New Hailey domestic violence shelter offers hope to the abused
Commentary by PAT MURPHY
"Now I don't have to face a victim," Sgt. Jay Davis was saying,
"and tell them I have no place for them to go."
What Blaine County deputy sheriff Davis and other law enforcement officers
now can do for victims of domestic violence is to send them and their children, if any, to
the handsome new $700,000 Hailey shelter of The Advocates, the only domestic violence and
sexual assault program serving the Wood River Valley and adjoining counties.
There was a time when battered women landed right back home in the arms of
abusive men.
As Sgt. Davis explains, laws now also allow police to arrest abusive
husbands and partners of women even without waiting for the victim to file formal charges,
especially if violence is witnessed by children and victims are pregnant. They also can
ask for a $5,000 bond and a court order prohibiting contact with victims for 72 hours.
Sad but true: even an idyllic playground such as the Wood River Valley,
where life would seem to be carefree, has dark sides, such as domestic violence and sexual
assault. Sgt. Davis says as many as 10 domestic violence arrests are made each week in
Blaine County, others by cities, in upscale neighborhoods as well as blue collar homes.
But the bright side: dozens of women and children who each year seek a
place to retreat from abuse and rebuild their lives are beneficiaries of giving hearts and
helpful spirits of countless volunteers who give time as well as substantial financial
donations to repair battered lives.
So far this year, 28 women and 19 children have been sheltered by The
Advocates for a total of 396 client-nights.
However, more than a shelter is involved. Beyond emergency housing
services, The Advocates counsels victims and their families, conducts abuse prevention
programs in schools and serves as an advocate in court for victims.
The most appalling statistic: more than 50 percent of all domestic
violence is witnessed by children, according to those professionals who work in the field.
And as a result of mayhem they’ve seen at home, many children grow into violent
adults, which keeps the cycle alive, even leading to more violent criminal behavior in the
community.
Those who’re saddened by such conduct can lend a hand in helping rid
the valley of it by offering to help The Advocates as volunteers or donors by calling
Tricia Swartling at 788-4191.
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For a spell during my days as a pilot years ago, I was a
"Colonel" in the Confederate Air Force, dutifully paying dues to help preserve
World War II combat aircraft.
Now the CAF is bedeviled by critics who criticize its name and the
Confederate flag on some CAF aircraft.
Time out, please.
Flying the Confederate flag on the South Carolina state Capitol is an
obvious no-no, just as it would be outrageous to fly the flag of Spain on the Florida
state Capitol because Spain once controlled the peninsula.
But private ad hoc groups using symbols of the confederacy aren’t
subject to the same restrictions, nor are their motives necessarily impure.
Slavery, the Civil War, the confederacy, the "underground
railroad" that rescued slaves, Gettysburg, Sherman’s destruction of
Atlanta—these icons are preserved in literature and museums as part of U.S. history.
Asking the Confederate Air Force to abandon its name and symbol of history
comes close to demanding books about the Civil War strike any mention of the Confederate
states.
Pat Murphy is the retired publisher of the Arizona
Republic and a former radio commentator.
