It seemed like the whole world was talking about the opening of the 50 Shades of Grey movie this past weekend. There were as many different perspectives as there were people talking. Some see in this cultural phenomenon a tale of sexual awakening and pushing the boundaries of conventional sexual mores. Some see a level of sexual explicitness not appropriate for mainstream culture. Some see an…
Last night, like many of us, I found myself watching the press conference with Jim Harbaugh, coach of the Baltimore Ravens, as he discussed the decision to cut Ray Rice from the team and the NFL’s decision to suspend him indefinitely. While Rice had originally been suspended for two games following the release of a partial video that showed the aftermath of a physical attack on…
This week’s blog post was supposed to be a preview of our upcoming Waltham Neighborhoods Fall Festival. We were going to talk about leaves changing, neighbors coming together on a Saturday, music playing, hot dogs on the grill, and a community growing stronger and safer. Then the murder of Jennifer Martel sent shock waves through our office and our city as we all asked ourselves what…
Last week was an exciting one for participants of REACH’s Latinas Know Your Rights (LKYR) program and the staff who work with them. Their efforts were instrumental in defeating a controversial piece of proposed legislation that would have had severe consequences for immigrant families, particularly victims of domestic violence. We’ve written before on this blog about the connection between immigration and domestic violence, and about REACH’s…
When you become aware of an abusive situation, or suspect someone you know experiencing abuse, it’s hard to know what to do or say. Where do you draw the line between public and private? If you ask questions, are you sticking your nose in someone else’s business? Domestic violence is a community issue. It affects those we know, love and care about. When it happens in…
Have you ever seen a story about a domestic violence homicide on the news and felt that it sounds all too familiar? Felt a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach like, didn’t anyone see this coming? You’re not alone, and the research bears this out. The fact of the matter is that domestic violence homicide is actually startlingly predictable. The good news is that…
