- Vancouver Police
- The Voice asks: Does this woman exist?
A lengthy piece posted yesterday by the Vancouver Voice, written by contributor Marcus Griffith, has a very controversial headline: “Caustic Questions Surround Acid Attack.” It’s about the apparently tragic tale of Bethany Storro, the young woman whose face was burned with acid in downtown Vancouver, allegedly after a woman passing by randomly threw it in her face.
But unlike so many other articles about the attack, this one opens with an apology, followed by a fairly sharp question:
Sometimes being a journalist requires asking questions one dislikes even thinking. In the case of the nationally infamous acid attack near Esther Short Park, being a thorough journalist meant asking the victim, Bethany Storro, if the attack actually happened in the manner she claims.
Yes, I did an inconceivably asinine act. I asked a young woman freshly out of her face-bandages if the attack that put her in the hospital was the result of a stranger’s violence. And I did it via Facebook’s friend request and message system because it was the only way I have to contact her. As of this post, I haven’t gotten a response.
I don’t feel good about asking her such a pointed question and I expect backlash for doing it. Given the opportunity to do it again, I would try to find a more tactful and discrete manner.
Yet, in the course of my journalistic probe into the matter, I spoke to several people who claimed to have witnessed the incident. Two of them stated Storro was clearly alone when she dropped to the ground screaming. Alone. As in no one attacking her and especially no African-American female being in the area, let alone fleeing the scene after the attack.
So why is Mr. Griffith so suspicious about Storro’s account of what happened? Keep reading.
Although Vancouver police have produced a sketch of the suspected acid-thrower, Griffith cites two homeless residents who claim they witnessed what happened and that Storro was alone when she collapsed screaming on the sidewalk. He says other unidentified homeless people, and even some nearby businesses, have also cast doubt on Storro’s account.
He also points out the time of day of the attack—at night—and wonders whether Storro would have seen a suspect clearly through the sunglasses she recently bought that saved her vision. And he wonders whether Storro, who suffers from hearing loss, could have heard her attacker as clearly as she claims.
In 1994, South Carolina resident Susan Smith claimed she was car-jacked by an African-American male and her two children in the car were kidnapped. After months of national attention, she confessed to having murdered her children and fabricating the car-jacking. She killed her children by pushing her car, with them in it, down a boat ramp to facilitate the inevitable drowning.
Smith later stated she made her make-believe assailant African-American because she thought more people would believe she was attacked by a minority male.
Storro’s assailant being described as African-American has rubbed Clark County’s own racial tensions.
In addition to becoming “I told you so” fodder for the area’s white supremacists , the race component of the attack fueled such excessively inappropriate comments on The Columbian’s website, that the paper deactivated its online comments.
I wonder why Clark County, and the nation, so readily believe an African-American women would randomly attack a Caucasian women with acid, but have trouble even considering a Caucasian woman could stage such a crime. Either option— random acid attack or fabricated acid attack — paints a pretty dark picture of the human condition.
So far, there hasn’t been much said about Griffith’s supposition—which, if true, would puncture a nationwide bubble of sympathy that will find itself fed by Oprah in one week.
The Columbian notes that police are examining speculative theories surrounding the attack, and mentioned a wild one posited by an article commenter: that Storro had made claims about a similar attack in another state.
Ossie Bladine, the Voice’s editor, told me he believes his publication is the first to question the conventional wisdom of the attack. And he says Griffith has heard from other well-placed sources who also privately concede there are questions. But Bladine also acknowledges that Griffith’s post is also just more speculation.
“We don’t have any facts, so you hate to come out with speculation, but there are questions,” he said. “The story that’s out there now is iffy.”
Iffy just might be the word of the day.
This blogger seems to have a pretty flimsy basis for doubt at this point. His doubt seems to be based about 90% on white liberal guilt.
Is it possible that someone would throw acid into her own face? I suppose. Is it the most probable explanation? No. It’s much easier to believe that it took her a moment to realize what was happening, get out of her car, and start screaming. During that time, the assailent took off.
This sort of speculation and doubt is expected in the post-Kyron era.
I feel like someone faking an acid attack is about as likely as an actual acid attack. I mean seriously, everything about an acid attack is pretty goddamn improbable.
wtf, an Acid Truther? (and not the good kind)
Much like “The government exploded the Twin Towers”, I think the dude’s expressing doubt because it makes his worldview more comforted & predictable to believe that it’s more likely that someone faked an acid attack than it actually happened.
The first scenario = people are in control of their own actions and this woman’s a con
The second scenario = life is scary and and sometimes terrible shit happens for no reason
I mean… scenario number one for the win, amirite, blogger dude?
What kind of acid was it? How hard is it to obtain that kind of acid?
If she attacked herself, wouldn’t some sort of cup or vessel or something that was containing the acid have been found? I doubt you could splash yourself with acid then have the wits to dispose of the cup safely/discreetly without anyone seeing?
With that said, the fact she was wearing glasses (when, apparently, she never wore them before) at the time of the attack, as well as her somewhat curious upbeat/optimistic disposition, is kind of odd – but definitely nothing to make me think she did this to herself.
I agree with jacob– her optimism and all that strike me as a little out of place. Also, it’s been reported elsewhere that she’s “deeply religious”. That detail inches her much closer to irrational / unstable, in my book.
With all the media attention this case has received, I find it hard to believe that the attacker (or someone who knows her) hasn’t come forward. I mean, if this person exists, there’s got to be huge pressure on her to turn herself in. If it’s a gang initiation, as some have speculated, then I’m sure the attacker has enemies of their own willing to point the finger.
But I expect this case to either go forever unresolved– after Bethany collects the sympathy, attention and cash donations, appears on Oprah, etc– or fall apart when our victim cracks.
Well at least we know that she wears her sunglasses at night….
Kyron’s stepmommy did it?
So what if it’s a hoax. Be honest: who among us HASN’T faked an acid attack for personal/religious reasons and pinned it on a pretty black woman?
Glass houses, people.
It’s clearly a botched attempt at suicide-by-face-melting.
There is already plans for a benefit at Esther Short Park on behalf of Ms. Storro.
I don’t know. The whole thing’s weird, if you ask me.
Maybe it was a publicity stunt in anticipation of Let The Right One In, or whatever it is they’re calling the American remake.
Hats off to this lady in the unlikely event that she burned herself. That takes some serious stones.
Reminds me of an episode of Nip/Tuck.
“How hard is it to obtain that kind of acid?”
Any hardware store will have plenty of options for dangerously strong acid in large quantities.
@AMA acid attacks are common in countrys with good gun control and a PTSD population like England. Just Google acid attacks.
You don’t have to go to hardware store just a grocery, 99 cent store, or a Bulimic.
My friend in Texas when first hearing of an “Acid Attack” near Portland thought they meant LSD.
To be fair, I don’t think he’s implying that she did it herself, just that it didn’t happen the way she said it did. Why she would lie? Who knows.
griffith raises some valid questions, but I question his motives (finding the truth vs. further sensationalizing the story). a quick google search on the guy turned up articles about his past disputes with his former college, a trimet bus driver, local police (first over an alleged hit-and-run bike incident, then again because he was eating a burrito on a sidewalk – weird stuff not serious), as well as his attempt to organize a nude cycling event in defense of legalizing nude bicycling (?). he’s not a bad horrible person out to destroy storro, but he sure likes to stir things up in the northwest.
First things first: I don’t know what happened that night. I wasn’t there and lack any psychic abilities.
I just have questions–so do others. The event could have unfolded exactly as Storro has stated. In that case, she is a woman handling a very traumatic event with admirable poise and grace.
But those pesky questions remain. Asking them directly gives Storro the ability to address them directly. Which is something that I feel is a preferable alternative to the rampant speculation and unchecked rumor mill that has been going on since the night of the incident.
I was not the first to note some oddities of the event. I doubt I will be the last.
-Marcus Griffith
It’ll be interesting to see if St. Oprah’s handlers find out about some of the story’s discrepancies and either attempt to suppress them or drop her altogether.
I am betting Ms. Storro is being told by Oprah’s people to keep mum, lest some legit local news outlet gets an exclusive.
Stranger and stranger.
Wow,
Looks to me like the “journalists” are posting controversial things to gain attention for themselves. Pathetic. Why don’t you guys write something that can stand on its own merits instead of acting like shock jocks resorting to cheap tricks to improve ratings. Clearly a lack of talent drives this behavior. An act of desperation.
First off if you think the US government wasn’t behind 9/11 and have really bought the media’s conspiracy theories about Al Qaeda having anything to do with it then you’ve either been drinking too much Kool-Aid or just haven’t done any research into it.
Truth is important. As a journalist that’s your primary objective right? The story is pretty unbelievable and so is the idea that she faked it. According to google it’s really easy to get Hydrochloric acid in concentrated form and they even have videos of people pouring it on themselves. I am really interested to see where the investigation goes and if they can find any suspects/addtl evidence.
This is obviously a hoax. Black people never commit acts of violence against random white people.
Just watched the news conference. SHE ADMITS TO DOING IT TO HERSELF!!