As you know, I often like to talk about the causes I am involved with outside the real estate business. This isn’t about real estate, but it is about something important impacting families in our community…
On Saturday, I will get to speak to 200 women in the Junior League of San Francisco about domestic violence at a training event. Domestic violence is an issue I have always been passionate about. Shortly after college, I volunteered at a shelter for battered women in Mesa, Arizona. Working in the shelter directly with women and children impacted by the horror of domestic violence forever changed my life and viewpoint.
In the years since then, I have worked with a variety of different community programs that support victims of domestic abuse. What I never expected was to see it first hand with a dear friend. Imagine waking up one morning to find a text message from a close friend saying she was in the hospital because her husband had beat her up. Severely.
I am not going to go into details here, but the thought of it makes me shake with anger. Many times people think domestic violence is an issue that impacts poor people. Immigrants. It doesn’t impact the educated, the rich, the successful people.
Well, anyone who thinks that is wrong. Domestic violence is occurring in Marin County. It is occurring in San Francisco. It is happening in Pac Heights, Kentfield and Ross. Highly educated women are being abused.
This is a short version of two stories I will get to speak about on Saturday:
Amanda Norris, 21 Killed October 27, 2005
Her ex-boyfriend harassed and threatened her for three years, once even carrying her down the street in an attempted kidnapping until someone sprayed mace on him. Her ex-boyfriend was on probation stemming from his multiple acts of domestic violence against Amanda when he murdered her and shoved her body in the trunk of his car.
Amanda Branson, 35 Killed May 11, 2002
Amanda was a mother who was stabbed to death the night before Mother’s Day in front of her two children. Police found a bouquet of red roses and a Mother’s Day Card that her husband wrote promising everlasting love. Her husband was convicted of murder.
(*name and some details changed to protect identities)
I hope these stories make you sick. They should. Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten. In fact, at least one in every three women in America has been beaten, coerced or abused during her lifetime and over one-third of the murders in America take place between family members. Tragically. the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence estimates that up to 90 percent of battered women never report their abuse.
Women you may know are being abused. They may not look like victims of domestic violence, but it is happening. If you or anyone you know need assistance, there are many local resources.
For more information:
- In Marin, contact Marin Abused Women’s Services- http://www.maws.org/
- In San Francisco, contact La Casa de las Madres- http://www.lacasadelasmadres.org/