- Video shows a forum on the topic of domestic violence, hosted by Jackson College.
- According to Lieutenant Peter Postma, calls for domestic disputes are the most common calls the Jackson Police Department receives.
- A survivor, Daisha Cooper, shares her story, after surviving a violent two-year relationship.
"When it comes to a point where you are fighting for survival every day, that's when it comes the point where enough is enough," says survivor of domestic violence, Daisha Cooper. Cooper suffered a violent relationship for about two years.
Since 2016, Cooper has sought counseling and mental health resources to build herself back up. She says, "I had to find my strength back, for my children. I had to find my purpose of the reason why I was living."
Thursday, Cooper shared her story, alongside local law enforcement and prosecutors, in a domestic violence forum at Jackson College. One of the panelists, Kelsey Guernsey, County Prosecutor-elect, says, "It's hard in a court system. We see a lot of victims who still love the person that's hurting them, that still want to protect and take care of the person that's hurting them."
Jackson College Inclusive Excellence Director, Antoine Breedlove, explains the importance of bringing the topic of domestic violence to students
Local leaders say domestic violence can often start with mental or verbal abuse before becoming physical. Defense Attorney, George Lyons, explains, "Those of us in the system understand that leaving isn't easy. What the abuser does, is separate you from the herd, so what happens is, you're isolated, and you have nowhere to go."
According to Lieutenant Peter Postma, so far in 2024, the Jackson Police Department has responded to 2,316 calls of domestic disputes or situations. Out of those calls, reports were taken on 416 of them. At the panel, he said, "Even calls that we go on, frequently, for domestic violence, they're the same residences over and over. Where the female will not talk to us, or the male will not allow the female to talk to us."
This is a theme that resonates with Cooper, but now, after a long healing process, she feels the best thing a victim can do is walk away. She says, "If you have any ounce of life left in you still, and you're still waking up to see another day, you have the strength to fight and to leave."
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