Archive for February, 2009
“Jennifer Beaudion and David Griner had planned to marry last August, but she called off the wedding because the relationship was rocky and she feared he might harm her, police said Thursday.
“He has a bad history and says scary things,” Beaudion wrote in a request in November for an emergency order of protection. “He is not right in the head. I am scared for me, my family and friends.”
On Tuesday night, Beaudion, 33, was shot to death by Griner as she ran down a hallway in her Huntley home, authorities said. Griner, 39, then shot himself in the head.”
You can read the complete story here.
February 27 2009 | In the news | 34 Comments »
WGN’s Kathy & Judy talked briefly about the Chris Brown/Rhianna story and why women stay in abusive relationships. They talked with some anonymous callers who offered their reasons to stay (or go back). You might have heard a familiar voice- a “Paula” who called in to talk about Turning Point!
So why do women stay in abusive relationships? Well, many don’t- and those that do leave find it incredibly difficult:
“Statistics indicate that battered women leave their batters more frequently than has been believed. Browne (1987) indicates that battered women make an average of seven attempts to leave before they do so permanently. When these women return, they indicated that they were not take seriously by the person they when to. Family members have often pushed the women to try harder.
Clergy, doctor, and even psychotherapists have often urged battered women to modify their own behavior in order to effect a change in the relationship. Goodstein and Page (1981) indicate that battered women report having visited a therapist for only one session, and did not returning because the therapist never asked about the battering. Inability to obtain emotional support is the most common reason for returning to the abusive situation. Other reasons include lack of financial resources and fear for the safety of the children.”
You can read more information about Domestic Violence at the Turning Point Website.
February 27 2009 | Uncategorized | 18 Comments »
Police suspect murder-suicide in Huntley deaths
HUNTLEY – Huntley Police confirmed Thursday that they think the shooting deaths of a man and woman found Wednesday in the woman’s residence is a murder-suicide.
Huntley Police Chief John Perkins said it appears that 39-year-old David J. Griner, the ex-boyfriend of Jennifer L. Beaudion, 33, shot Beaudion before killing himself, possibly on Tuesday night.
Perkins said the deaths appear to be the end result of a long-running domestic dispute between the two that dates back as far as September.
“As unfortunate of a situation as it is, it’s a difficult cycle to break,” Perkins said.
Indeed. This is the second local woman this week to be shot by a man she had sought protection from.
You can read the whole story here.
February 26 2009 | In the news | No Comments »
So says Ruth Bader Gisnburg in her majority opinion for the supreme court:
(From the Washington Post)
The Supreme Court yesterday affirmed federal efforts to bar those convicted of crimes involving domestic violence from owning guns.
It was the court’s first decision concerning gun rights since last year’s landmark decision recognizing an individual’s Second Amendment right to own a firearm. But the 7 to 2 decision authored by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg contained nary a word about Heller v. District of Columbia, which struck down Washington’s ban on handguns.
Instead, justices wrangled over language and whether Congress’s decision to ban firearms to those convicted of “a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence” extended to someone convicted of a generic charge of battery, so long as there was a proven domestic relationship between the offender and the victim.
Ginsburg said Congress might have been inartful in drafting the 1996 law, but its intentions and underlying concerns were clear: “Firearms and domestic strife are a potentially deadly combination nationwide.”
Ginsburg was citing the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence in that passage, and its president, Paul Helmke, said the ruling is “the right one for victims of domestic abuse and to protect law enforcement officers who are our first responders to domestic violence incidents.”
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), who sponsored the 1996 amendment to the federal Gun Control Act, said it had kept 150,000 domestic abusers nationwide from obtaining guns.
The question was whether gun ownership was barred because someone had been convicted of a generic law against the use of force, or whether the law in question must specifically have as an element that the victim was in a domestic relationship with the aggressor.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit said it was the latter. It threw out the conviction of Randy Edward Hayes, who had been convicted of battery on his then-wife in 1994. Ten years later, police responding to a domestic violence call about Hayes and his girlfriend found firearms in the home and indicted Hayes.
Hayes said that the 1994 battery conviction did not trigger the federal ban on firearms, because it was not specifically on the charge of domestic violence.
But nine other circuits around the country had read the law the other way, and Ginsburg said they were right. Fewer than half the states have laws that specifically denominate domestic violence as an element of a crime.
Excluding domestic abusers convicted under generic battery laws “would frustrate Congress’s manifest purpose,” Ginsburg said in announcing her decision from the bench. Congress would not have enacted something that “would have been a dead letter in the majority of states from the very moment of its passage.”
But Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., joined by Justice Antonin Scalia, said that the law’s ambiguous wording makes it a “textbook case for application of the rule of lenity” and that the case should be decided in Hayes’s favor.
“Ten years in jail is too much to hinge on the will-o’-the-wisp of statutory meaning pursued by the majority,” Roberts complained. Like Ginsburg, he did not mention the Heller ruling in his dissent.
The case is United States v. Hayes.
February 26 2009 | In the news | No Comments »
Turning Point begins a campaign to raise funds in support of the Law Enforcement Advocacy Program today. A letter from Jane Farmer about funding cuts that have impacted this program:
Dear Friend of Turning Point:
I need to talk to you about a federal funding cut that is directly impacting one of our most important programs.
The Law Enforcement Advocacy Partnership (LEAP) has been one of Turning Point’s (and McHenry County’s) most effective tools in the struggle against domestic violence in our communities. This program is essential in making sure that victims of Domestic Violence have trained Turning Point advocates (and if needed, translators) to accompany them to court dates and offer them guidance and support. It also provides technical assistance and support for victims seeking orders of protection and helps to make sure those orders are enforced. In addition, LEAP provides domestic violence training for 15 area law enforcement agencies and reviews related police reports. In short, LEAP is working 24/7 to protect victims of domestic violence, to make sure that their voices are heard in court, to encourage prosecution of abusers, and to make all of our neighborhoods safer and more peaceful.
Now, it’s in jeopardy. Turning Point was notified that the federal grant that has funded this vitally important program ($200,000 annually) was not renewed. In fact, the funding has already been discontinued. Turning Point needs to find other funding to continue the LEAP program. We are seeking other grants to fund this program in the coming years, but in the meantime, we are turning to you, as one of our most faithful supporters to ask you to help us to continue this vitally important program. I know times are hard, but I also know that if we can not continue this program, our services will be impacted and we cannot allow that.
I’ve enclosed a donor response card in this letter and I hope you can make a donation to help us continue this program. I think you agree that Turning Point’s LEAP Program is vitally important in helping to keep our communities safe and that it is worth supporting.
I know you might have some questions or some ideas on sources of funding for this program. As always, I urge you to call me with any questions or suggestions.
Thank you,
Jane Farmer
Executive Director
As always, donations can be made by mailing a check to Turning Point, PO Box 723, Woodstock IL 60098
by calling (815) 338 8081
or by donating online through WWW.McHenryCountyTurningPoint.Org. Click on the “Donate Now” button.
February 26 2009 | Fundraising and Programs | No Comments »
We linked to two stories from the Northwest Herald this week and if you visited that site you probably noticed- the Herald has a vigorous and outspoken “Peanut Gallery” that comments on most of the stories posted there. It seems like any mention of “Turning Point” brings out a chorus of outraged men who insist that Turning Point wouldn’t or won’t help them (or a friend) who was abused or falsely accused of abuse. The story about McHenry native Amber Cremeens being murdered by her abuser was one of the most-commented-on stories of the week and included several remarks critical of Turning Point. We’ll just take a moment to make a couple of corrections:
1) Turning Point does indeed serve male AND female victims. Turning Point does not “turn away” men who come for help.
2) Several posters cite anecdotal evidence of “False accusations” made against a “Friend.” In fact, many people seem far more concerned that someone, somewhere might be unjustly accused of abuse than they are about the thousands of victims who are in danger right now. There is little hard evidence on how common this is- but it’s important to remember that despite comments posted to the contrary, it’s not a “snap” to get an order of protection- a judge must find that the protection is warranted.
3) There are some interesting studies about this contention that “false accusations” are far more common than any evidence can verify. This web page offers a great examination of this belief. It’s interesting to note that MANY abusers maintain their complete and utter innocence despite witnesses, evidence and convictions.
February 25 2009 | In the news | No Comments »
“Despite tougher laws, wider awareness and better resources from advocacy groups and elsewhere, domestic violence, unfortunately, remains a significant problem in 2009.”
You can read the whole editorial here.
February 25 2009 | In the news and Programs | No Comments »
The Chicago Tribune has another great article on the Rihanna/Chris Brown story- this one written by a pair of teens looking at the way news coverage often blames the survivor of an attack for somehow provoking it. It’s a real thought provoking essay and you can read it in it’s entirety here.
“But let’s step back and look at it on a broader scale. Does a man ever have the right to beat a woman? Why is it that if a woman is beaten, she is always said to be the one who has provoked it? Why is it that so many abuse cases get overlooked or thrown under the table?
According to the Berkeley Media Studies Group’s, “Distracted by Drama: How California Newspapers Portray Intimate Partner Violence,” in many articles studied, the survivor of violence was blamed. The newspapers gave many excuses for why women were abused, shifting the responsibility for violence from perpetrators to survivors of violence. They used the word “victim,” but we would use the word “survivor.”
• The victim may have contributed to the violence by wearing sexy/revealing clothing or engaging in flirtatious behavior.
• The victim may have provoked the problem in another way, perhaps having been married many times, being argumentative, nagging, flaunting success, etc.
• The victim may have contributed to the problem by being unfaithful/dating others.
• The victim may have contributed to the problem by staying with a violent partner/failing to cooperate with police/continuing to see a violent partner.
Can you believe these excuses? Let’s take a closer look at this…..”
February 24 2009 | In the news and Programs | No Comments »
There has been so much Domestic Violence in the news lately, locally and nationally. This Northwest Herald article wraps up the Amber Cremeens case with memorial details.
“Tyler James Martin, 36, formerly of Wonder Lake, shot and killed himself Friday after a standoff with police in Chicago. Police in Wheat Ridge, Colo., a suburb of Denver, said Martin had run Cremeens off the road. When her car hit a fence, he got out of his car and shot her at close range, police said.
Martin and Cremeens had been in an eight-year relationship that ended in mid-2008, after which police said Martin stalked Cremeens.
“The greatest risk a woman is at is when she actually leaves her abusive partner,”(Turning Point Executive Director Jane) Farmer said. “By leaving, it increases the risk factor because suddenly her partner has lost all control and feels like the only way to get control is, ‘If I can’t have her, no one can have her.’ ”
McHenry County court records show that Martin had a history of violence and threats against women. ”
You can read the whole story here.
February 24 2009 | In the news and Programs | No Comments »
Chicago Tribune runs an article today that reports on many teens blase reaction to the Chris Brown/Rihanna story and reports a couple of shocking facts:
“1 in 10 teenagers has suffered such abuse and females ages 16 to 24 experience the highest rates of any age group, research shows.”
“….But other teens insist violence is sometimes justified in relationships. While young fans have plastered Rihanna’s MySpace page with notes of support, many comments on Brown’s page express delight at the possibility that he battered a woman.”
“”We know that education is absolutely crucial to breaking the cycle of abuse and strengthening healthy relationships,” said Candice Hopkins, director of loveisrespect.org, the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline, which started in 2007 and receives about 90 contacts a week.”
Turning Point provides presentations in area school about dating violence, bullying and domestic violence.
February 20 2009 | In the news and Programs | 2 Comments »
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