In cities across the country, hundreds of youth, particularly young people of color, are reported missing each year. Recent news about teens going missing in Washington, D.C., has garnered local and national attention and concern.
This month, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has been using social media to bring public awareness to open cases. Acontinual series of tweets on Twitter showing the faces of missing teens, predominantly teens of color, began to alarm social media users.
The MPD replied to a concerned Twitter user on March 9: