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NFL Player Homicide-Suicide: This Is Domestic Violence

Dec 06, 2012 — Categories: ,

A head injury? Alcohol? Drugs? Depression? An argument? Everyone who knew Jovan Belcher is grasping for an answer to “why?” We only know what we read in the paper, but there is nothing all that unusual here when a man kills his partner and himself. The story is pretty predictable. This is domestic violence.

A head injury? Alcohol? Drugs? Depression? An argument? Everyone who knew Jovan Belcher is grasping for an answer to “why?” We only know what we read in the paper, but there is nothing all that unusual here when a man kills his partner and himself. The story is pretty predictable. This is domestic violence.

Belcher is praised by teammates and coaches as a really good football player and hard worker. "He was a good, good person...a family man. A loving guy," said family friend Ruben Marshall, who said he coached Belcher in youth football. "You couldn't be around a better person."

This is domestic violence. This is the same story tragically played out over and over again: the public persona in contradiction to the private man who murdered his girlfriend and then killed himself.

People who were interviewed said they knew of no history or evidence of Belcher having problems. As an undergraduate, “His name appears on at least three police reports released by university officials. In April 2006, which was Belcher's freshman year, he was upset over a woman and punched a dormitory window, according to officials. In February 2007, officers responded to a noise complaint involving Belcher and a girlfriend and “a discussion outside his room.’”

Team officials reportedly knew the couple had a history of arguments about relationship and financial issues. The Chiefs had provided counseling and "were bending over backward" to help, Police Sgt. Richard Sharp said.

This is domestic violence. People knew. The team knew.

This is domestic violence. This wasn’t someone who flipped out and went berserk: he directed his violence at one person, his intimate partner. Although he took his gun with him to the stadium and talked with his coaches, he never threatened them or anyone else—only himself.

This is domestic violence. And whenever there is domestic violence, the chances of a deadly outcome are very high. This is a profound tragedy for the families with a young child left without parents. But it is not an unusual tragedy, unfortunately.

11,766 women were murdered by husbands or boyfriends since 9/11/2001, a total greater than all of those killed in 9/11 plus all of the subsequent U.S. casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This is why we are participating in the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender Based Violence.  Because enough is enough.

Rev. Dr. Marie M. Fortune
FaithTrust Institute

P.S. It makes a difference. Contact your Representative: “Pass the Senate version of Reauthorization of Violence Against Women Act now.”

www.faithtrustinstitute.org

Click here to subscribe to Marie's blog.

 

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This is Domestic Violence

Posted by Kathy Catino at Dec 12, 2012 12:50 PM
As a 40 year anti domestic violence advocate and survivor I have attended too many funerals of women murdered by the man who was supposed to love them. I've struggled to understand why the guys who murdered these women - often the mothers of their children - go on to kill themselves. I've watched angry, as media, friends and family of the murderer talk about what a great guy he was. Your blog entitled This is Domestic Violence is one of the finest examples of what I feel is an appropriate response. Your words ring true and strong and real. Wherever there is domestic violence there is too often the likelihood of murder. It must stop. It won't stop until everyone understands and no one makes excuses for the abuser. Abuse is wrong. Abusers should be held accountable BEFORE they murder.

This is domestic violence

Posted by rosaline Brown at Dec 28, 2012 03:38 PM
I was sickened by the coverage of the murder/suscide. Why because few people referred to the situtation as DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. Only one month ago, we lifted up domestic violence. (Oct.)
It was too close to home for me. My daughter was murdered and left a 3 mo. daaughter. He also, killed himself.I lived this situtation as if it were yesterday (not 9 yrs ago). I have spoken openly around my granddaughter about hr mother's death. No secrets, she knows what domestic violence is and what happened to her parents. Only on behalf of her paternal grandparents. There has been denial on their part since the tradgedy occurred.
After all the pain I have substained, was the behavior she maintained over the next 2 weeks. I did not talk to her because she was wth her paternal grandparents that week. By the time she got to us it took me several days to relate her behavior to the information on the news. How long will this craziness continue to go on and little children pay the price?