take back the night

i gave my reading last week at the domestic violence protest. the unimportant part, i did pretty good. i didn't get nervous or blow it in anyway. the important part, the courage of the women who stood up and talked about their experiences and what they had been through. i was really moved by their stories of perseverance. i was stunned to learn that in virginia alone 147 people a year die from domestic violence, of those 20 are children. it was shocking and upsetting. 

the most infuriating part, the law, or lack thereof that protected the abusers in almost every case! each woman told stories of contacting the police about harassment, stalking or threats and each time the story was the same, the police told them they needed more proof. in several instances that resulted in the death of the woman and twice the children as well. one law they are trying to pass is to make it illegal to threaten to kill someone. i think this is a fantastic idea! in my opinion this is where is starts, and this is where the women should be allowed to seek protection. i know it would be hard to prove but there has to be a way to start the law that could help a lot of the women. i am definitely motivated to get involved in lobbying congress to change these laws to start protecting our women and children from abuse. 

i believe in my heart though that the ultimate problem is our society is not doing enough to curb anger, rage, and violence. we need to be educating!!!!