TRIGGER WARNING: This page contains references to violence which may trigger readers.
I am another Jane Doe. A survivor of violence. This is my story. The story of someone who got away…
It was years ago. I did not see law in my foreseeable future. I was young, uneducated, broken and brown. I was told repeatedly by my perpetrator that they could kill me and they would get away with it. I didn’t know any better. I was separated from the world. There was no social media back then and I didn’t know what I know now.
My perpetrator was physically abusive, among other things. They had guns. I knew nothing about guns. When my perpetrator shot a bullet passed my left ear, I lost some of my hearing to a continuous ringing in my ear. Until that day, I had no idea that the sound of a gunshot was so loud.
I wrote notes to the police and hid them inside my socks in my sock drawer so that if I died at the hands of this perpetrator, my notes would be found.
Violence doesn’t happen in a vacuum. There are moments of peace, moments of happiness. There are moments of love. But sprinkled in those moments is violence.
On one occasion, the police arrived to rescue me. They were lined up on each side of the hallway trying to draw me out. I was hesitant. I didn’t want to cause problems for my perpetrator. The police rescued me that day and I returned to my perpetrator that evening, despite a restraining order.
It took several attempts to finally escape. I say “escape” because my perpetrator did not let me leave willingly. I waited until my perpetrator was away as part of their regular routine. I pretended all was well but I had a plan. When my perpetrator returned, my belongings and I were gone.
…the road after this was also bumpy until it was not…
As the years passed by, I learned to fold and pack my memories in a compartment in my mind and to never look at it again. But, we are the sum of our experiences. There were moments, even months where I was forced to contend with my memories…
I see a considerable shift in society. As society embraces survivors with compassion, I believe it is now time to share these experiences. My goal is not to reveal my perpetrators in any way. My goal is to bring freedom to those who are where I once was. This story is for the other Jane Does.
Your path may take several attempts to escape. But I believe in you. You have the ability to shift from victim to victor. Just as I did not foresee law in my future, you do not know what the future holds for you.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
[PLEASE NOTE – The practice is not taking clients at this time due to a personal emergency).