But Who Will Catch the Predator Catchers?

or When tv news magazines feud, we all win.

ABC, on 20/20 tonight is having an investigation of NBC and their money raking ratings getting To Catch a Predator segments featured on Dateline and the controversial and kind of creepy partners Perverted Justice and their role in the suicide of north texas prosecutor Louis Contradt, a man that they were about to bust. NBC, to counter and preempt ABC's scoop, broadcast their own investigation, apparently Wednesday night. I am intrigued. Brian Ross the investigative guy from 20/20 claims that they're not trying to "take down" one of the few ratings bright spots of a rival network, but of course they are. I'm sure each network is looking for ways to get an edge, though usually I don't think they do it in public and so vocally. ABC is just lucky that they can claim they are following a story, which they are. To Catch a Predator has gotten mad controversial.
I watched To Catch a Predator I guess the first few times it was on just because the johns, or suspects, or whatever you call them were usually owned and it was funny, but after a couple of viewings it just got sort of repetitive, there is very little difference between the shows besides different perversions, and disgusting seeing so many guys hoping to "be friends" with pre-teens. And I'm not surprised people would enjoy watching it and have To Catch a Predator viewing parties because people love to see justice and for many, public humilation is evident justice, and it comforts many people that these predators are dimwitted enough to be caught in such a sting. Also, I suppose it gets bad men off the streets.
But as Radar found out in a pretty shocking article, the guys who are helping the police, and NBC I guess, clean the streets of the bad guys aren't so clean and good themselves. In fact they're pretty scary. Xavier von Erck, the founder of Perverted Justice, as Radar demonstrates is a rather angry vindicative power hungry and weird man. He seems to be so obsessed with himself that he wants to continue holding onto whatever power he has and is not above actively seeking to crush those who question his practices. An anecdote about an anti Perverted Justice activist named Raisley:
Von Erck claims he contacted local authorities in Arkansas and the FBI about Raisley but they "simply weren't moving fast enough for my tastes,” So he decided to mete out his own form of perverse justice, introducing himself to Raisley online, via instant messenger.
He called himself "Holly."
Holly and Raisley hit it off. They conducted a months-long correspondence via IM, and gradually, Raisley fell in love with his new online pal. Holly would occasionally inquire about Raisley's anti-Perverted Justice activities, but eventually the conversation turned to sex:

[Raisley]: what r u doing?
[Holly]: I have my fingers in
[Raisley]: i am holding it
[Holly]: are you rubbing it
[Raisley]: r u rubbing your clit?
[Holly]: yes. it feels so good baby

The couple had cybersex twice. Holly repeatedly begged Raisley to masturbate in front of a webcam for her. Raisley told her about his son, his job, his role as a Boy Scout troop leader. Eventually, Raisley came clean to his wife about Holly, told her that they were in love, and declared that Holly was moving to Arkansas. After securing an apartment for the two of them to live in, he went to pick up Holly at the airport. He was carrying flowers.

Von Erck never got on the plane, but he did find someone to go to the airport at the appointed time to snap a picture of a hopeful Raisley waiting for his love to arrive. Then he posted it online, along with the entire text of their chat and a threat to release a video file he claimed showed Raisley masturbating. And then this message to Perverted Justice's detractors: "[W]hen you attempt to threaten members of Perverted-Justice.com ... this can happen to you. Tonight, Bruce Raisley stood around at an airport, flowers in hand, waiting for a woman that turned out to be a man. He's not in love. He has destroyed his relationship with his wife, he has denigrated her, and he has betrayed all those around him. He has no one. He has no more secrets. We at Perverted-Justice.com will only tolerate so much in the way of threats and attacks upon us."

Esquire also has a very long and detailed article that sheds more light on Perverted Justice and on the Contradt case, in which Contradt who had ben IM'ing a Perverted Justice decoy that he thought was underage. Contradt, however, never showed up at the house that To Catch a Predator was staking out. The police went to his house to arrest him at which point he killed himself. His sister is now suing.
I want you to decide for yourself, but I think that no matter how much good they think this is doing it is really creepy and their techniques are kind of sleazy and it's all sort of unmonitored so who knows what can happen. And NBC working with them so closely seems kind of murky (even one of the producers thinks so.) The cops couldn't y'know arrest the guys before they are publicly tarred? Of course not there are advertising dollars and dvd sales to be had. With all that being said I still won't be watching 20/20. It is Friday night. And be a god neighbor, if you see Chris Hanson in your neighborhood sound the alarm; He's creepy and up to no good.

Human Giant actually had one of the best things, or at least the most entertaining that I've seen about how creepy and sordid this whole thing is or has become. It's Predator vs. Predator.

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