A Joint Statement on the Ray Rice incident by FSC Executive Director
Suzann Stewart, TPD Chief Chuck Jordan and FSC Board Chairman Lynn Jones
A 50-year-old survivor of strangulation has visited court multiple times for emergency protective orders against her husband. She has been issued several as the assaults have escalated, but never follows through pursuing a permanent order. The fiancé of a prominent pro athlete is knocked unconscious in a publicly reviewed video, but ultimately marries her abuser. A young Hispanic mom with two kids files for a protective order but returns to her husband, and is subsequently murdered. What do these folks have in common? Abusive relationships and a single question ... why didn't she just leave?
There is no one who has seen the video of Ray Rice delivering the knock-out punch to his then pregnant fiancé not electrified by the event. It was horrible to watch second hand. Imagine how it felt to be the one to experience it in person. Picture that and worse happening every day in families around our community. More than 4,000 protective orders were issued in Tulsa County last year. Oklahoma is ranked third in number of women killed by men according to the recently released Violence Policy Center (Washington DC) report for 2012. In the 2013 report released by the Oklahoma Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board, out of 88 victims, women and men of all ages, only five accessed any type of victim services before they were murdered.
Family violence is a horrendous societal problem that degrades the physical and emotional health of the family and the entire community and affects both for generations to come. As a community, we have to stand together in a non-yielding posture of zero tolerance.
We know that it takes many resources for survivors to make the decision to leave - money, housing, jobs, childcare. We understand not wanting to move your child to a new school, or how difficult it may be for a vulnerable adult to find services geared to special needs. In Tulsa County we have not only taken a stand against accepting the status quo-with law enforcement including city police departments and Sheriff Stanley Glanz, 14th District Court, District Attorney Tim Harris, City of Tulsa, Tulsa County, DVIS/Call Rape, RSVP, Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry, the YWCA, Legal Aid Services and other related organizations -but have also taken positive steps to make sure the many resources needed to keep victims and families safe are available and offenders held accountable.
Since 2006, Tulsa's Family Safety Center has provided protection, hope and healing to our most vulnerable citizens by providing many resources under one roof. Of the 2,400 individuals who visited the FSC for services in 2013 or were helped by our High Lethality Rapid Intervention Team, not a single person was murdered. This collaboration of integrated services is only the tip of the iceberg in addressing this issue.
New statewide legislation based on successful trials by the Tulsa, Broken Arrow and OKC police departments will require all peace officers responding to 911 domestic violence calls to conduct onsite danger assessments, and to provide immediate resource information. The District Attorney's office uses evidence-based prosecution to try cases in which the victim may be unwilling or unable to participate. The 14th District Court is now re-organizing misdemeanor domestic violence dockets to streamline processes for victims and to better monitor offenders in collaboration between the justice system and our local community to effectively respond to domestic violence and enhance victim and child safety. It will be less stressful for families, more economical for the courts, and more effective in holding offenders accountable.
Tulsa is serious about breaking the cycle of violence that leads children to become adults who batter or remain victims. The dialogue needs to continue with much insight and input from survivors, advocates, law enforcement, the judiciary, our fellow citizens and the philanthropic community in addressing this subject for our future.
Unlike the NFL we don't have the luxury of waiting to review tapes to make our decisions on the health and safety of our citizens. Domestic violence needs our immediate attention to prevent further victimizations which we know can include death.
If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, come to the Family Safety Center (600 Civic Center). Let's not wait to see it on social media to determine the extent of "the damage." You don't have to stay in an abusive relationship; you don't have to die before anyone cares.
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If you need immediate help, call DVIS' 24-hour crisis line (918.643.5763) to speak with a trained advocate.
TPD Chief Chuck Jordan chairs the FSC Leadership Council of agency and government chief executives partnering in the Family Safety Center. Lynn Jones, retired Major, TPD, is the chair of the board of directors of the Family Safety Center.
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