Domestic abuse: more beds can help survivors

On Wednesday, Oct. 14, MHCC hosted a free forum on domestic violence from the law enforcement perspective. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Chris Gorsek, a Mt. Hood criminal justice instructor, formatted his presentation just as he would a lecture: aactive participationwith the use of questions, handouts and pop-culture references. 

Gorsek broke down the realities of domestic abuse and how law enforcement face those realities every day when dealing with domestic abuse calls. He said law officers are still adapting tohow they deal with domestic abuse, as it has only recently become something that police handle.

“It was always just a family issue; now, as society has begun to recognize the truth behind it, law enforcement and other public service programs are struggling to adapt,” he said.

Gorsek said it takes time for the public service infrastructure to build up in order to deal with domestic violence and how it reacts to the changing tide seen in society – particularly in terms of law enforcement. Police officers went through a sort of trial-and-error period in the late twentieth century when dealing with domestic violence, he said. In recent years, it’s become better, but there’s still room for much improvement. He spoke of the complexity and often hindering nature of domestic violence calls, mentioning how even today it’s hard to change the fact that police presence isn’t always conductive to helping a victim out of a dangerous situation. He focused attention, also, on other public services such as crisis shelters, where an increase in resources could be the missing puzzle piece to making police response more effective.

Gorsek spoke highly of Bradley Angle, an organization rooted in Portland that provides a wide range of essential services to survivors of domestic violence. Bradley Angle was one of the first emergency shelters in the country and the first domestic violence shelter on the West Coast when it opened in 1975. Other shelters in the area include the Raphael House in Southeast Portland, West Women’s and Children’s (near the city center) and Clackamas Women’s Services. However, resources available for survivors are limited. With as few as four domestic abuse emergency shelters in the Portland metro area and a limited amount of beds in each, some survivors may not find a bed available in their time of need. It’s an even harder task if there are children involved.

Gorsek was adamant on improving these resources as he spoke on the shelter situation in the Portland metro area.

“What we need to do, first off, is continue to put pressure politically to get more beds,” he said. He emphasized a handout distributed before the presentation began: a how-to list on supporting the organizations that get survivors back on their feet.

As the seminar ended, Gorsek closed on a powerful note, stressing the importance of support – not only as far as public services go, but within day-to-day life and in one-on-one scenarios.