As quickly as it appeared it was gone. A black and white image depicting two individuals casually laying around, him with no shirt on, her staring into the camera looking comfortable in her surroundings.  Controversy just around the corner waiting to jump on the next happenstance or circumstance.

This could have represented any number of situations but controversy wasn’t having it left up to just any explanation and just like that 13-year-old Willow Smith was caught in an uncompromising position with 20- year-old Moises Arias.

What if the next day Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith marched their daughter Willow onto the main stage of most popular morning show to address the pictures and the public outcry?  Would their actions satisfy those who are critical of their parenting style and somehow protect the younger Smith from life? Those are the questions we want answered right? America wants to sleep tonight knowing at least one child with unlimited resources and attention is safe.

If Willow is at imminent risk of harm, then the countless unreported teens on the street tonight are in crisis.  Don’t go to sleep just yet.

According to NRS,National Runaway Safeline, between 1.6 and 2.8 million youth runaway each year. The highest population of homelessness are in the 12-17 age group; the same age group young Willow Smith, daughter of entertainers, Will and Jada Pinket Smith.

The National Runaway Safeline established itself in 1971 and by 1974 they were awarded an eight-month demonstration grant for a national runaway hotline, funded by the federal government.  In addition to being a
federally designated national communication for runaway and homeless youth they also compile data from more than 100,000 calls every year into the hotline and peer-review research.

One of the uses for compiling and interpreting the data collected is to draw attention to the dangers runaway and homeless teens face. At the top of the list is the risk of being physically or sexually abused after running away. According to the NSR data 47% of reported runaway’s proclaim poor parental relationships as the reason they chose to or had to run away.

That very statistic allows me to discern just how much danger Willow Smith is in of being sexually or physically abused in a relationship with a large degree of certainty.

Jada Pinkett Smith, mom of Willow Smith lashed out at the media stating to TMZ “. . . There was nothing sexual about that picture, or that situation. . .”.

There were 24 hours in the day Willow and Moises where photographed and that photo represents a millisecond of those hours. A snapshot capturing a very small amount of time and space.  There still remains so much we don’t know however we concluded a lifetime worth of doom and dismay as a result of poor parenting.

The photographer may have been taking a snapshot through their lens but when the exposure developed it showed the candid very naked truth about America.

“Don’t be in such a hurry to condemn a person because he doesn’t do what you do, or think as you think. There was a time when you didn’t know what you know today. . .

http://www.1800runaway.org/learn/research/