This weeks column in the Southwest Arkansas News // Mike Ross: The Right Candidate for Women Last month, a story featuring a Carroll Country resident of our state appeared on the Huffington Post. The story was a glimpse into the starkest of realities for many women in our country and it ended in the worst possible way. Laura Aceves had just completed her shift at the Tyson Foods plant in Berryville. Shortly after leaving the parking lot, she experienced trouble with her vehicle and with the assistance of a mechanic at a nearby service station, discovered that bleach had been poured into her gas tank. Two days later, Laura was dead. These two days, however, do not represent length of time that Laura was living in fear. Court records and family testimonials indicate that she had been living the recurring nightmare of one bad incident after another for over a year. The culprit of her misery was an abusive ex-boyfriend named Victor, a man who had once beaten her with baseball bat, strangled her, threatened her life, destroyed her belongings and was awaiting trial for two earlier attacks that included a felony for aggravated assault. While out on bail, Victor was given two orders: To refrain from contacting Laura in any way and to check in with his probation officer by phone once a week. On the night her car was vandalized, Laura pointed law enforcement officers in the direction of Victor but they were unable to locate him. Less than two days later, the police would see Laura again but this time she’d be brutally beaten and dead from a gunshot wound to her head. Her four-month-old son would be found lying by her side covered in his mother’s blood after playing witness to the horrific final moments of his young mother’s life. While the details may vary, Laura’s story is not an uncommon story in our state or nation. Every day women find themselves at the mercy of lax laws that do very little to protect them from abusive and predatory criminals. To many women, following some of the rules and policies currently deemed protective leaves them with little comfort, as they understand measures such as restraining orders to be little more than well-intentioned documents from which paper cages are constructed around vicious animals. Predators like Victor see no boundaries and victims like Laura see no future. After this story broke, Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Mike Ross released a plan to improve our state’s approach to domestic violence. The plan has since received national attention and, if implemented, could finally move Arkansas away from its frequent rankings as one of the 10 worst states in the nation when it comes to men killing women. His initiatives include changing the way police respond to calls over domestic violence. Lethality assessments – a tool by which officers are trained to ascertain risk levels of victims through research-based questions -- have served to reduce homicide rates nationwide. 32 states utilize the method, but Arkansas has yet to introduce the form of assessment that enables officers have clearer conversations with women regarding their level of danger and the resources they may utilize to seek help. Ross’s proposal also requires criminals to pay special court fees for each conviction of certain abuse and domestic violence-related crimes. These funds will support our state’s Domestic Peace Fund, which helps fund domestic violence shelters. (It’s worth noting that Laura Aceves’ home county does not have a shelter to serve domestic violence victims.) Tougher sentences for repeat and violent offenders, alternative sentencing and re-entry programs to reduce recidivism as well as the addition of a law enforcement voice to the Arkansas Sentencing Commission is included in his plan as well as are measures to increase support and resources for survivors. Funding will also be increased for the Arkansas State Police’s Crimes Against Children Division to reduce child abuse in the state. Mike Ross has a track record of working to protect women. While in Congress, Ross consistently voted to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act and fought against Republican attempts to weaken the law. Should he be elected this fall to serve as our state’s next Governor, domestic abuse victims and survivors will gain a mighty ally who understands that the issues they face are complex and deserve comprehensive solutions. Domestic violence should never be tolerated and our state deserves a Governor who will double-down on that message to every offender. Under the leadership of Mike Ross, victims have a better chance of becoming survivors and I can think of no better way to empower women than by protecting those in the greatest of need.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 02:52:42 +0000
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