A child's screams ignored

Kansas City Star: Lawanda Driskell says she was within earshot as 3-year-old Erica Green, staying in Driskell's home, was repeatedly beaten.
"We could hear screaming in the back bedroom," Driskell told The Kansas City Star.
The abuse took place over several days, Driskell said. But except for telling the mother that her boyfriend should ease up, Driskell didn't intervene. She didn't think it was her business, she said.
She should have made it her business. Reporting child abuse is the responsibility of every adult who suspects it.
Missed opportunity
A call to police or child welfare workers might have saved Erica -- the child known for four years as Precious Doe.
Police and prosecutors say the child died after she received a fatal blow to the head and did not receive medical attention. Her head was severed and dumped in a wooded area a short distance from her body. Her mother, Michelle Johnson, and Michelle's boyfriend at the time, Harrell Johnson, are charged with murder.
A call to Kansas City police or the Missouri child abuse hotline would have resulted in a prompt visit by police or child protection workers, spokesmen said. If Erica had shown signs of physical abuse, she probably would have been removed from the home.
An adult's first responsibility is to protect innocent and defenseless children.