Letters: Needed focus on domestic violence
Santia Williams, left, poses with her mother, Phyllis Coleman, in an undated family photo. Credit: Phyllis Coleman
An order of protection isn't worth the paper it's printed on ["Unprotected: The death of Santia Williams," News, Aug. 10]. The restrictions stated on these orders are rarely enforced by police, so these horrendous acts continue, in this case ending in death.
An abuser knows that he has a pretty good chance of avoiding any viable consequence for his actions, so there is no incentive to stop threats, harassment and violence.
If there were repeated calls to the police reporting vandalism, the perpetrator would probably have been arrested and arraigned. Why is property given more consideration than a person?
The police need to be educated about orders of protection. There has to be some training for the police in assessing the ramifications of domestic violence. We have to make significant revisions to a very flawed legal system. No one is immune.
Patricia Daly, Valley Stream
Newsday published an article on its front page about the death of a young woman who did not receive sufficient protection from the Suffolk County police. She apparently wasn't helped by any of so-called anti-violence groups, either. Everyone left her out there to fend for herself.
Then on page A29 there was the story "2 women stoned to death" [News, Aug. 10] in Syria for alleged adultery. Where's the outrage about this?
This appears to be the real war on defenseless women. People must stop saying that forcing women to pay for birth control is a "war on women."
Tom Caro, Levittown
