From Ray Rice to Reality: What do we see and what do we do?

@Donna Ferrato from Living With The Enemy

While we react to the horrible criminal act of violence by Ray Rice, as we should, lets us not miss what we don’t see everyday.  The camera caught Ray Rice but what is it that the camera does not catch that happens everyday / night?  A few facts:

•      1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.
•      Women ages 20 to 24 are at the greatest risk of becoming victims of domestic violence
•      Every year, 1 in 3 women who is a victim of homicide is murdered by her current or former partner
•       Every year, more than 3 million children witness domestic violence in their homes
•       Domestic violence is most likely to occur between 6 pm and 6 am.
•       More than 60% of domestic violence incidents happen at home[1]

What happened to Janay Rice is happening in the homes of our families and neighborhoods every night; in homes, after dark and both females and children are victims of this horrible crime.  There are no video cameras posted to record the events of violence / abuse but the data is clear the crime is occurring.  Do we see it?  Do we act?

@Donna Ferrato from Living with the Enemy

While we should be upset about what we saw on video when Ray Rice committed a violent crime against Janay Rice let us continue to be equally outraged about what is happening in homes around this country, night after night.  We have to talk about it and hold these violent criminals accountable for their actions.  While Ray Rice must pay, all the other criminals must pay and the victims need our support as they seek freedom, justice and healing.

@Donna Ferrato from Living with the Enemy

This isn’t new as much as it is news.  I am reminded of my life growing up and seeing violence in my neighborhood.  I remember seeing this story on the big and small screen. Who can forget that movie from 1991 Sleeping with the Enemy that made us all sit in the theatre in horror.

Or the 1984  movie The Burning Bed , based on a true story of Francine Hughes, that was so hard to look at but once again it told the story that we needed to see and as a result call us to action.

I am also reminded of the 1991 book by photographer, Donna Ferrato, Living With The Enemy, a book that makes us look at domestic violence for the evil that it is.  Ferrato’s works makes us stare at the horrible affects and effects of domestic violence / abuse.

Living With The Enemy - The Book

As we react, accordingly to the violent criminal act of Ray Rice, let us come together to continue to call this criminal act out in our communities, families and faith communities.  Ray Rice being banned from the NFL and the CFL sends a message and that message must also be translated at the grassroots level that we, you and I, will not tolerate or be silent when it comes to the crime of domestic violence / abuse in our midst.   What are you, what am I, going to do to make sure that there are no Ray Rices in our /my midst? How will we see what the camera is not capturing, but we know is occurring, and act accordingly?

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[1] http://www.safehorizon.org/page/domestic-violence-statistics--facts-52.html