Some good news, for once. Or at least better than bad news.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

In the middle of the interview, the camera man drops something.  Mr Ramsey interrupts the interview to pick whatever it was up and hand it to the guy, without thinking.

[Cain]

Huh.

Not at all to downplay Mr Ramsey's actions, which were indeed heroic and correct in every way, but it seems that there had been previous reports by neighbours about disturbing shit going down at the Castro residence.

Now, this could be a case of everyone going "oh yeah, we totally did report it, and didn't sit around like useless lumps pretending something wicked wasn't happening because that would involve too much work and unpleasantness".  Could be.  It certainly wouldn't surprise me.  On the other hand, Cleveland PD might have some explaining to do:

Israel Lugo said he, his family and neighbors called police three times between 2011 and 2012 after seeing disturbing things at the home of Ariel Castro. Lugo lives two houses down from Castro and grew suspicious after neighbors reported seeing naked women on leashes crawling on all fours behind Castro's house.

Lugo said about two years ago his sister told him she heard a woman pounding on a window at Castro's home as if she needed help. When his sister looked up, she saw a woman and a baby standing in a window half covered with a wooden plank. His sister told him and Lugo called the police.

Later, Lugo's mother called the police because Ariel Castro would park his school bus in front of their home and bring bags full of McDonald's and drinks into his home. They wondered why he needed so much food. Police again responded but didn't enter the home.

A third call came from neighborhood women who lived in an apartment building. Those women told Lugo they called police because they saw three young girls crawling on all fours naked with dog leashes around their necks. Three men were controlling them in the backyard. The women told Lugo they waited two hours but police never responded to the calls.

This is the sort of thing a local investigative journalist could really get their teeth into.  I mean, is this indicative of how Cleveland PD treat suspected cases of, at the very least, domestic abuse?  I mean, that would be the most charitable explanation I can think of, of how to interpret such reports.

But then, Cleveland PD knew he had a disturbing attitude towards children since 2004.  At least the Mayor is asking the right questions.  "The mayor of Cleveland, Frank Jackson, admitted that the case was disturbing. "We are happy that they are returned to us. But we have several unanswered questions. Why were they taken, how were they taken and how did they remain undetected in the city of Cleveland for this time?""

The Guardian also has some reports of neighbours making reports to the police, though I think at least the first one is a duplicate of one mentioned above:

Elsie Cintron, 55, who lives three doors away from the Castro home, told the Guardian that about a year ago her granddaughter reported seeing a a naked woman crawling on her hands and knees out of the house. The woman returned to the house but the granddaughter called the police – Cintron said she believed they failed to follow it up.

Juan Perez, 27, who lives two doors down from Castro's home, said that he and his mother heard a scream coming from the basement about three years ago. "It was the kind of scream that made you uncomfortable so my mom called the police," he said.

[Junkenstein]

From those reports, my inital thinking is "Who does this guy know in the police?"

Taking them outside at all seems incredibly risky and retarded. There's probably a good chunk of luck that's helped them remain undetected.

The neighbours would probably have had more success if they didn't frame it as potential abuse, but a public indecency thing. Kids could see, think of the children etc, etc.... That would have probably made them enter the house as a minimum. That said though, there were other incidents where investigators have been in the house, standing next to the false walls and seen nothing.

All depends on your quality of cop I'd guess. It does not bode well.

[Junkenstein]

Hmm.....

http://fox8.com/2012/07/19/source-authorities-searching-for-amanda-berrys-remains/

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The search for Amanda Berry is over. For the past two days, excavating crews dug through an empty lot after receiving a tip from a convict who claimed he knew where the missing teen was buried.
Around 2:30 Friday afternoon, crews completed their search at a small lot on West 30th Street and Wade Avenue in Cleveland, but were not able to locate any remains.
Cleveland resident Pedro Castro said, "That's a waste of money."
"You're dealing with a criminal. We obviously thought we had enough that we obtained a search warrant," said Cleveland Police Chief Deputy Ed Tomba.
Cleveland Police 1st District Commander Thomas McCartney said the search proved to be frustrating.

From June last year.

[Junkenstein]

http://www.wftv.com/ap/ap/top-news/mcdonalds-gets-attention-in-cleveland-rescue/nXkBZ/

McDonald's says it will reach out to a man widely quoted in accounts of the three women who were found in Cleveland after they went missing about a decade ago.
Charles Ramsey, who lives in the neighborhood where the women were found, noted in an interview with a local TV station that he was eating McDonald's when the scene unfolded Monday. He also made note of his meal in a 911 call. Both the interview and the 911 call went viral online.
On Tuesday, the world's biggest hamburger company said on Twitter: "We salute the courage of Ohio kidnap victims & respect their privacy. Way to go Charles Ramsey — we'll be in touch.

Taking bets on his likely reward:

Spokesperson
Free meals for life
Employee discount for life
Bag of coupons
A replacement meal

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

And here's the guy who DID SOMETHING when he saw something horribly, horribly wrong.  He did not, as the story goes, "pass on the other side".

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/07/18098905-can-i-help-neighbor-charles-ramsey-tells-of-role-in-discovery-of-missing-women?lite

The thing that's great about what he did is that DOING SOMETHING is pretty contagious.

[tyrannosaurus vex]

And here's the guy who DID SOMETHING when he saw something horribly, horribly wrong.  He did not, as the story goes, "pass on the other side".

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/07/18098905-can-i-help-neighbor-charles-ramsey-tells-of-role-in-discovery-of-missing-women?lite

The thing that's great about what he did is that DOING SOMETHING is pretty contagious.

An honestly good deed is more powerfully infectious and inspirational than an evil deed is discouraging. Humans can be horrible creatures, and we spend more of our time being at least passively horrible than we'll ever admit. But the fact that doing something good catches on in a way doing something bad just doesn't is what keeps me hoping that maybe there's a chance we can actually avoid annihilation by collective suicide or starvation.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

And here's the guy who DID SOMETHING when he saw something horribly, horribly wrong.  He did not, as the story goes, "pass on the other side".

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/07/18098905-can-i-help-neighbor-charles-ramsey-tells-of-role-in-discovery-of-missing-women?lite

The thing that's great about what he did is that DOING SOMETHING is pretty contagious.

An honestly good deed is more powerfully infectious and inspirational than an evil deed is discouraging. Humans can be horrible creatures, and we spend more of our time being at least passively horrible than we'll ever admit. But the fact that doing something good catches on in a way doing something bad just doesn't is what keeps me hoping that maybe there's a chance we can actually avoid annihilation by collective suicide or starvation.

Sometimes I'm hopeful too. Maybe when our descendants rebuild after it all goes to shit, they'll do a better job than we did.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

And BOB, this guy ROCKS. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRoKuoQ6gZ8

[Cain]

BBC article of interest

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22446157

Ariel Castro's son, Anthony - who says he visited the house just two weeks ago - told MailOnline that the doors to the basement, the attic and the garage were always padlocked and family members were not allowed to go there.

Anthony Castro described his father as a violent and controlling man, who beat him and nearly killed his mother in the early 1990s.

After years of abuse, his mother decided to move out of the house in 1996, taking him and his three sisters with her, Mr Castro said.

I know you in particular were interested in the psychological profile, Nigel.

Other residents claim they have made multiple calls to police regarding suspicious activity at the house.

They include sightings of women crying for help, the sound of pounding on the doors and of Mr Castro allegedly taking a small girl for early-morning walks.

Cleveland public safety director Martin Flask said in a statement that no human remains had been found at the home, after "a thorough search". Police have said they are also investigating other properties.

[Suu]

And here's the guy who DID SOMETHING when he saw something horribly, horribly wrong.  He did not, as the story goes, "pass on the other side".

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/07/18098905-can-i-help-neighbor-charles-ramsey-tells-of-role-in-discovery-of-missing-women?lite

The thing that's great about what he did is that DOING SOMETHING is pretty contagious.

He also said that he didn't want the reward. This man wins the Best Human Being Award Ever.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

And here's the guy who DID SOMETHING when he saw something horribly, horribly wrong.  He did not, as the story goes, "pass on the other side".

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/07/18098905-can-i-help-neighbor-charles-ramsey-tells-of-role-in-discovery-of-missing-women?lite

The thing that's great about what he did is that DOING SOMETHING is pretty contagious.

He also said that he didn't want the reward. This man wins the Best Human Being Award Ever.

Yeah, he said he gets a paycheck, give it to the women. 

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

BBC article of interest

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22446157

Ariel Castro's son, Anthony - who says he visited the house just two weeks ago - told MailOnline that the doors to the basement, the attic and the garage were always padlocked and family members were not allowed to go there.

Anthony Castro described his father as a violent and controlling man, who beat him and nearly killed his mother in the early 1990s.

After years of abuse, his mother decided to move out of the house in 1996, taking him and his three sisters with her, Mr Castro said.

I know you in particular were interested in the psychological profile, Nigel.

Other residents claim they have made multiple calls to police regarding suspicious activity at the house.

They include sightings of women crying for help, the sound of pounding on the doors and of Mr Castro allegedly taking a small girl for early-morning walks.

Cleveland public safety director Martin Flask said in a statement that no human remains had been found at the home, after "a thorough search". Police have said they are also investigating other properties.

Note to self: Cleveland police don't give a fuck if you're missing and tied up getting raped for ten years. Do not visit. 

[EK WAFFLR]

Inevitable Auto-tune version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZcRU0Op5P4&feature=player_embedded

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

Inevitable Idiot Faction rant: http://www.inquisitr.com/652529/rush-limbaugh-amanda-berry-welfare/