MyDD :: How Many Women Have Been Killed Since Nicole?

How Many Women Have Been Killed Since Nicole?

by alegre, Fri Sep 14, 2007 at 01:38:42 PM EST

Nicole Simpson was killed in 1994 yet we're STILL, hearing about it now that OJ Simpson's come out with his new book. The talking heads were blathering on about it this morning on every channel - ABC spent about 10 minutes talking with Nicole's sister, and NBC had the family of that guy who was killed with Nicole on to defend their non-offense at Simpson's new book.

I'm sickened by the way the MSM focus on the issue of domestic violence and the murder of innocent women by spouses or (ex) boyfriends - this shit happens every freakin' day, and we don't hear a peep out of the MSM about these brutal acts of violence.

So I got curious and checked out NOW's info pages on violence against women. Four women are killed in domestic violence every day - that's (let me get the calculator out here) 1,460 women a year. So since Nicole was murdered, (holy shit) 18,980 have been killed in our country.

I'll REPEAT THAT: 18,980 women have been murdered since Nicole was killed in 1994. I don't know about you but I haven't heard a peep about these victims of domestic violence. No one's interviewing their families or writing books about them. Make the jump...

From NOW's page on violence against women ...

MURDER. Every day four women die in this country as a result of domestic violence, the euphemism for murders and assaults by husbands and boyfriends. That's approximately 1,400 women a year, according to the FBI. The number of women who have been murdered by their intimate partners is greater than the number of soldiers killed in the Vietnam War.

The site goes on to talk about the 2 to 4 million women who are battered and beaten by intimates each year, the 1.2 million women who're forcibly raped (half of whom knew their attacker(s)), and the effect these crimes have on children.

Kim Gandy & the NOW pac have endorsed Hillary's historic run for the White House, and since their announced endorsement, I've been paying a lot more attention to the emails I get from NOW (I'm on a LOT of mailing lists). Gandy sent out a recent newsletter, which includes her "Below the Belt" column, and it was a real eye-opener...

A 20-year-old woman reported being raped by the bouncer outside a bar in Cincinnati. A disabled woman in Everett, Wash., says she was raped in her home by a man she knew, while her young children slept nearby. In Washington, D.C., police say a woman was forced to withdraw money for the assailant after he raped her. A man was arrested in Cheyenne, Wyo., for raping and murdering a woman. Chicago police say a 25-year-old woman was stabbed and strangled in a "domestic dispute."

And that was just yesterday.

Rarely a day goes by without multiple headlines announcing that a woman or young girl is missing, or has been sexually assaulted, raped or murdered, or some combination thereof. It is no secret that violence against women and girls pervades this country and the world, and yet for some reason, neither the statistics nor the headlines shock society into collective, sustained action. The fact that one in six women in the U.S. is the victim of sexual assault raises few eyebrows.

Certain instances of sexual assault, rape and other violent acts against women get a lot of media coverage, but the reports are rarely framed as evidence of a serious public health crisis and a society still struggling with misogyny. More often, incidents make news because of the alleged perpetrator's celebrity status or the salaciousness of the crime, a trend that has fostered a frightening trivialization of violence against women. Rape has become the stuff of gossip -- and even humor.

This shit has a horrible effect on girls in our society. If they try to speak out against this kind of violence they're met with "jokes" by male peers about RAPE CLUBS. They're jeered at whenever they try to hold Take Back the Night rallies or marches on college campuses. Apparently, it's perfectly acceptable to make light of violence against women & girls in our society now. (Just think of how objectionable it would be if you replaced girl with a minority group - and rape with lynching or gassing!).

The Gandy article goes on to say that...

I guess it's not surprising to learn that one in five high school girls had been physically or sexually abused by a dating partner, according to a 2001 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The lead author of the study said the findings suggest that many adolescent boys "have adopted attitudes that men are entitled to control their girlfriends through violence." This control can have both immediate and far-reaching effects. For instance, girls who had been victimized were eight to nine times more likely to have attempted suicide in the previous year.

I am so sick of the way the MSM use sensational murders like Simpson's to boost their ratings (because let's face it - with the crap they're pumping out on to the airwaves right now, they need all the help they can get!). They slam us with this crap for their own gain while they ignore the underlying crisis in our society - violence against thousands of innocent women & girls every day. More from Gandy's articles...

When CNN feels compelled to run a headline like "Spector rant: 'All women should be shot in the head,'" concerning music producer Phil Spector's alleged murder of actor Lana Clarkson, couldn't the news provider include some information about just how many women are murdered annually by someone they know?

When we hear about violence against women, as in June's stories about the murder of pregnant Jessie Davis by her boyfriend and the murders of Nancy Benoit and her son by professional wrestler Chris Benoit, don't we deserve better than a "she asked for it" response? Said FOX pundit Bill O'Reilly of these murders: "In both of these terrible situations, the men involved were troubled and chaotic. And the women involved had to know that. Now I'm not blaming the victims here, but I am saying that every one of us has to make smart decisions especially when children are involved." Of course, he's not blaming the victims, but he goes on to say, "The women should be alive today, but those ladies made big mistakes."

(emphasis mine - my head's about to explode over that blowhard's hate & ignorance!)

I'm so sick of the way women are treated in our society, from the violence women & girls face at the hands of men (and sometimes other women) who supposedly love them, to the way the cops, courts and MSM refuse to open their eyes to what's happening (given the numbers, it's not only likely - but probable that someone they know is a victim of this kind of violence).

I posted a couple of diaries over the last few months in support of Hillary's historic run for the White House - I'm convinced that putting a woman in the Oval Office will force our society to take a more serious look at how we treat the women & girls of this great land. It's one of many reasons I'm not only voting for Hillary in Maryland's primary on Feb. 12th, but working my tail off to help make sure she makes it. She has a phenomenal record of standing up for the rights of women & children and is still working hard on the issues we care about, as noted in one of my recent write-ups of her address to the National Conference of Planned Parenthood.

My very first diary in support of Hillary really touches on these issues - Would A Clinton Presidency Help Women? Absolutely! My blogging on behalf of Hillary got started with a comment I left in a diary of WiscMass' back in June and I think it's worth posting what led to the above-linked diary...

As to the candidates and the questions you raised, I don't know my chosen candidate's (Clinton) position on each and every one of them.

But here's the thing and I know this is going to sound odd coming from me... we've been led for well over 200 years by men and look where it's gotten us. Over 30 years have passed since Roe and we're STILL fighting for our right to choose - hell to even have access to birth control! Children make up a massive percentage of those living in poverty. Our schools are a mess in urban areas. Court rulings regarding child support and protection orders are virtually ignored, girls are literally starving themselves to death to achieve some ideal image as portrayed in our MSM, domestic violence isn't taken seriously by our courts or even the cops... the list goes on and on and ON when it comes to the lack of respect for the rights of women & our children in this society.

The more I look at her record and her position on the issues, the more convinced I am that it's time we elected this woman as president. Maybe then people will take us seriously - as workers, as providers for our families, and as human beings who deserve the same respect given to the men in our land.

She's smart. She's got a proven track record when it comes to working for the rights of women & children, and she's got a head-start on a lot of the other candidates when it comes to rebuilding our f#cked-up reputation with other world leaders.

Put a woman with her brains and background in the White House - let her show the rest of the world what a WOMAN can do if she gets the chance - and maybe things will (finally!) start to change for us here at home.

And hey I know she won't be able to fix all of the above in one fell swoop - but it's time we gave it a try. It's a start at least.

It's time to get serious about the violence that's visited upon our wives, sisters, mothers, daughters and friends each and every day in our society - rather than pay lip service to the matter whenever some celebrity is accused of a brutal murder. And this is how I'm getting serious - by supporting Hillary and posting rants here on sites like this.

Cross-Posted at DailyKos.com

Tags: women, violence, domestic violence, courts, MSM, media, Nicole Simpson, OJ Simpson, National Organizatio for Women, Hillary Clinton, 2008 elections, president (all tags)

Permalink :: 24 Comments :: Post a Comment

This Violence Has GOT To Be Stopped (2.00 / 1)

Somehow - some day - we need to stop allowing people to kill innocent women & girls in our society.

Donate to Hillary Now!

by alegre on Fri Sep 14, 2007 at 01:41:20 PM EST

Re: This Violence Has GOT To Be Stopped (none / 0)

I don't know how we can stop allowing it. I don't allow it and I can't protect all the women in the country. I just try to protect the ones closest to me. But I sure as hell ain't Superman and I ain't all that muscular or macho.

I can't even count the number of women that have told me they were once raped. Its a horrible thing for them to have to deal with. It effects them so deeply and for so many years. Perhaps the best we can do is speak out against violence and do our best to teach children what common respect for other human beings is. And that NO means NO.

by DoIT on Fri Sep 14, 2007 at 02:15:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: How Many Women Have Been Killed Since Nicole? (none / 0)

What about Laci Peterson,Jessica Davis.

by nkpolitics on Fri Sep 14, 2007 at 01:59:08 PM EST

Re: How Many Women Have Been Killed Since Nicole? (none / 0)

Jodie Foster to the rescue!

by DoIT on Fri Sep 14, 2007 at 02:09:43 PM EST

Don't men count? (none / 0)

Whenever I hear people talking about "violence against women" I always wonder why the statistically much more prevalent violence against men is not worth worrying about. USDOJ statistics say that men are more likely to be the victims of all types of violent crime except rape.

Focusing only on violence against women is really like saying that violence against men is less damaging or less important. How about focusing on violence against people? How about that?

by Mystylplx on Fri Sep 14, 2007 at 03:28:20 PM EST

Re: Don't men count? (none / 0)

who are the perps? Other men, right?

That's a whole other topic, why is it that some men can't understand that there are still inequities in this society to be solved?

DON'T COUNT THE VOTES, DON'T COUNT THE VOTES.... Obama and the Obamaettes... spring 2008

by TeresaINPennsylvania on Fri Sep 14, 2007 at 07:36:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Don't men count? (none / 0)

So you think that makes a difference? If the "perp" has a penis then it's better or less painful if the victim also has a penis? What kind of thinking is that?

But FYI, most violence committed outside the home is indeed committed by people with penises. Most violence inside the home (including the vast majority of child-abuse) is committed by people with vaginas.

And the point remains--why are we so concerned with "violence against women" when men are the primary victims of violence in our society? This is a social pattern of valuing womens lives and feelings more that goes way back--"women and children first on the lifeboats" etc.

Why is it that some women can't understand that women are not always the victims and men are not always the "perps?"

by Mystylplx on Sat Sep 15, 2007 at 12:06:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]

How many men have been killed since Ron? (none / 0)

The unconscious bias in your (and the NOW) reporting of this is clear when you note that you didn't even mention Ron Goldman. And that's pretty typical. It's all about Nicole because Ron was just a male and males don't count nearly as much. Studies have shown that death row inmates are way disproportionately there for killing women--in spite of the fact that men are more often murder victims you have a much better chance of getting the death penalty for killing a woman. This is especially true if it's a white woman. Extra true if it's a pretty young white woman.

Our culture simply values womens lives more highly than mens. Men are seen as expendable--women are not. Violence against women, even though it's more rare, is seen as an atrocity--violence against men is seen as acceptable. You illustrated that yourself when you excused away (inaccurately) the fact that men are the primary victims of violence by suggesting that the "perps" were also men. Outside the home that's mostly true, but inside the home the "perps" are mostly women.

by Mystylplx on Sat Sep 15, 2007 at 12:37:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: How many men have been killed since Ron? (none / 0)

Men do get battered and abused, but intimate partner violence is primarily a crime against women.
    In 2001, women accounted for 85 percent of the victims of intimate partner violence (588,490 total) and men accounted for approximately 15 percent of the victims (103,220 total)'
    While women are less likely than men to be victims of violent crimes overall, women are five to eight times more likely than men to be victimized by an intimate partner
    In 2001, intimate partner violence made up 20 percent of violent crime against women. The same year, intimate partners committed three percent of all violent crime against men
    As many as 324,000 women each year experience intimate partner violence during their pregnancy
    Male violence aganst women does much more damage than female violence against men; women are much more likely to be injured than men.
    Women are seven to 14 times more likely than men to report suffering severe physical assaults from an intimate partner. On average, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in this country every day. In 2000, 1,247 women were killed by an intimate partner. The same year, 440 men were killed by an intimate partner
    Women are much more likely than men to be killed by an intimate partner. In 2000, intimate partner homicides accounted for 33.5 percent of the murders of women and less than four percent of the murders of men.17
    Pregnant and recently pregnant women are more likely to be victims of homicide than to die of any other cause, and evidence exists that a significant proportion of all female homicide victims are killed by their intimate partners.

by jcampbell77 on Sat Sep 22, 2007 at 11:14:02 AM EST
[ Parent ]

BTW (none / 0)

Intimate partner violence is vastly under reported in women as well as in men, and MUCH more so in men, so that 85/15 number you give is meaningless as a measure of real rates of abuse. 85% of reported intimate partner violence have the women as victims. That's all that means. Hundreds of studies show that the real rates are close to 50/50 on male and female victims for intimate partner violence. For domestic violence, which includes child abuse, woman are overwhelmingly the major perpetrators.

by Mystylplx on Sat Sep 22, 2007 at 12:29:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: How many men have been killed since Ron? (none / 0)

Just to clarify--when I said "reported" I mean 'reported to the police.' None of those stats are a real measure of the actual violence that occurs--they are just a measure of who is more willing to call the cops in the event of being victimized. Even women often won't report IPV because of the shame factor, and that's MUCH more true for men.

by Mystylplx on Sat Sep 22, 2007 at 01:44:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Don't men count? (none / 0)

Men do get battered and abused, but intimate partner violence is primarily a crime against women.
    In 2001, women accounted for 85 percent of the victims of intimate partner violence (588,490 total) and men accounted for approximately 15 percent of the victims (103,220 total)'
    While women are less likely than men to be victims of violent crimes overall, women are five to eight times more likely than men to be victimized by an intimate partner
    In 2001, intimate partner violence made up 20 percent of violent crime against women. The same year, intimate partners committed three percent of all violent crime against men
    As many as 324,000 women each year experience intimate partner violence during their pregnancy
    Male violence aganst women does much more damage than female violence against men; women are much more likely to be injured than men.
    Women are seven to 14 times more likely than men to report suffering severe physical assaults from an intimate partner. On average, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in this country every day. In 2000, 1,247 women were killed by an intimate partner. The same year, 440 men were killed by an intimate partner
    Women are much more likely than men to be killed by an intimate partner. In 2000, intimate partner homicides accounted for 33.5 percent of the murders of women and less than four percent of the murders of men.17
    Pregnant and recently pregnant women are more likely to be victims of homicide than to die of any other cause, and evidence exists that a significant proportion of all female homicide victims are killed by their intimate partners.

by jcampbell77 on Sat Sep 22, 2007 at 11:13:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Don't men count? (none / 0)

You are wrong.

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/vsx2 .htm

by Mystylplx on Sat Sep 22, 2007 at 12:07:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Don't men count? (none / 0)

The facts don't support your assertion.

http://www.csulb.edu/~mfiebert/assault.h tm

Hundreds of studies all over the world, and the results are consistant. The problem is we don't even recognize domestic violence against men. In one extreme example a British man was repeatedly hospitalized by his wife and the police wouldn't take it seriously. The man was a professional boxer and his wife was tiny--no one would believe it, yet he had the broken bones to prove it. He simply had been taught that you never hit a woman for any reason and she kept coming after him with knives and baseball bats.

by Mystylplx on Sat Sep 22, 2007 at 12:12:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: How Many Women Have Been Killed Since Nicole? (none / 0)

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/vsx2 .htm

by Mystylplx on Fri Sep 14, 2007 at 03:34:04 PM EST

related to this topic (none / 0)

In 1994 I volunteered for the gubernatorial campaign of Bonnie Campbell, who was attorney general of Iowa at the time. When she took office she realized that most violent crime in Iowa was domestic violence, so she made reducing domestic violence a priority of her office.

Now granted, 1994 was a bad year to be running for any office as a Democrat.

But you should have seen how the Republicans attacked her for being "soft" on crime because she was focusing her attention on domestic violence. They did this in many overt ways and also through whispering campaigns. It was disgusting, but it definitely hurt her.

People's image of violent crime is an attack by a stranger. They are much more likely to blame the victim if the attack is by a spouse or partner.

Incidentally, Bill Clinton appointed Bonnie Campbell to a senior DOJ post after the 1994 election. One of her jobs there was administering the Violence Against Women Act. (Later, Clinton also tried to appoint her to a federal judgeship, but Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley put a hold on the nomination, so Campbell never got a vote.)

Bonnie is now helping the Clinton campaign in Iowa--she may even be one of the co-chairs, I can't remember her title.

Join the Iowa progressive community at Bleeding Heartland.

by desmoinesdem on Sat Sep 15, 2007 at 07:17:39 AM EST

Intimate partner violence is committed about 50/50 between females and males. Hundreds of studies have shown that woman are just as likely as men to commit acts of domestic violence. The problem is men are much less likely to go to the police, and when they do the police are much more likely to laugh it off. Our culture just refuses to recognize that if a woman slaps a man it is the same crime as if a man slaps a woman. We simply value womens lives and feelings more in our culture.

by Mystylplx on Sat Sep 15, 2007 at 12:10:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

by jcampbell77 on Sat Sep 22, 2007 at 11:13:38 AM EST
[ Parent ]

The only statistic you have there that isn't based on reported violence is that women are more likely to be killed by an intimate partner. This is true. Men, however, are far more likely to commit suicide as a result of being victims of intimate partner violence.

Funny thing in all those scientific studies of IPV is they show how invisible female on male violence is. When asked if they have been a victim many more women than men will answer yes, but when asked more specific questions like, 'have you been slapped/punched by your partner?' that's when it becomes clear the rates are close to even. We just don't culturally think of it as "abuse" when a woman slaps a man, but if a man slaps a woman it is immediately recognized as abuse.

The studies show that intimate partner violence is close to evenly split between male and female victims, that women are far more likely to use weapons when they are abusers, and that men are far less likely to report physical abuse than are women.

by Mystylplx on Sat Sep 22, 2007 at 01:19:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Actually even the 'murder' statistic is suspect due to the well documented gender bias in the justice system. Remember the study a few years back which found racial bias in the Maryland justice system and prompted the Gov. to put a halt to all executions? That same study found the most significant bias in the system was not race but gender. The gender bias was twice as significant as the racial bias. Women were less likely to be arrested (with the same evidence) less likely to be convicted once arrested, and once convicted women recieved lower sentences.

It also found that men were much more likely to recieve the death penalty if they were convicted of killing a woman rather than a man, which shows the difference in how we value womens lives more than mens. This is why all the talk about "violence against women" is so offensive--women are already the most protected segment of society.

by Mystylplx on Sat Sep 22, 2007 at 02:17:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]

http://www.csulb.edu/~mfiebert/assault.h tm

Domestic violence is a human issue. Men are as likely to be victims and women are as likely to be victimizers. As long as we insist on thinking of domestic violence as something that men do to women we will never solve it because we're not dealing with reality.

by Mystylplx on Sat Sep 15, 2007 at 12:23:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

by jcampbell77 on Sat Sep 22, 2007 at 11:13:27 AM EST
[ Parent ]

You are simply wrong.

In 2001 women accounted for 85% of reported intimate partner violence. That's why you can't use studies of police reports to guage this--men are FAR less likely to call the police, FAR less likely to go to the emergency room with minor injuries, and FAR less likely to even admit there's a problem.

There have been literally hundreds of scientificly designed studies on this question and they all say the same thing--women are as likely as men to engage in domestic violence. You may not like the facts, but they are what they are.

by Mystylplx on Sat Sep 22, 2007 at 12:06:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: How Many Women Have Been Killed Since Nicole? (none / 0)

They HAVE been writing books. You need to read If I Am Missing or Dead - it's a fantastic, sad book about abuse and untimely death.

www.ifiammissingordead.com

ABOUT THE BOOK

In April 2002, Janine Latus's youngest sister, Amy, wrote a note and taped it to the inside of her desk drawer. "Today Ron Ball and I are romantically involved," it read, "but I fear I have placed myself at risk in a variety of ways. Based on his criminal past, writing this out just seems like the smart thing to do. If I am missing or dead this obviously has not protected me..."

That same spring Janine Latus was struggling to leave her marriage -- a marriage to a handsome and successful man. A marriage others emulated. A marriage in which she felt she could do nothing right and everything wrong. A marriage in which she felt afraid, controlled, inadequate, and trapped.

Ten weeks later, Janine Latus had left her marriage. She was on a business trip to the East Coast, savoring her freedom, attending a work conference, when she received a call from her sister Jane asking if she'd heard from Amy. Immediately, Janine's blood ran cold. Amy was missing.

Helicopters went up and search dogs went out. Coworkers and neighbors and family members plastered missing posters with Amy's picture across the county. It took more than two weeks to find Amy's body, wrapped in a tarpaulin and buried at a building site. It took nearly two years before her killer, her former boyfriend Ron Ball, was sentenced for her murder.

Amy died in silent fear and pain. Haunted by this, Janine Latus turned her journalistic eye inward. How, she wondered, did two seemingly well-adjusted, successful women end up in strings of physically or emotionally abusive relationships with men? If I Am Missing or Dead is a heart-wrenching journey of discovery as Janine Latus traces the roots of her own -- and her sister's -- victimization with unflinching candor. This beautifully written memoir will move readers from the first to the last page. At once a confession, a call to break the cycle of abuse, and a deeply felt love letter to her baby sister, Amy Lynne Latus, If I Am Missing or Dead is an unforgettable read.

by jcampbell77 on Sat Sep 22, 2007 at 11:12:09 AM EST

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