Social Media in an Uproar After the Death of Lauren Smith-Fields
Many across the nation are mourning the loss of yet another Black woman who is not receiving the proper justice she should. Lauren Smith-Fields was more than another statistic. She was an influencer and a college student at Norwalk Community College studying cosmetology.
23-year-old Lauren Smith-Fields was found in Connecticut on Dec 12 after meeting white male from the dating app, Bumble. Her family is demanding answers, states police uncooperative, won’t investigate or identify the man. https://t.co/qo9UrAg4WV #LaurenSmithFields #SayHerName pic.twitter.com/DkydPEWUI5
— Glitter Magazine (@glittermagazine) December 29, 2021
Social media is in an uproar after the death of 23-year-old Lauren Smith-Fields went viral. Smith-Fields was found dead in her apartment in Bridgepoint, Connecticut, on December 12. Smith-Fields was recently adventuring on the dating app Bumble when she came across an older white male, who had later reported her death to the police. Lauren’s case or lack thereof sheds light on “missing white woman syndrome,” where there is massive public outrage over missing or murdered white women, but no mass media coverage of missing or murdered Black women, with no thorough investigation. To this date no major mainstream outlet has covered her death.
Questions about her death arise, and many ask why the older man has not been brought into custody. Lakeem Jetter, Smith-Field’s brother, claims to have asked authorities about the man and was told he was a “nice guy with no need to be investigated.”
In a public interview with her family, her father stated that the police allegedly told the family to stop contacting the department.
Taking matters into their own hands, they had an autopsy done due to the unfair treatment of the Bridgepoint police department. In a heartfelt video, her mother is in tears, pleading for justice. “I miss my baby. Life is not the same; I do not know who I am going to be after this.”
The Bridgepoint Police Department made a statement about the case, saying the following,
“The Bridgeport Police Department takes these concerns very seriously. The Command Staff of the Detective Bureau is reviewing the handling of this case to ensure that best practices were and are being followed. It is imperative to note that the death of Lauren Smith-Fields remains an ongoing investigation. Our department extends its deepest condolences to the family of Lauren.”
Activist and writer Shaun King has reposted Lauren’s Instagram account photos demanding justice. He calls out the police department for being disrespectful and letting the suspect go because he was “nice.” Since the post was made, many other known celebrities shared their thoughts on Lauren to bring awareness to her case. Social media posts on this unsolved case will hopefully bring awareness and provide her family with the justice she deserves.
