She had been working at the hotel under the alias Monique Watson. I called her my daughter. Her relationship with Topka matured, too. captainformCustomVars['772606'] = ''; I'm still gonna prove them wrong. Amory: Monique says this is around when her moms drug use jumped to a new level. var wrapper = jQuery('#captainformForm772606EmbedPopup63fffe99d76c9'); But that Friday, Sept. 26, 2008, when Michelle got an unexpected day off from work at McDonald's, she made a decision to pack up her boy and secretly drive 18 hours through the night to the midstate. And we didnt. Then get the fuck out of here!. Culture Representation:Taking place in New York City, the dramatic film Still Here has a racially diverse cast (African American and white) representing the middle-class and working-class. And most who run get caught sooner than this. When youre a kid and something gets swept under the rug, sometimes you move on to other things and its not until youre older that the nagging questions return. Still Here is playing in select theaters August 28 and available On VOD September 4. And this inaccuracy is what often happens when people from certain communities are written and directed in a problematic way by people who dont come from those communities. I would get picked up from school and not be talked to and not be asked about my day, and then as soon as my cousins were in the car, it was like, "Oh, how was your day? I enjoyed the story and the beautiful acting. "You never know how people react under sudden stress and pressure. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. But she thinks she and the other girl crossed the street from the park and started looking for help. "They were checking her, but I had no clue," Topka said. I think I looked up Amber Alert, I looked up the city she was in at the time and a date range. if (document.getElementById('captainform_js_global_vars') == null) { Monique Watson, as Michelle called herself, scurried to a back room, told employees she had to deliver a message to a housekeeper and vanished as the family friend called the McMullen family. A timely film. Kat: Let's find the house. All rights reserved (About Us). It also made her moms refusal to talk make more sense. She actually told me, Oh, you're gonna be on the news. And I did keep it a secret, but I really had nothing else to compare it to. I want to go everywhere! And as we were driving to the beach, he had a couple of porn magazines and he ended up giving us the porn magazines and made us look through them and kind of suggested that we do that. This movie was so poorly done I find it hard to believe the good reviews here aren't fake. Amory: This story, awful as it is, is incomplete. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Jerry tells Christian about the disappearance of Monique Watson: The cops arent pursuing it. Ben: Its not clear what Moniques legal options are from here. Ben: This is a familiar refrain to anyone who has been close to drug addiction. Culture Mix Survey McMullens car was found in Hagerstown, Md., with her personal possessions inside a little more than a week after she disappeared. "Not a penny. Ben: One of the reasons that Monique needs to solve this mystery of a day in her life when she was five years old, is that almost nobody in her family will talk to her about it. In November 2008, the TV show "America's Most Wanted" posted a blurb about her on its website, but no leads came from that, either. They're kind of not accessible anymore. Martin said she should be brought back to the area within seven to 10 days, and he does not expect to file any more charges against her. She talked her way out of a minor traffic stop with police and was even able to keep a low profile for 12 months after being featured on the Investigation Discovery show "Disappeared." append_element({ The rest of the missing money was the result of bad accounting practices that Michael McMullen says were already in place at the Progress-Immanuel church. With public interest waning and time running out, Michael and Christian race to uncover the truth - and find Monique, before its too late. She always tries to make the best of out of everything. "Still Here" begins with distraught father Michael Watson (played by Maurice McRae) putting up missing-person flyers about his 10-year-old daughter Monique (played by Zariah Singletary) in the New York City neighborhood where they live. Michelle got right back on the road. We didn't really care about anything. "She was pretty upset, she was crying and she was pretty scared," he added. It only has my name. 4,731 following. resize77260563fffe99d7859(wrapper); var append_element = append_element || function(e){if(void 0==e)return!1;if(! window.addEventListener('resize', function(){ By what name was Still Here (2020) officially released in Japan in Japanese? He was my mom's friend, maybe her boyfriend. But minutes later, the full-uniformed officers returned. Still Here repeatedly uses the Watson familys social class as a way to make these African Americans look as pitiful as possible, so that when the savior comes along, he can look even more like a noble do-gooder. This false and limited perspective is damaging and ego driven with the "intention" of supporting Black stories. People with a last name Watson live more in California, Georgia and are mostly not married, with a median household income of $284,716. Having good intentions is not always a guarantee of making a good movie - unless you are good at what you do. I thought it was weird but I didn't know what was going on. Our site uses cookies. Such a shame as a real case could have been good. "People do some of the darnedest things," Michael McMullen said. ", One of the first things Michelle did when she came back was sit down with her son. When the televised story of McMullens disappearance was about to air, police said they considered her a fugitive. Its still early. AllRightsReserved. And, you know, she helped me get a job. function resize77260563fffe99d7859(wrapper){ Bed. And I don't really remember what exactly happened. I couldn't take them and it was hard to overlook. Up until a few weeks ago, Monique had been looking for that police report for 15 years, even though she might not have realized it. Shes a student. She works on homework, takes a nap. formId: '772605' "There was a letter that she had written about how she claimed to be a Katrina victim," Thornton said. Still Here is currently playing in select theaters and on VOD. You did a really good job. i would rate this an 8 but they brought it down. So I ended up in the mental hospital. So I'm sure she might remember a lot more than I do. }); A US Marshals fugitive team found the teen - who was in a distraught state - at about 5:30pm on Tuesday in Port Huron, Michigan, Deputy Marshal Robert Watson said. She told him she was hiding from an abusive man in Louisiana. It's not easy. And after that, I was reunited with my mom. var captainformThemeStyle = {}; When 12 year old Monique Watson disappears from home, her father Michael Watson, refuses to give in as the media and police make little effort in solving the case. She had been searching for ways to get a fake ID, police said. And that's why they were in that room and we weren't allowed to talk to them. The cops were uncomfortable to watch and not because of how they treated the family and the suspects, though that was difficult for another reason, but because their acting was beyond horrible. The ending which might have saved the film instead was like letting the air out of a tire. } jQuery(wrapper).css('top', jQuery(window).height() * 0.4 + wrapper.width() + wrapper.css('padding').replace('px', '') * 2); But as of right now, it's all up to her. } All rights reserved (About Us). But for me, it seemed like I wasn't allowed to make mistakes. This website is using Google Analytics. resize77260663fffe99d76c9(wrapper); Amory: She wrote the post, and went to bed. This brings down a series of pains. Still Here also wants to have its cake and eat it too: It portrays the New York Police Department as racist and corrupt, but the movies entire concept is based on the over-used, racially condescending trope that black people are helpless until a white savior comes along to solve their problems. And the evidence of that is in a special folder on Moniques desk. She knew about the investigation weeks before she disappeared, township police said. Monique: I'm new to Reddit. captainformDomReady(function() { Do you know what happened to you?" I don't consider her somebody else.". "She's not some villain that needs to be holed down in her situation because of an error in judgment that she's made.". And if she didn't get the money, something bad was gonna happen to you." I think I left my car in Maryland. Monique: We were so hungry, we ended up going to Carl's Jr. and they gave us these kids meals, the star-shaped nuggets, and that's kind of useless information because I don't remember anything else but I remember those star-shaped nuggets. She always called me Mommy," Topka said. It should also be noted that Christian, who likes to wear scarves and designer coats, is always dressed as if hes about to have drinks at a trendy cocktail lounge, instead of going to some of the run-down seedy areas where he has to go during the course of his investigation.. }, 10); What was this blah blah blah?" 17 people named Latasha Watson found in Houston, Aubrey and 19 other cities. She took Interstate 81 south and drove until her car ran out of gas near a Volvo truck plant in Hagerstown, Md. That whole experience made me realize I really have good friends because all my friends came to visit me when I was in the mental hospital. Ben: Some of this story, Monique has always known. And who is the hero of the story who thinks he can solve this missing persons case all by himself? She phoned Michelle's parents, who immediately called Harrisburg police to report Michelle missing. Monique: When I got the article and the ages matched up, the location matched up, and then I had a name, it was this sense of relief like, Oh, my goodness, like, I'm not crazy. Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell pushed back on recent criticisms of her office by Gov. It looks like the filmmakers of Still Here have mostly gotten their stereotypical ideas from what theyve seen in movies and TV shows. It looks like we don't have any synopsis for this title yet. Monique: When I woke up, it was crazy, just so many responses, so many private messages from complete strangers. Below are some resources, if needed: We want to hear from you! I go to therapy now because of this. Let's do a background check on your mom. This content was originally created for audio. Christian with guilt decides to finally do his work properly finding himself in a race against time to help the family find the girl. I couldn't eat. Monique has always known she was abducted as a child, but specific details about what happened, and why, have been elusive. We started driving and we drove right past my mom and she was on her bike. The charges right now are just allegations, and if she is indeed found guilty, she will deserve any punishment she gets, he said. Anyone who has lived in a major city in the USA and known people of color will find that part of iut relateable. Theres a scene of him in a group meeting, where hes clearly agitated. Michelle's mother notified Harrisburg police, who called officers in Martinsburg. Monique: It wasn't until after Reddit that I was able to actually go to my godmother. The irony of Michelle's story is that even if found guilty, she probably would not have spent any time behind bars had she stayed and faced her alleged crimes in 2008. It's made up nonsense. The actors made me see into their pain. Its something shes changing. She could be trapped in her car out of sight of passing traffic. Ben: Kats ingenuity got the ball rolling for Monique. And I ended up trying to kill myself. Monique's personal mission is to inspire people to take strategic actions to advance their lives and careers and become their own best advocate. You have been subscribed to WBUR Today. She didn't have the best life growing up. Source: LRM Online Exclusive, Blue Fox Entertainment. It was one of the best movies l have seen all year! var wrapper = jQuery('#captainformForm772605EmbedPopup63fffe99d7859'); Monique and her mom went back to California for the funeral. "I cried for her, and that's why I really opened up my heart to her," Tokpa said. The routine of a college kid. That's not fair. Monique: I know a good amount of my friends have similar stories to me. if('' == 'floating') { The police dont seem to care, but a crusading white journalist decides to do his own investigation, and hes the only one who can get things done and save the day. Home Uncategorized is monique watson still alive. It's as simple-minded and formulaic as it sounds. window.addEventListener('resize', function(){ In Martinsburg, W.Va., she was Monique Watson, a Hurricane Katrina victim who had lost everything and was running from a stranger who held her captive in a home, raping her repeatedly. She was crying," Patel said. Monique Watson is on Facebook. And by me talking to her and having a conversation with her, you know, it could trigger things that just might have been better off not addressed for her because, you know, everyone's different. It was her own private jail cell. Monique says her mom went from having a life full of possibility, to a life full of illegal drugs. Hollywood has used the white savior trope for a long time as a structure to tell stories of POC. captainformThemeStyle['772605'] = ''; Robot). 2022 The Oscars (TV Special) Dancer - Be Alive I would have anxiety about going to the beach. While Michael is canvassing the neighborhood, looking for Monique and distributing the missing-person flyers, Michaels wife Tiffany (played by Afton Williamson) has had an opposite but equally distressed reaction: Shes become so depressed that she can barely leave the apartment where she and Michael live with their teenage son Andre (played by Jared Kemp), who has stopped going to school because Moniques disappearance has caused Andre to have panic attacks. It was never brought up unless I brought it up. type: "text/javascript", var wrapper = jQuery('#captainformForm772605EmbedPopup63fffe99d7859'); Monique: A lot of the things that I've been through, I've always blamed myself. She decided to ask her god-mother for more information. I thought I was safe, I thought I was in good hands. textContent: 'var frmRef=""; try { frmRef=window.top.location.href; } catch(err) {}; var captainform_servicedomain="app.captainform.com";var cfJsHost = "https://";', And her mom suggested they move back to California, then and there. "She told me she don't have a kid. His unannounced visit is a disaster. Because people around them, who love them, have to draw clear lines. Amory: She never got any real answers about her abduction. Aint no shame in the game, Anthony tells Greg, in one of the movies many cringeworthy lines. And I just read through the bits and pieces that they had available and one of them sounded just like her. id: "captainform_js_global_vars", The friend who had been watching Michelle's son turned over a note scribbled from Michelle that said she needed time to think. I don't wanna talk about it." Culture Clash:A journalist takes it upon himself to investigate the case of a missing 10-year-old girl because he thinks the police arent doing enough in the investigation. elementType: "script", Our story Email Us Call Us: 248.387.9826, USA TODAY • L.A. Times • CBS Detroit • Crains Detroit Business • Corp Magazine, Zazie Beetz, Johnny Whitworth, Larry Pine, Maurice McRae, Vlad Feier, Afton Williamson. When viewers first see Christian, he tells his editor boss Jerry Hoffman (played by Larry Pine) that he doesnt want to cover a charity event because its not hard news. }); My mom was really honest with me about her selling drugs, but I feel like this whole kidnapping thing, she felt like it was all her fault. Not to mention, the timing of the films release relates to the current affairs in the United States today. Fast-forward nearly three years, when she was caught. Danielle built up a client base. Click a location below to find Latasha more easily. The family relationship is very well tight all around. Monique has always known she was abducted as a child, but specific details about what happened, and why, have been elusive. My goals and my dreams in life are just to be happier, to live life. 'Still here' looked promising on paper but comes in as a difficult watch on many levels - including, messy editing, direction, photography, and a poorly realised script - featuring very few convincing situations and many unfocused characters. Amory: But, they can look into the abductor to see if he has a pattern of similar offenses. Its why Im in education. Movie Insider is a registered service mark of The Movie Insider LLC. jQuery(wrapper).find('a').removeAttr('href'); Shes coming out of a long period of being too hard on herself. In Still Here, when twelve-year-old Monique Watson disappears from home, her father, Michael Watson (McRae), refuses to give up even as the media and police make little effort in solving the. Michael and Lillie McMullen aren't hurt or disappointed. We just had a trade. I really didn't know what was going on because I thought we were going to see my mom. The movies basic plot is that a working-class African American family is reeling from the mysterious disappearance of a 10-year-old girl in the family. And what does Christian do with this speculation? popupTrigger.click(function(){ "I heard a guy asking her: 'Tell me the truth. Made sure I went to therapy, was taking me to my therapy sessions. Broken promise after broken promise. Related To Andrea Watson, Catherine Watson, Rita Watson. I know it's a movie but it's all to real day to day life for many black people living in America. Because she's considered a flight risk, Michelle has spent four months behind bars, waiting for a trial that hasn't been scheduled. was a college student, a single mom, a beloved daughter whose disappearance worried her family for more than two years. McMullen disappeared while police were investigating the theft of about $10,000 from Progress-Immanuel Presbyterian Church, where she worked. And it was like, "Now what do I do? var wrapper = jQuery('#captainformForm772606EmbedPopup63fffe99d76c9'); And so, the next day, The Chronicle runs a front-page article, written by Christian, with the headline Taxi Driver, Yann Abellard, Overlooked by Investigators in Monique Watsons Disappearance. Christian is both smug and excited about this article. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. In February 2010, the Disappeared episode featuring Michelle McMullen's story aired. popupTrigger.css('visibility', 'visible'); Monique: My mom, she was abused by my grandma. So, What Are You Waiting For? Ben: What Monique does know is that right after this happened, her mom made a big move. She really helped me. When twelve-year-old African-American Monique Watson goes missing in Brooklyn, the police are apathetic and her father Michael is distraught. Monique Daniels was an average Oklahoma 15-year-old. Amory: The name of her abductor. "I decided to leave," she wrote in a police confession when she was caught in January. She left her child with a friend and made the woman promise to say nothing until Tuesday morning. I said I can help you with some money, but I can't hire you. Also, a date: May 13th, 2005. Michelle was young and impulsive, and she felt incredible shame because her mother is a pastor, he said. I was blown away by the whole community. They told Monique they throw out case files for misdemeanors after 10 years. Only her family seems to care. It wasn't until she posted to Reddit that she found real leads and. 7,061 followers. Danielle was handcuffed and taken to the police station for fingerprinting to prove who she was. Ben: But getting the full story has been impossible. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Patel wanted to help her. Who agreed to take her in up until she turned 18. Monique: By the end of the day, he just dropped us off at a park and said, Oh, I have to go to work, stay here. And, you know, we were both cold. Monique Watson is an actress, known for Becky G: Bella Ciao (2021) and The Oscars (2022). And my family felt like it was all their fault, too. She works odd jobs to make ends meet. Johnny Whitworth, Maurice McRae, Afton Williamson, Jeremy Holm, Zazie Beetz, Larry Pine, 2021 Blue Fox Entertainment LLC. We were unable to subscribe you to WBUR Today. I give you some money and you help me out.". Including a private message from a Redditor who related to parts of Moniques story. The Moore teenager dreamed of being a doctor and having a family of her own. Well feed you later, we'll do something later.. I hated the beach. She refused to comment on how her grandson was taking the news. "We certainly want people to understand she's not a villifiable person. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an commission. popupTrigger.click(function(){ But she was silently having money problems. He abruptly gets up in the middle of the meeting and announces, This aint right, before storming out. "He said, 'Yeah, she got some explaining to do with me,'" her father said. In Still Here, when twelve-year-old Monique Watson disappears from home, her father, Michael Watson (McRae), refuses to give up even as the media and police make little effort in solving the case. Pseudonymph: And just looked up a few different search terms. She spent several months homeless, slipping away from police who were strained for good tips. Zazie Beetz shares top billing in this movie, probably because she has a red-hot career right now, but her headlining status for this movie is misleading. "He came and [Monique] said: 'Please, I don't need it. are doolittle trailers any good; turkey trot madison, ct 2021; full swing golf simulator vs foresight "She said she wanted me to teach her how to do hair. captainformThemeStyle['772606'] = ''; I think that's just the way my brain protects myself from remembering that horrible time. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. And now I'm trying to be a lot kinder to myself. She's truly a good person who made a mistake.". And we were just talking about everything about our lives. It was a good movie though, main characters were great, (Father and Reporter) If you can get past the over acting and try hard detectives (especially Johnny Holm) you'll love it. The dramatic film Still Here desperately tries to look like its got a higher social conscience than the average B-movie, but the results are phony, awkward and downright dumb. The assignment lands in the hands of journalist Christian Baker (Whitworth), who at first pursues a false lead, turning the entire case upside down. And it's not only to prove em wrong, but it's also for myself as well. And black police officers and officials that continue to work in these institutions of oppression and inequality should be shamed! Greg is more reluctant, and he feels guilty about possibly targeting someone who might be innocent. if (document.getElementById('captainform_js_global_vars') == null) { Youre walking a thin line here, sport. But lo and behold, Jerry has an idea for an assignment that Christian would be willing to do. Lillie and Michael McMullen feared their daughter might have fallen asleep behind the wheel during the long drive or suffered a migraine headache and crashed. Michael answers the door. Monique: The other day we were talking to each other and I was like, "You remember when I would come over with my mom and then your mom and my mom would go into their room and lock the door and be in there for hours?" var captainformDomReady = captainformDomReady || function(e){var t=!1,n=function(){document.addEventListener? A 14-year-old girl who was reported missing in 2021 has been found pregnant in the closet of a Michigan home. For 15 years, all Monique has had are the fragments. var popupParams = { Amory: Moniques friends on the other hand, have wanted to talk about it. (document.removeEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",d),window.removeEventListener("load",d)):(document.detachEvent("onreadystatechange",d),window.detachEvent("onload",d))},d=function(){t||!document.addEventListener&&"load"!==event.type&&"complete"!==document.readyState||(t=!0,n(),e())};if("complete"===document.readyState)e();else if(document.addEventListener)document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",d),window.addEventListener("load",d);else{document.attachEvent("onreadystatechange",d),window.attachEvent("onload",d);var o=!1;try{o=null==window.frameElement&&document.documentElement}catch(a){}o&&o.doScroll&&!function c(){if(!t){try{o.doScroll("left")}catch(d){return setTimeout(c,50)}t=!0,n(),e()}}()}}; Monique: About two years ago, I had this mental breakdown. Im doing great right now. Im doing everything I can by myself. In January 2009, she booked an Amtrak ticket to Emeryville, Calif., and went west. . Out of options, Michael teams up with Christian Baker, the journalist assigned to Monique's story. But this is how black people are treated in this country and it's so sad that the victims are victimized over and over again. The scene shows what can happen when someone is brought in for questioning by police and that person doesnt know enough about their rights to ask for a lawyer, which (by American law) would put a stop to the questioning. They started crying. popupTrigger.css('visibility', 'visible'); var captainformDomReady = captainformDomReady || function(e){var t=!1,n=function(){document.addEventListener? There was nothing there. It is interesting on how we accuse folks on loose circumstances and coincidences.Well done. The 2 main detectives were horrible actors. Monique: When my mom told me she was selling drugs, I knew that I couldn't tell anyone. Ben: Two, its highly unlikely that police could dredge up physical evidence of what happened to Monique 15 years ago.
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