Trusting 911 – abused women
By Suzanne Berton © 29-Jul-05
Dear Editor:
I am just and ordinary Canadian with simple opinions. Yet I couldn't help express the confusion I feel over this whole affair. I suspect many Canadians feel the same way. This just makes me wonder where will this all lead to in 10 years time.
Thank you for reading. Suzanne
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If ever a woman calls 911 for help from a violent partner, she needs to trust law enforcement help. She should rest secure knowing she will never be placed on the back burner simply because she is making a domestic abuse call, she is Aboriginal, or she is considered less important than some other 911 call.
Of course, I am speaking of Brenda Moreside murder in Alberta. Though she called 911 for help, her drunk common-law partner Stanley Willier tried to break through a window, stabbing Brenda to death in her home after she begged for help in a 911 call.
We all know domestic abuse has reached heights that demand prompt responses from police. Women need to feel they can call someone, anyone, to deliver them from the hands of abusers. The recent slaying of Liana White whose husband is now being held for her murder should open wide the eyes of any police force. This, of course, is only one case in many.
Perhaps law enforcement should create a domestic abuse squad, if one doesn't exist already. Neighbourhood Watch was created to protect the properties from break-ins and theft. An a buse watch of sorts could be created in communities to protect women who are endangered from domestic abuse. If women cannot trust law enforcement to deliver them from the hands of abusers, then whom can they trust.
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