Bill creating task force for missing Black women passes Missouri Senate

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - A bill establishing a task force for missing and murdered African American women passed the Missouri Senate.

On Monday, the Senate passed the bill that would create a task force to study policies and measures to prevent violence against missing Black women in Missouri.

Proponents of the legislation cite the lack of attention for Black women by the police and media.

Theda Wilson founded Looking For An Angel, an organization dedicated to searching for missing people. Wilson created the group after her son Christian Ferguson went missing in 2003. Ferguson is presumed dead. His father was later convicted of his murder.

“I’m appreciative of what was given me, but there’s so many other people that I work with where they never had media time,” Wilson said. “Everyone is important. There shouldn’t be a differentiation, but we know biases exist. We don’t have time to wait on them to decide that our case is important.”

“My research found there is an obvious inequity in the media coverage of missing white people and missing people of color,” said Annie Aquiar, an audience engagement producer with Poynter, a leading journalism training center. “Police and media really go hand and hand when it comes to creating this inequity. Police are gatekeepers for the information on missing persons cases.”

The bill is now in the House. If the bill passes out of the House, it will go to Governor Mike Parson for approval.