Billy's Law at Michigan's Missing Persons Day

What I walked away from Michigan's (very first) Missing Persons Day with

This past Saturday, May 7th, 2011, I (Sara Huizenga) on behalf of Peace4 the Missing and Billy's Law attended and held an information booth at Michigan's (VERY FIRST) Missing Persons Day.

It was a day of many mixed emotions - which I guess ironically makes sense at any missing persons event in general. 

Perhaps I can help you gain a bit of perspective on what I mean by my typed sentence directly above here by sharing some of the days comments from Families of Missing Loved Ones below ....

We just don't know what to do.

One minute we think it might be okay, but the next moment we're not even sure we can even make it through to seeing the next second, it hurts so bad.

I can't believe I've endured having a missing loved one this long, I never thought I'd be able to last as long as I have.

Thank you for displaying their picture (NamUs Missing Person Poster) - you have no idea as to how much that means to us - it is everything!

People who give us hope help us go on, we couldn't do it without them and the hope they offer.

I will never give up on them - I'll never stop looking.

You have no idea how much this day means to us, we've traveled from (insert many States even COUNTRIES away) just to be here ... wouldn't have missed it for the world.

NamUs has finally given us some hope back!  We thought we'd lost it all for good shortly before finding out about it ... We MUST pass Billy's Law and make it stronger!

I walked away from this event even more convinced of two things in particular ...

1.  I painfully have no magic words to take away this intensely horrific of a pain that families of the missing are forced to endure - every second of every day.

2.  Procedures, legislation and action such as NamUs, Billy's Law, Resourceful Law Enforcement, Kelsey's Law, etc.  are SO NEEDED - and so worth fighting for ... we must work together to ensure these full of hope for the missing things.

Here's how ...  CLICK TO HELP CREATE MUCH NEEDED CHANGE ... let's get going on here and now.

PEACE4 THE MISSING: Voice Platform and Support Network for Families of Missing and Victims of Crime.  *Command Central for the Help Find the Missing Act (Billy's Law)*   http://peace4missing.ning.com

Please Voice Your Support of NamUs.gov and Billy's Law for The Families of the Missing

The following was written by Billy's Mother, Jan Smolinski ... http://peace4missing.ning.com/profiles/blogs/your-voice-counts-for-missing/edit

If anyone has watched the journey our family has taken to try and find a real person, disappeared, ignored by the authorities as a walk away, hurtful remarks made, evidence lost, entries wrong and incomplete, six years later and still the enormous up hill push just to bring my son home.


Please Help Find Our Missing Loved Ones
We are just a small example of the thousands of families who have to face the reality of a similar nightmare/silent crisis that faces our nation today.

Education is the key~~there is a centralized database that will help connect the dots possibly make matches or bring a loved one home called NamUs.

Imagine a person you love so dearly, a child perhaps (no matter the age they are always your child) go missing with very little attention ~ to then finally receive HOPE ... who would not stand up and say WAIT this is what we have been waiting for! ?? Perhaps a solution?

In our state of Connecticut, like most states, Billy has been missing for six years, but yet the state police ~ public safety ~ have not and will not put Billy as a missing person on their database because they say he is not their case. We questioned and were told Billy's case belongs in the lead agency database, ok, but the computers don't connect, so it will not work.

Our country is in desperate need of a new system, the disjointed, confusing process and tools currently available prior to the creation of NamUs were not working! And unfortunately, until more agencies are required to utilize NamUs (part of what Billy's Law would initiate) this broken, ineffective method will continue.

Now for the first time ever a centralized database is available and incentives are needed to help train law enforcement and medical examiners/coroners how to enter the information and take DNA samples, put into the proper databases, results that are much needed, a resolution for the family of a missing loved one may be possible, it is proven to have worked already.

A missing person DOES NOT have to be deceased for this to work.

Check your local or state clearinghouses, look at the disaster of information entered ... see for yourself the tangled web of missing pieces, entries here there and everywhere and dead ends ... it doesn't make sense.

You decide ... is this the kind of system you'd want to put the majority of your hopes for finding your missing loved one into??

If you say I don't have to worry about this it won't happen to my family, think again ~ NO ONE IS EXEMPT!!

It is time to wake up!

It is time to get the ball rolling and support the best database to date.

If law enforcement is here to serve and protect then lets educate them how to help serve and protect. It is not their fault if they are not trained, incentives are needed to help in the process.

It is 2010, this is why we in this country need S3019 ~ Help Find the Missing Act ~ Billy's Law.

Billy's Law (The Help Find the Missing Act) is a proposed bill that was created in order to strengthen and increase utilization of our National Missing Persons Database (NamUs.Gov)

More info can be found on PEACE4 THE MISSING
Voice Platform and Support Network for Families of Missing and Victims of Crime
http://peace4missing.ning.com/

Peace4 Page on Facebook ... http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peace4-the-Missing/114101641947

NamUs.gov
http://namus.gov/

Billy's Law
http://helpfindthemissingact.blogspot.com/
http://justice4billy.com/

THANK YOU, Senator Joseph Lieberman, for having a HEART for the Missing!

THANK YOU, Senator Joseph Lieberman, for having a HEART for the Missing ... From Peace4 the Missing's Families of Missing Loved Ones ...

LIEBERMAN INTRODUCES BILL TO ASSIST FAMILIES OF MISSING ADULTS

02.23.10

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) introduced legislation to assist the families of missing adults.  The measure, called the Help Find the Missing Act, or Billy’s Law (H.R. 3695), is named for Waterbury-resident Billy Smolinski Jr., who disappeared from his home on August 24, 2004.  The legislation will improve data-sharing about missing people; assist law enforcement in advancing their efforts to compile and track missing persons data; and provide funding to improve, monitor and maintain that data. 

 

Senator Lieberman issued the following statement:

 

“As a parent, my heart goes out to every family that has experienced the disappearance of a loved one.  Each year, tens of thousands of Americans go missing, causing heartbreak and loss for people across the country.  Passing Billy’s Law will offer families of missing adults confidence that we are doing everything we can to locate their loved ones.  I thank Jan and Bill Smolinski of Waterbury, Connecticut for their courage and perseverance as they continue the search for their son, Billy Smolinski, Jr., who disappeared without a trace on August 24, 2004.  I am grateful for the support that my colleagues Senator Schumer, Gillibrand, and Merkley have offered for this legislation and remain committed to doing everything possible in the United States Senate to assist families of missing adults.”

The Man behind the Bill - Missing Billy Smolinski - http://justice4billy.com

Billy's Mom, Who ALWAYS HOPES!  -  Jan Smolinski

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Posted on Peace4 the Missing

http://peace4missing.ning.com

Support The Help The Missing Act a.k.a. Billy’s Law (S.3019)