Key Takeaways:
- Following the discovery of an 11-year-old Ontario kid dead in a river on Monday, tens of thousands of people have signed a petition urging the province’s Amber Alert system to be changed.
Following the discovery of an 11-year-old Ontario child dead in a river on Monday, tens of thousands of individuals have signed a petition calling for a change to the province’s Amber Alert system.
After wandering away from home for roughly 24 hours, the young boy’s body was discovered in the Scugog River near Lindsay, Ont. On Sunday morning, Draven Graham, an autistic boy, slipped out of the home while his father was shaving. He hadn’t been seen since then.
Kat Reid of Hamilton, Ont., started a petition to create a “Draven Alert” for “missing autistic as well as vulnerable/special needs children” after the tragic occurrences.
The Amber Alert is now an emergency broadcast that requests public aid when a child is abducted.
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“It is not taken lightly when an Amber Alert is issued. The Ontario Provincial Police website states that “certain standards must be satisfied for an Amber Alert to be issued.”
Law enforcement believes a kid under 18 has been abducted, they are in danger, specific information is available, and a brief notice is issued to assist in the child’s recovery.
On the other hand, Graham was not abducted; thus, there was no Amber Alert when he went missing.
More than 30,000 people, on the other hand, want to change it for future cases like this one.
“The more awareness and attention we can bring to this while everyone’s ideas are still fresh, the better.” Unfortunately, in these circumstances, all the buzz goes down VERY fast, nothing changes, and the list of tragic endings continues to increase,” Reid stated on the petition.
“This has to happen,” Milton resident Ryan Rubenstein wrote. “It’s worth it if even one life is spared.” Be obnoxious, be enraged…this is a tragedy, but also be heard. The more people who sign, the more powerful our voice becomes. Thank you to everyone who signed and shared.”
According to the police department’s website, overuse of Amber Alerts could “diminish public response when it is needed.”
Others, on the other hand, are calling for the petition to be expanded to include anyone above 18. “Please remember autism doesn’t end at 18,” says Racehl Laroque of Woodbridge, Ont., “and let’s make sure autistic/vulnerable people & elders are also included on this notice.”
The goal of the petition is to get 35,000 signatures.
Source: CTV news
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