To the Editor:
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It is supposed to be a time when communities recommit themselves to believing victims, protecting survivors, holding offenders accountable and recognizing that domestic violence can be deadly. In Haywood County, I believe that conversation also needs to include a serious examination of how victims are treated once they turn to the legal system for help.
Over the past week, I have watched a close relative attempt to navigate that system after a violent domestic assault involving strangulation. The person accused has a prior criminal history that includes domestic violence and assault with a deadly weapon. Our family also reported serious concerns about his access to a firearm, including a previous incident in which he allegedly appeared at my relative’s door with a gun and threatened suicide.
Given those circumstances, I expected urgency.
Instead, what I witnessed was a system that too often seemed indifferent to the person asking it for protection.
Law enforcement was slow to act. Concerns about the firearm did not appear to receive the seriousness our family believed was warranted. The officer handling the charges made comments that we found rude, cruel and profoundly unprofessional. My relative spent hours waiting for assistance while already dealing with the fear, confusion and trauma that follow a violent assault.
Then came court.
During a scheduled hearing, my relative was never personally addressed by anyone from the district attorney’s office and was not given an opportunity to speak with someone about what was happening with the case. A person who had already endured violence was left trying to navigate an intimidating legal process without meaningful communication from the very system entrusted with pursuing justice.
This should concern every resident of Haywood County, regardless of whether domestic violence has touched your own family.
Domestic violence is not a minor family dispute. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one in three American women have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetimes. Nearly one in five women have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner. The CDC also reports that more than half of female homicide victims are killed by a current or former male intimate partner.
These are not statistics a community can afford to treat casually.
And strangulation should never be treated as “just another” domestic violence allegation. When a victim reports being strangled, when there are concerns about a firearm and when an alleged offender has a history of violence, every person within the system should understand the potential seriousness of that situation.
Victims who summon the courage to ask for help should encounter professionals trained to understand trauma, domestic violence, victim safety and victims’ rights. They should receive clear explanations about what happens next. They should know whom to contact. Their safety concerns should be documented and taken seriously. They should not spend hours wondering whether anyone is listening to them. And they certainly should not leave an encounter with law enforcement or the courthouse feeling more powerless than when they arrived.
What I witnessed raises larger questions that Haywood County officials should be willing to answer.
What domestic violence-specific training do law enforcement officers receive? What protocols exist when strangulation is alleged? How are reports involving firearms handled when the accused has a felony record? How are victims informed of their rights and the status of criminal proceedings? What role does the district attorney’s office play in communicating with victims before and during hearings? Are victims routinely connected with advocates? And what mechanism exists for victims to report inappropriate treatment without fearing that doing so will affect their case?
These questions are not an attack on every law enforcement officer, prosecutor or court employee in Haywood County. There are undoubtedly dedicated people working within these institutions. But good individuals cannot compensate for a system that is failing victims at critical moments.
What I have witnessed over the past week suggests a troubling lack of consistency, communication, trauma-informed training and accountability. At times, it has felt less like compassion for domestic violence victims and more like disdain for them.
That needs to change.
I am calling on Haywood County law enforcement leadership, the district attorney’s office, court officials and county leaders to conduct a serious review of how domestic violence cases are handled from the initial report through prosecution. That review should include victim interviews, domestic violence advocates and an examination of training, response times, firearm-related protocols, victim notification procedures and standards for professional conduct.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month cannot simply mean purple ribbons, social media posts and public proclamations every October. Awareness means recognizing failures when they occur and having the courage to correct them.
A domestic violence victim should never have to fight two battles: one against an abuser and another against the system she turned to for protection.
Haywood County can — and must — do better.
Heather Hyatt-Packer
Haywood County