All I'm saying is that I don't know what the attitudes were of the parents pertaining to whether their children played in the rail yard., I don't know which children nor whether the parents were even aware of it.
But it seems to me that if she went to the rail yard after Maryann's and the Q's, then she must have been seeking out a kid or kids from some other family.
It very well could be. I'm sure she was looking for people, something to do, most likely kids of course, it sounds like she was pretty friendly and social.
As far as which kids played in the rail yard and what the parents knew, who knows but any kid that was allowed out of the house and to go play without adults is going to probably explore the rail yard amongst other places in their area or neighborhood. It IS just the way it was back then. I mean even then there were probably some parents who would keep a better eye out, not let their kids out alone, or if they did, had stricter rules, you check back in 1/2 hour and you don't go here, here or here, still doesn't mean the kids didn't, but being sent out to play was far from unusual.
This thread and Melissa definitely deserves the attn but I don't think we are going to find some other perp or anything like that. The man was found and tried and unfortunately acquitted. I have no problem with discussing it all but it isn't going to change that.
I think she most definitely was probably looking for other children but I also think she wouldn't have minded running into a NICE adult even, just something to do, somewhere to be, not drifting around outside on her own with no supervision, no siblings or friends, and no parent or home to go home to in those hours. I feel bad for her in that sense.
I've said it before and will again and we have all said it or a few of us including you, I am not going to blame her mother, the perp is the one to blame, but it is too bad some arrangement could not have been made with maybe one of the nearby families for her to stay there or something on that order, or in her own home area with someone, but it sounds like this was not an occasional thing, mom was at this club with this guy all of the time and not even someone willing to maybe help or babysit is going to want to be doing that every day at all hours. I can understand and it is why I don't judge mom but I have little doubt she has come down on herself over it over the years. I would and I bet she does. Again though it was just a different time and this was not that unusual. Maybe in this case, mom did it a LOT and Melissa was alone a LOT more than most. I've shared some of my younger years and some similar things but I was almost always with a sibling and if more than 1/2 hour went by without us coming back, one of my two folks would have been checking for us and for sure after something as long as an hour. Fortunately, we never ever went past any short amount of time nor went far MOST of the time and even when we did, like sneaking off to see my brother and his gf, it was about 3 to 4 blocks tops. And I mean short blocks lol, not like NYC blocks.
We probably won't ever hear it but I'm sure like the rail yard employee who warned Melissa to leave and said it was dangerous could tell us how often kids played there or were intrigued and had to check out the rail yard... I don't doubt it was a fairly common thing... They probably had to often shoo children away, I would not be surprised. AND some adults as well.
I don't like to judge or generalize but homes in town near tracks or rail yards were often not the best of homes nor were the neighborhoods the best. I'd say you probably had a lot of hardworking people with families and kids in many of them but who could not afford to buy or even rent better. Yet look at the one family who Melissa sought out, the husband often walked Melissa back to the bar at night. Hardworking, watching out for kids in a not totally safe neighborhood, watching out for someone else's kid. GOOD people, CLEARLY. But she ran into an evil arsehole when alone.
And I know you may not agree but that arsehole was acquitted. There is still God though. That's so much bigger than the court of mankind.