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Membership Meeting on Domestic ViolenceOn September 7, 1992, Lyn Kotis was brutally murdered. Her mother Maria Ching gave a painful description of the events leading up to and following her daughter's death. League members and guests learned about the many disturbing facts surrounding domestic violence in this community. Cindee Iannce-Spencer, Victim Advocate for the felony Domestic Violence Division of the Prosecuting Attorney's office profiled the Victim. Cindy wondered aloud why in public forums the first question usually is, "Why do women stay in abusive relationships?" and the question is never asked, "Why do men batter?" She stated that if we start asking the right questions, perhaps some of the solutions can follow. Nanci Kreidman, Executive Director of the Domestic Violence Clearinghouse and Legal hotline discussed community response and cited local available services. Representative Annelle Amaral, introduced as. a courageous legislator, was greeted by a warm round of applause. She discussed laws that were recently enacted by the Legislature, including "stalking" and extending cooling-off periods. She explained that the court backlog of cases is due to statute 709906, where abuse of a family member or household member has a required mandatory sentence of 48 hours. Rather than pleading these cases, abusers are requesting jury trials which often end in dismissal because they are not held in a timely manner. The meeting was informative, interesting and well-paced; and a salad, pasta and dessert buffet was enjoyed by the 83 members and guests -- thanks to the capable management of Suzanne Meisenzahl.
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