My Journey Begins.

I decided to write a book about domestic violence as a result of the following incident: A couple began renting the house next door. They seemed to be a nice couple pretty quiet, didn't have a lot of people hanging out at their house. Much better that the previous tenants. After a couple of months I started noticing that they argued. A lot! I'd hear them yelling at each other on a regular basis. One particular time I was in one of my rooms on that side of the house and heard him yelling/her screaming stop and what sounded like someone being slammed against the walls. I asked a couple of my other neighbors if they'd noticed anything,and they told me she had tried to run away from him several times while I was at work. He caught her on the lawn in front of the house and dragged her back kicking and screaming.  They said he'd even hit her knowing they were standing there watching.

Now anyone who knows  me well knows that my mother was a victim of domestic violence. She was killed by a boyfriend who liked to smack her around.  My neighbors both watched me digesting what they'd told me and made me promise I would not do anything crazy  like call the police or something.  I promised.

I have a teenage daughter and both of us were witnesses to what we'd been hearing on a regular basis. We'd discussed what should people do in situations like this. Everyone knows you don't get involved in domestic violence situations. We both agreed, but I said if it ever got really bad somebody would have to intervene. What if someone had stepped in to help my mom? Would she be here with us today? What if (God forbid) some guy abuses my daughter? Would some kind stranger try to help her?

On our way home at the end of the day a few weeks later we heard really loud music as we drove up the street. The music was coming from next door. When we got out of the car we realized the music was turned up so loud because he was at it again. I could hear him yelling and her screaming stop under the volume of the music. It went on for a while, and we were frightened for her.  I don't know who but "someone" called the police. Once the police left the guy called over a bunch of hood rats over to hang out in front of their house and intimidate the neighbors until all hours of the night. The woman left him a couple of weeks later and a few months after that the guy moved out.

My plan is to start a scholarship for orphans of domestic violence. To create resources to help children and adults who have lost their parents to abuse. I know that I have suffered from severe anxiety attacks, low self esteem, and a whole host of psychological issues from my mothers abuse. When you hear people talk about it you don't really hear about what happened to the children. Well quite frankly many of them are lost and need help. Its time for me to do something to help.