We’ve been following (kinda) the Balloon Boy saga, and it looks like it’s about to wrap up. Charges have been filed, and it is expected that the Heenes will plead guilty.
We’d brought up the idea of Richard being a rice chaser and taking advantage of Mayumi’s supposed cultural subservience, but what is ironic in this situation is that her nationality has now come into play. Mayumi is a citizen of Japan and could theoretically face deportation for her role in this crime:
The threat of deportation for Mayumi Heene was a factor in the plea deal negotiation, the attorney’s statement said.
“Mayumi Heene is a citizen of Japan. As such, any felony conviction or certain misdemeanors would result in her deportation, even though her husband and children are Americans,” the statement said.
“It is supremely ironic that law enforcement has expressed such grave concern over the welfare of the children, but it was ultimately the threat of taking the children’s mother from the family and deporting her to Japan which fueled this deal.”
Did she confess because she wanted to, or did she confess because she feared deportation? I’ve always been ambivalent on this issue. I know of non-citizens who have been charged with crimes, and the threat of deportation is very real and scary. On the other hand, crime is crime. It seems she endangered her children and filed a false report to “make the Heene family more marketable for future media interests.” Where do we draw the line?
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I also wanted more rice than what could fit inside the wrap....
So there’s no forum but something happened to me recently that made me think about this story and the former victim perspective. Thus, I thought I’d just share it here.
I work for a non-profit organization that helps students go to college. Two days ago a senior girl walked into my office and asked if I would read her college admissions personal statement. She was Chinese, as am I, so we had an immediate connection and poked fun at ourselves a bit. Her personal statement, however, was gravely serious.
She explained that her mother married her stepfather (Taiwanese American) so they (mother and student) could immigrate to the United States. Shortly after arriving, the stepfather became emotionally unstable and highly abusive, verbally and physically. The student and her mother never said anything because they weren’t sure what to do in their new country, had no family or friends, and were afraid of deportation.
Despite putting up with this for SIX FUCKING YEARS, the student has a 3.93 GPA with a boatload of IB classes and has the highest SAT score at the entire school. And yes, she didn’t speak English until she was 11.
For those who don’t work in education, people who work with students and youth (maybe all adults technically, but I’m not sure) are legally obliged to report suspicions of abuse. Obviously I had much more than just suspicion. I spoke with her school counselor and we agreed that I would speak to her first, so she wouldn’t feel like she got blind sided, and then we would speak to her together.
The girl’s a champ. We met to discuss her personal statement and at the end I told her what my responsibilities were. She told me a little bit about what was going on at home and then we saw her counselor. The student said she still receives verbal abuse but threatens to call the cops if her stepdad ever touches her. She told us what her stepdad says to her, and then I asked her to tell me in Chinese what he says to her, and she did. Just some downright awful shit that no parent should ever tell a child.
Her counselor filed a report with CPS and we’re going to monitor her. But frankly, if she’s come this far without any help, I doubt she needs anything we can provide now.
Just thought we should remember that, as much as we talk about people from “outside”our group treating us badly, we don’t always treat ourselves very well either.
Hi Etain,
Thanks for the commentary. Yes, sorry there’s no forum anymore.
I suppose someone could set up a free yuku account or something…
You’re totally right. I think we do the same kind of stuff when we’re in positions of power. I alluded to the abusive stuff that we do in my post about single black women adopting.
By the way, did anyone else watch the court proceedings? Richard’s lawyer said that he felt he could argue the case because:
a) Richard never spoke to the media; it was all hearsay from Mayumi
b) Mayumi could never be compelled to testify against Richard since they are married
The lawyer said he thought he had a case but that they were pleading guilty only because they feared deportation for Mayumi. The judge said that there were no guarantees being made about deportation since that was a federal matter.
It seemed strange that Richard’s plea would affect Mayumi’s chance of deportation. I’m not a lawyer though.
@etain: I don’t mean to be rude, but you’re stepping over the line by commenting about your job on here. Even if it’s not stated, you have a fiduciary duty not to talk about her private personal life on the web.
Simon,
I think it’s okay as long as he doesn’t mention the person by name. He doesn’t mention himself by name either, so no one would be able to track this woman down. If you read child-rearing books or self-help books, the experts always talk about clients/students/counselees whom they meet in a professional capacity. By sharing stories about these people, the experts can help others like you, me, and other teachers.