>>
>> THANKS
>> THANKS FOR STAYING WITH US ON THE REAL STORY.
JENNIFER'S LAW IS NOW BEING
CONSIDERED AT THE STATE CAPITOL.
IT'S NAMED AFTER JENNIFER
FARBER DULOS, WHO WAS KILLED BY
HER ESTRANGED NUMBER IN 2017,
THE LAW WOULD EXPAND THE
DEFINITION OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
TO INCLUDE COERCESIVE CONTROL,
WHICH INCLUDES A NUMBERTH
THINGS LIKE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND
FINANCIAL ABUSE.
FINANCIAL ABUSE. SENATOR CASSER, LET'S START WITH
YOU.
YOU.
YOU. WHY
YOU. WHY DID YOU FEEL THIS BILL WAS
NECESSARY AND NEEDED IN
CONNECTICUT?
CONNECTICUT? >> BECAUSE AFTER JENNIFER
FARBER DULOS DISAPPEARED, I
STARTED HEARING FROM DOZENS OF
SURVIVORS THAT THEIR EXPERIENCE
WAS JUST LIKE HERS.
YES, THEY WERE ALIVE, BUT THEY
WERE EXPERIENCING THE SAME SORT
OF DISMISSAL AND NONRECOGNITION
OF THEIR SITUATION, AND THEY
WERE DESPERATE FOR HELP.
SO I WORKED WITH NATIONAL AND
INTERNATI EXPERTS THAT WOULD
ACTUALLY HELP COURTS IDENTIFY
REAL CLAIMS OF ABUSE SO THAT
THEY COULD COME UP WITH
DECISIONS THAT WERE IN
EVERYBODY'S INTERE SENATOR, YOU
DECISIONS THAT WERE IN EVERYBODY'S INTERE SENATOR, YOUA
VERY PERSONAL ACCOUNT AS A
SURVIVOR OF DOMESTIC ABUSE.
DO YOU THINK IT WOULD HAVE
HELPED YOU IN YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO
REALIZE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT VIO
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO REALIZE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT VION
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO REALIZE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT VIO
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO REALIZE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT VIO.
IT IS MENTAL, PHYSICAL, --
MENTAL, VERBAL, EMOTIONAL, AND
THEY CAN LAST MUCH LONGER THAN
ANY SCARS.
ANY SCARS. >> YOU ARE SO STRONG FOR
SPEAKING OUT, AND IT'S SO
IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO HEAR,
EVEN PEOPLE WHO ARE IN YOUR
POSITION GOING THROUGH IT,
BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT DOMESTIC
ABUSE, IT DOES NOT MATTER, YOU
KNOW, WHERE YOU COME FROM, WHO
YOU ARE.
YOU ARE.
YOU ARE. IT CAN I EVERYWHERE,
WHETHER YOU'RE AN ELECTED
OFFICIAL OR NOT.
SO TELL ME, YOU ALL WERE ABLE TO
GET EVAN RACHEL WOOD TO TESTIFY.
SHE USED TO DATE MARILYN MANSON,
THE SINGER.
THE SINGER. SHE TESTIFIED HERE IN
CONNECTICUT, AND SHE TESTIFIED
IN CALIFORNIA FOR ONE OF THE
LAWS THERE.
LAWS THERE. HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT?
>> SO IT CAME ABOUT BECAUSE EVAN
RACHEL WOOD IS ADVOCATE
FOR CHANGING THE SYSTEM THAT
FAILED HER AND FAILED SO MANY
OTHER PEOPLE OF DOMESTIC ABUSE,
AND SHE STARTED AN ORGANIZATION,
THE PHOENIX ACT, AND THEY'RE
WORKING TO HELP GOOD LEGISLATIO.
THEY REACHED OUT TO ME LAST
YEAR.
YEAR.
YEAR. HER
YEAR. HER TEAM CAME AND VISITED ME
FROM CALIFORNIA TO SUPPORT THIS
BILL, AND WHEN I REINTRODUCED IT
THIS YEAR, SHE SHOWED UP TO
TESTIFY IN PERSON, WHICH WAS
INCREDIBLY POWERFUL.
INCREDIBLY POWERFUL. >> WHA OTHER STATES HAVE PASSED
SIMILAR LEGISLATION?
SIMILAR LEGISLATION? I CONNECTICUT PAVING THE WAY ON
THIS OR ARE WE LOOKING AT OTHER
STATES ACROSS THE NATION THAT
ARE SIMILAR?
ARE SIMILAR? WELL, THERE'S AN EFFORT
UNDERWAY IN MANY STATES, BUT IN
THE FALL OF 2020, HAWAII PASSED
CONTROL LEGISLATION AND
CALIFORNIA DID, TOO, BUT THIS
LEGISLATION IN CONNECTICUT WOULD
REALLY BE GROUND BREAKING.
WE HEARD TESTIMONY YESTERDAY
FROM DAVID MUNDELL WHO IS A
WORLD EXPERT IN HOW TO ENSURE
SAFETY OF CHILDREN IN CUSTODY
BATTLES BECAUSE UNFORTUNATELY,
CU BATTLES ARE WHERE
DOMESTIC V BATTLES PLAY
OUT BECAUSE ONCE A WOMAN FINALLY
FINDS THE COURAGE TO LEAVE HER
ABUSER, SHE HAS TO GO TO COURT
TO FIGHT FOR HERSELF AND HER
KIDS TO BE SAVE.
JENNIFER FARBER'S CASE IS SAD
WHEN AMOUNT
JENNIFER FARBER'S CASE IS SAD WHEN AMOUNTF COURT AND THE DIVO
PROCEEDINGS LASTED, AND SHE HAD
SOME O MEANS TO BE ABLE TO
BATTTK IN A LOT OF
WAYS, BUT A LOT OF WOMEN DON'T.
SO YOU ALL HAVE FINANCIAL ABUSE
AS PART OF THE COERCIVE CONTROL.
HOW WOULD THAT HAVE PIQUED IN
THAT WAY.
THAT WAY.
THAT WAY. >> WE HAVE PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE
WHEN PEOPLE THINK OF DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE, THEY MIGHT NOT
INITIALLY THINK OF SOMEONE BEING
BURIED IN COURT AND HAVING TO
USE THEIR LAWYER ALL THE TIME,
PEOPLE WHO CAN'T AFFORD TO
FOLLOW THROUGH ON THAT, SO HOW
DOES THIS LAW HAVE TEETH TO BE
ABLE TO HELP SOMEONE IN THAT
POSITION?
POSITION?
POSITION? >> I THINK THE FIRST WAY IT
HELPS THEM IS IN THEM
RECOGNIZING THE COERCIVE CONTROL
PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN
FACTOR
FACTOR BECAUSE IT'S THE CONTROL.
FINANCIALLY, THE WOMEN DON'T
HAVE THE MEANS TO GO TO COURT
AND THE ATTORNEY AS
THIS DRAGS ON YEAR AFTER YEAR
AFTER YEAR, AND A LOT OF WOMEN
WILL GO BACK FOR JUST THAT
REASON.
REASON.
REASON. A
REASON. A LOT OF WOMEN ARE NOT LEAVING
BECAUSE THEY ARE AFRAID THAT THE
SERVICES A THE THAT THEY NEED
IN PLACE.
IN PLACE.
IN PLACE. FRANKLY, YOU'RE ASHAMED THAT YOU
DON'T WANT ANYONE TO KNOW WHAT
YOU'RE GOING THROUGH.
SO TO HAVE SOMEONE THAT
VALIDATES WHAT YOU'RE TRULY
GOING THROUGH, I THINK IT GIVES
WOMEN THE LIBERTY AND STRENGTH
TO THINK THAT MAYBE I CAN TAKE
THIS ON.
THIS ON.
THIS ON. THIS IS A LIFE AND DEATH MATTER,
BECAUS
THIS IS A LIFE AND DEATH MATTER, BECAUS'S BITTER SWEET
BECAUSE I HAVE FRIENDS AND I
KNOW PEOPLE THAT DIDN'T MAKE IT
OUT.
OUT.
OUT. WE'RE HAVING CASES WEEKLY.
WE JUST HAD A WOMAN LOSE HER
LIFE IN NEW HAVEN IN FRONT OF
HER ONE-YEAR-OLD CHILD, WHICH IS
AWFUL.
AWFUL.
AWFUL. JUST SENSELESS.
JUST SENSELESS. SENATOR CASSER, WHAT'S THE
FEEDBACK?
FEEDBACK?
FEEDBACK? HAVE GOTTEN PUSH BACK ON
THIS BILL?
THIS BILL? >> THERE'S ALWAYS PUSH BACK.
ANY TIME YOU ALWAYS HAVE A
REALLY GOOD IDEA, AND A BIG IDEA
THAT WOULD CHANGE THE SYSTEM,
THERE' ALWAYS PUSH BACK.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?
WHAT WE HAVE ON OUR SIDE IS THE
LIVED EXPERIENCE OF SURVIVORS
WHO SPOKE OUT YESTERDAY IN A
REALLY POWERFUL COLLECTIVE WAY
ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES WHICH
ARE ALL SO, SO SIMILAR, AND THEY
KNOW WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO
CORRECT THE SYSTEM, AND THEY
MADE SURE THEIR STORIE
THAT THEIR EXPERIENCE VALIDATE
PROVIDE THE PROTECTION THAT
EVERY PERSON DESERVES BECAUSE
EVERY PERSON DESERVES THE RIGHT
>> SENATOR CASSER, THANK YOU
VERY MUCH.
VERY MUCH. REPRESENTATIV PORTER, THANK YOU
VERY MUCH FOR BOTH COMING ON AND
SPEAKING ABOUT THIS BILL. WILL
CLOSELY. MUCH.
CLOSELY. MUCH. CHRISTINA, SIN YOU BROUGHT UP
THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASES THAT
HAPPENED IN NEW HAVEN RECENTLY,
THERE WILL BE THIS MONDAY, ON
MARCH 29, RAVE
THERE WILL BE THIS MONDAY, ON MARCH 29, HA
GREENS, A CALL TO END DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE, SO I HOPE PEOPLE WILL
SUPPORT AND ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO
MAKE IT OUT.
WE WILL SOCIALLY DISTANCE AND BE
SAFE, BUT WE NEED TO STANDUP
RIGHT NOW BECAUSE DOMESTIC
VIOL HAS REACHED AN ALL TIME
HIGH, AND WE MAKE SURE
WE CONTINUE TO AMPLIFY WHAT'S
GOING ON, AND LET PEOPLE KNOW
TH THEY MATTER AND WE CARE.
>> ALL RIGHT.
APPRECIATE IT.
APPRECIATE IT. >> ALL RIGHT.
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