If some of you are in New York City, you probably heard about the death of Sarah Coit, age 23. She died yesterday at the hands of her boyfriend, Raul Barrera, 33, who stabbed her to death during a domestic violence dispute.
We hear about these stories everyday. It was something that really bothered me during the reporting of this story. The couple lived at the residence for at least two years. News reporters talked to many neighbors, who heard the couple arguing on a regular basis, including the day Sarah Coit died. As I heard this story, it made me wonder, had any neighbors ever bothered to call the police for previous disputes? Many victims will not report the crimes and will often drop the charges due to fear or threats from their abusers. Does this mean that neighbors should do nothing? I'm aware because victims are usually adults, the police or even family members cannot force them to take action, but as neighbors we cannot sit by and say, "I will not get involved."
This applies to adults and teens. It may mean having our best friend get mad at us for telling parents or teachers that a friend is in an abusive relationship. Even if a friend or neighbor may not tell us they are in an abusive relationship, there are signs for abuse. Click here to see an article about signs in the Double Dutch magazine. It is important for all of us to "stand up" by speaking up for victims, who may not have the confidence at that time to do so for themselves. The death of this young women is also a cautionary-tale that abuse does not ever stop over time, it gets worse and often escalates into this type of tragedy.
Jen
We hear about these stories everyday. It was something that really bothered me during the reporting of this story. The couple lived at the residence for at least two years. News reporters talked to many neighbors, who heard the couple arguing on a regular basis, including the day Sarah Coit died. As I heard this story, it made me wonder, had any neighbors ever bothered to call the police for previous disputes? Many victims will not report the crimes and will often drop the charges due to fear or threats from their abusers. Does this mean that neighbors should do nothing? I'm aware because victims are usually adults, the police or even family members cannot force them to take action, but as neighbors we cannot sit by and say, "I will not get involved."
This applies to adults and teens. It may mean having our best friend get mad at us for telling parents or teachers that a friend is in an abusive relationship. Even if a friend or neighbor may not tell us they are in an abusive relationship, there are signs for abuse. Click here to see an article about signs in the Double Dutch magazine. It is important for all of us to "stand up" by speaking up for victims, who may not have the confidence at that time to do so for themselves. The death of this young women is also a cautionary-tale that abuse does not ever stop over time, it gets worse and often escalates into this type of tragedy.
Jen
No comments:
Post a Comment