, Samantha Burns and the other missing adults out there somewhere.

Please sign the Missing Adult System petition.

[Otta B Sleepin]

Morning reminder bump - everyone, please sign the petition for missing adults!

http://www.petitiononline.com/adalert/

[Velveeta]

http://www.petitiononline.com/adalert/

24 signatures thusfar.

I'll be posting to other forums, media and websites today and in the coming days.

FReepers, please sign the petition.

Thank you
Velveeta

[Sally'sConcerns]

25 now

[Velveeta]

http://www.petitiononline.com/adalert/

Thank you Sally!

[SeattleTiger]

Bump, with prayers for Alice Donovan and Samantha Burns.

[Velveeta]

32 signatures and counting

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

BUMP! BUMP!

[valleygal]

Thanks go to everybody who's stayed on the original thread for the last three months. Everybody's done something.

Many thanks go to getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL. We spent a couple days bouncing stuff off each other. Changing each others words till we got what's in the petition. Most of my original wording is in there but she added and polished. gmo has a flair with words as you can tell by her prayers.

My husband helped, too. He has a way of cutting through the unnecessary. He edited both of us at the very end.:)

[Otta B Sleepin]

gmo has a flair with words as you can tell by her prayers

She sure does.

Petition's up to 44 signatures now!

[valleygal]

Velveeta, can you post something to the general public over at Timebomb (you might have already) regarding the petition?
Something in one of the other categories?

I would need to spend time over there to figure it out.
I really like the categories they have. Just wish it was set up like FR.

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

Please, FReepers...help us out! Can we get this at least to 150 tonight through your ping lists? http://www.petitiononline.com/adalert/petition.html
Pretty please??

[valleygal]

I just got an e-mail from The Sun News in Myrtle Beach from a reporter named Dave Gustafson. He has been following and writing about Alice since the beginning. Someone sent him the petition and he then contacted me and asked me to call him!

I did!!!! The story about the petition will be in tomorrow's Sun Times!

He asked how I got involved and I told him the whole story about PL posting to TB2K and the story coming over here. Told him about the thread and he found it online. I think he was surprised.

I sent him to the petition thread as well. Told him gmo and I worked on it together.

I'm floored. When the petition form asked me to click OK for media to contact me, I did, but didn't think they would!

[valleygal]

We're up to 53...by Sunday we'll know if the story helps it catch on!

[Velveeta]

Congrats Valleygal!

57 signatures and counting

[2nd amendment mama]

I have added a link to the petition to the Alice Donovan website http://www.alicedonovan.com Thank you for starting this valleygal! We truly need this for adults...

[2nd amendment mama]

I sent the link to one of the Editors, Angela Nicholas, who I have had contact with and she must have passed it on to Dave. Good for you lady!!!

[2nd amendment mama]

Forgot...the link is on the "News" page...

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

BUMPing

Would you or have you ping'd this to the SC FReepers, please? I think we ought to get this ping'd to more folks for greater visibility.

[Velveeta]

great job linking! nice to see you

[2nd amendment mama]

Done! Thanks for the reminder....I've been really busy lately and didn't think to add it over there...

Thanks to you and valleygal for putting this petition together

[valleygal]

Thanks for everything. It's going to take all of us to get the word out.

[watchwoman]

I discovered the petition on the old FR thread this afternoon and have added my name to the petition. Thanks Valleygal and everyone involved for your diligence in keeping this case in the headlines. Sometimes I get so frustrated that the Laci Peterson case gets so much publicity and it seems Alice and Samantha have been overlooked....Hopefully this petititon will help get the attention these two women desperately need and deserve.

[deport]

Note the tag line I have used.... You all may want to use it for a few days or something similiar.... Good luck

[valleygal]

You know, it's funny. As, I said before, even though I told them on the petition it was OK for me to be contacted, I never thought they would this fast if at all.

And besides, I rarely if ever check the e-mail address I used because it's become my spam account. All garbage. Haven't opened it in weeks. Opened it today just to clean it out and delete the spam (I had 360 some new messages!) and while I was going through it the reporter's (Dave) e-mail came through. For me it was a God sighting because he wanted me to contact him TODAY.

Gotta run out for awhile. Will check in later. Take care, 2 a mama

[Otta B Sleepin]

Opened it today just to clean it out and delete the spam.....and while I was going through it the reporter's (Dave) e-mail came through

Don't you just love it when something like that happens? You know Who was prompting you to do that!

Signatures up to 59 now....let's keep praying and pinging!

[valleygal]

Thanks, deport. Tag line is a great idea. And thanks for helping me so much last night. BTW, how do you make a tag line? LOL!

I went to the HTML Sandbox after my mess up last night. Bookmarked it because I really need the help. :)

[valleygal]

I told my husband it was, obviously, God's doing!

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

Bump...

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/sunnews/news/local/5028380.htm
Sat, Jan. 25, 2003
Arizonan spreads 'Alice Alert' petition online

A Phoenix, Ariz., woman has started an online petition to create an emergency alert system for missing adults like Alice Donovan, calling it an "Alice Alert," much like the system many states have in place for missing children.

Debra Perry, who has been following the case of the missing Gallivants Ferry woman since conversing with Donovan's sister on a message board the day after the disappearance, posted the petition Thursday.

Perry said she's frustrated that there "just isn't enough in place to help [find] missing adults."

Monica Caison, founder of Community United Effort's Center for Missing Persons in Wilmington, N.C., said the idea may not work because most "missing" adults leave on their own accord.

"If I want to walk out and say, 'I'm through with this life,' that's my right," Caison said.

The petition can be found online at http://www.petitiononline.com/adalert.

[Velveeta]

FReepers efforts make the news! See the post above.

Great job.

[Velveeta]

72 signatures and we've only just begun...

[Velveeta]

I received a reply from *Websleuths*, they will post on notice on their forum at www.websleuths.com under the missing angels and true crime thread. I'll post a link as soon as it's up.

Thank you Websleuths!

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

'Morning, Velveeta! :)

Thanks Websleuths!! Names, names...we need more names!

[Velveeta]

Kim, please see post #39. I know you have voluminous ping lists and contacts.....could you please help to spread the word?

Thanks!
Velveeta

[valleygal]

Glad the website made it into the paper. But somewhat frustrated.

I never spoke with PL the day after Alice disapperared. I never said what he's quoted me as saying, (though it is how I feel). And I never referred to them as "Alice" Alerts when I spoke to him. He probably just perused through our thoughts on the thread.

I respect Monica's opinion because we have discussed the same here and know this is an uphill battle, (I do not have pie-in-the-sky ideas of this happening tomorrow). But I've seen "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" more than once (lol) and believe it's worth the fight.

[~Kim4VRWC's~]

"We believe the time has come for an adult alert system similar to the Amber Alerts for children. While we know adults are legally free to make their own decisions, many go missing everyday not by their own choice. We feel there should be an alert system of some kind in place for adults in jeopardy. Forty-eight hours is too long to wait to be officially declared "missing". "

I'm telling you something in public that I've not done yet..my daughterw as missing twice, once for three days after a serious assault...and another time later for reasons related to the assault. Because she was 18, I had no parental rights, and the police did not show ANY concern because I suppose they were prohibited from taking immediate action..mainly because people run away or they just want to disappear. BUT..in OBVIOUS cases like the one describe here, I fully support it 100%. You can bet your patooty I would be happy to.

[~Kim4VRWC's~]

Ladies and gentleman, this is a public service announcement..adults need protection too. Granted, this is not about the van dams, nor is it about the maryland case. It is about being victimized not once, but twice. Please check out this thread and take action you think is appropriate. Thank you!

[valleygal]

Kim is great. We did the prayer thread back in October during the sniper shootings (my family is right there). She would be able to get out the word, for sure.

I hope I didn't sound too negative last post. I think calling these "Alice Alerts" is perfect. I just never said it to the reporter (which gives me an interesting perspective on how articles are written). I appreciate the article though, and hope we hit gmo's goal of 150 today.

[auboy]

Just signed the petition. We really need this "Alice Alert System", and must pressure Congress to make it happen.

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!!!!!

[~Kim4VRWC's~]

Have you guys chosen the congress critters you will deliver the petition too? Someone who is a conservative advcoate?

[~Kim4VRWC's~]

You're very welcome!

[valleygal]

Thanks, Kim. You are awesome!