Florida Appeals Court Grants New Trial for Woman Accused of Firing Warning Shot at Abusive Husband

Those of us who care about justice, or lack thereof in the domestic violence arena were heartened to read that Marissa Alexander, a Florida woman convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced to 20 years for firing a warning shot at the wall to scare off her abusive spouse, will get a new trial. Florida's controversial Stand Your Ground law was used as part of her defense and while the court ruled, inexplicably that she could not use that defense, she will get a new trial. That Stand Your Ground law certainly has a questionably squiggly line for who may use it, doesn't it??


http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/26/20708537-florida-woman-given-20-years-for-firing-warning-shot-gets-new-trial?lite 

A Local Kickoff to Domestic Violence Month

 On October 1st, Between Friends, an agency that fights domestic abuse and provides services to victims in the Chicago area, will host an event they call Light Up the Lakefront with staff, volunteers, and passersby lighting thousands of candles along Oak Street Beach in memory of those who lost their lives at the hands of their abusers. We intend to support this event and hope you will too.

When is "helping" actually enabling?

Please read over this short article that poses the question of when looking the other way when there are signs of domestic violence can actually become enabling?



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-delaney/when-does-helping-a-troub_b_3895775.html

NFL Pittsburgh Steelers William Gay on losing his mom to domestic violence

 Please take a minute to watch this:


http://www.upworthy.com/how-often-does-a-football-player-make-you-cry-depends-on-how-many-times-you-watch-this-video-2

About Last Night...

Last night we took 11 women to Navy Pier to see Cirque Shanghai while our dozen volunteers stayed behind at the shelter to look after their 18 (or were there 19??) little ones. The children ranged in age from just-barely-walking to 12 years old.  There was non-stop activity and running around but on the bus ride back, we all agreed it was as much of a special night for us as it was for the ladies who got to see the show.   We all knew these kids had seen things in their young lives that no kids should have to live through but without exception, they were sweet and open to our attention. Last night reminded all of us why we're doing what we're doing.

If you'd like to volunteer or want more information, please go to our Contact Us page.

Our Next Event

We are pleased to announce that we will be taking our next group of ladies to see the phenomenal Cirque Shanghai at Navy Pier. It's a terrific show and will no doubt, be something they've never seen before. Of course, we can't say the exact date, in order to protect our ladies but it's coming soon and we're all very excited.

No More

If you go to the nomore.org website, you will notice that there is no place to donate money. That's because they're already being supported by some of the biggest corporate donors known for their ongoing support of ending domestic violence-Avon, Allstate, Verizon and more. What they ask of organizations and individuals is to spread the word about ways to fight against domestic violence and to display their symbol in a show of solidarity.http://nomore.org/