Helping Young Minds Heal After Crisis – Impact on Kids
During undergrad at Cal State East Bay, I took a lot of human development and early childhood development courses as a part of my course load. I remember reading Dr. Bruce Perry’s famous book, The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog. Dr. Perry has worked with some of the most traumatized children in the country. Just like it was stated in the article, the book also emphasized that children are often labeled as “resilient,” meaning they can bounce back after a traumatic event. But what people don’t realize is that if adults can be traumatized by these events, children will obviously be affected as well.
Kamala Harris, San Francisco’s District Attorney, recognizes a need for prevention, treatment, and recovery services for children. However, the only downfall is that these services would require funding. It is upsetting to know that such critical services are needed but cannot be provided as necessary because of the costs. At this point, it is refreshing to know that the District Attorney’s office has taken some reasonable steps towards helping and healing the community (the Safe from the Start program). I would like to know if the District Attorney, state, or federal government have developed and promoted more assistance for these types of domestic violence situations.
The Mercedes Murder
In response to the female perpetrator (Mercedes Murder) article, I also agree with Sivan that it appears that the husband’s threats (that his wife should to alter her appearance to appease him) were abusive. I am also not condoning her killing him. However, his comments about what she had to do in order for him to love her again and end his affair, sounds psychologically abusive to me. It was probably very disheartening and painful for her to hear those types of comments regularly. I feel like since we were not participants in their relationship, we will never really know what their interactions were like, or the pain she may have suffered before murdering him.
Man allegedly cuts off wife’s finger in meat cleaver attack/Man held in fatal Hayward screwdriver attack
In the first case that occurred in Alameda, it sounds as if this was an especially brutal argument. In these kinds of situations, it makes me wonder what happened to the man to have him have this type of response in an argument. I also wonder if he had a violent past? Based on the article, it does not sound like the police had been called to this house before.
Similarly to the man who used a meat cleaver against his wife, this man instead chose a screw driver. I could see how someone would grab a screwdriver or a meat cleaver in a state of defense, to ward off a perpetrator or to avoid potential harm. In the Hayward screwdriver attack, it seems as if this was a premeditated attack.
