Dad Begs Google to Remove Satellite Image of Slain Son (Google Map Link Inc)

[RealityUnfolding]

A dad is pleading with Google today.

RICHMOND, Calif. —

A California father is asking Google to take down a controversial satellite image that he says shows the body of his teenage son, who was killed in 2009.

The Google Maps image shows police officers standing near 14-year-old Kevin Barrera, who was found, shot to death, along some railroad tracks.

The victim's father Jose Barrera said he learned about the disturbing image earlier this week, and he's asking the internet search engine to pull it out of respect for his son.

“When I see this image, that's still like that happened yesterday,” said Barrera. “And that brings me back to a lot of memories.”

But according to technology analyst Rob Enderle, the Barrera family may face an uphill battle as they try to have the offensive image taken down.

“When they remove it for one person for one thing, then how do they not do it for others?” said Enderle. “And so they've found it easier just to say no.”

But Barrera told Bay Area TV station KTVU on Sunday that he won't take no for an answer, as he's planning to lodge a complaint and possibly reach out to lawmakers for help.

In his words, he's on a mission to honor his son's memory, “to catch the guys who committed the murder and remove those pictures.”

Google did not reply to KTVU’s e-mail seeking a comment about the image.

As of Sunday, Kevin Barrera's killer has not been caught.

Link to image.

[Kanda444]

sad... i knew about the pic on google earth for awhile.. never knew who the body belonged to though.

[BBKF]

I don't understand why it can't be taken away. It is just Google maps, right? I don't see where it takes away any rights or freedoms. If it were this website I would say freedom of speech, etc., but it is a map. Maybe someone can explain this to me.

[Kanda444]

Originally Posted by BBKF

I don't understand why it can't be taken away. It is just Google maps, right? I don't see where it takes away any rights or freedoms. If it were this website I would say freedom of speech, etc., but it is a map. Maybe someone can explain this to me.

not to mention that the murder happened in 2009... 4 years ago.. so the map is no longer 'accurate'.....

there is an air force base here that google did that too.. they had a map online but when you actually went to the base, there were buildings on base that werent on the map.. so google was either hiding the buildings (not likely) or they hadnt updated their maps in years (very likely) and the buildings were built in the interim

[RealityUnfolding]

Originally Posted by Kanda444

not to mention that the murder happened in 2009... 4 years ago.. so the map is no longer 'accurate'.....

there is an air force base here that google did that too.. they had a map online but when you actually went to the base, there were buildings on base that werent on the map.. so google was either hiding the buildings (not likely) or they hadnt updated their maps in years (very likely) and the buildings were built in the interim

Actually, Google has complied to remove much of military bases around the world. There was a kerfluffle my ex-husband (IT in the military) where one of the bases he was deployed to showed exactly where their anti-air was situated. It's gone from GMaps now but we know they still exist.

[Kanda444]

Originally Posted by RealityUnfolding

Actually, Google has complied to remove much of military bases around the world. There was a kerfluffle my ex-husband (IT in the military) where one of the bases he was deployed to showed exactly where their anti-air was situated. It's gone from GMaps now but we know they still exist.

these arent the same... the buildings are now on google maps since they updated them i used to make deliveries there daily for awhile and had to go through security inspections with my truck in those buildings. they werent anything sensitive, is my point.

[Vedderman]

"Respect for the dead" is overrated and ridiculous. We don't practice ancestor-worship anymore and most western cultures have not done so in many centuries. Did someone put a gun to da-da's head and force him to look at a satellite image of his dead kid bleeding out? No. He chose to look at the image and then cried because he felt traumatized over it. That's Google's fault somehow?

No one gives a fuck about your dead son other than you. And this image on Google maps doesn't 'dishonor' his memory half so much as his da-da acting like a whiny, entitled little bitch in the national news.

[Pyramid_Head]

I see the fathers point, but it's not like you can zoom in much at all on the body. I can't zoom in for shit and can't make out really any detail.

[daughterofthenight]

Sure, of course the father doesn't have to look at it. But since none of us here have a dead child showing up on google maps, we probably have no idea how painful this feels, or the thoughts that go through his head, and I would not be so presumptuous as to tell him that. But you go ahead, you seem to know how EVERYONE SHOULD feel. My goodness, you must be god or something. Pardon me for not dropping down to my knees before you.

But why DOES google have to leave it there? Why DON'T they update their maps? It's not as if the satellites are not up there already and able to take fresh pictures. How hard can this be to erase? Google certainly makes enough money off of selling our information to everyone, it's not as if they were poor and could not afford it.

[Vedderman]

Originally Posted by adhOLapbNwaST!

Sure, of course the father doesn't have to look at it. But since none of us here have a dead child showing up on google maps, we probably have no idea how painful this feels, or the thoughts that go through his head, and I would not be so presumptuous as to tell him that. But you go ahead, you seem to know how EVERYONE SHOULD feel. My goodness, you must be god or something. Pardon me for not dropping down to my knees before you.

But why DOES google have to leave it there? Why DON'T they update their maps? It's not as if the satellites are not up there already and able to take fresh pictures. How hard can this be to erase? Google certainly makes enough money off of selling our information to everyone, it's not as if they were poor and could not afford it.

This is a fucking shock/gore site. You want to cry and cuddle and hug on the families of murder victims, there are plenty of sites for that sort of nonsense. This isn't one of them. We are ON this site to look at photos and images of tragedy, horror, and carnage. I'm not sure how you're confused on this point after 4 years and 25,000+ posts, but perhaps you've lost your belly for this sort of material.

You start advocating for news agencies to censor their images and Google Maps to cowtow to grieving fathers, then sites like this wouldn't even exist.

This site isn't here to speculate on how it would feel to see your dead son lying on the railroad tracks. This site is here so we, the voyeuristic strangers, can see the fucking carnage for ourselves. Perhaps you need to head back to the Water Cooler and forget about all the death and horror if you're so worried about what the families of the hundreds of thousands of victims on this site might think if they ever logged in here.