Scared of what's coming: Domestic violence may be hiding in pandemic's shadows
The message from National Crime Victims’ Rights Week takes on urgency say members of the Violence Free KC Committee.
Adult abuse hotline: 1-800-392-0210
Child abuse hotline: 1-800-392-3738
Immediate danger: Call 9-1-1
The feeling of disconnection began with the meeting itself: The Violence Free KC Committee members ensconced in their homes, seeing only what flickers in the windows of their computers.
The dangers of disconnection became the message.
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The crime the news sees — homicides — has continued unabated during the pandemic’s social isolation. But the harder-to-see violence that is hidden in troubled homes and apartments may be just as virulent.
“Our concern is with what will be coming,” said Michael Mansur, spokesman for Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.
The disconnect that is threatening communities with the closing of schools, churches and other public encounter spaces may not only be concealing violence, but putting more vulnerable residents in danger as households struggle with economic and social stress.
The concern includes the welfare of children. The state reported that hotline calls dropped by more than half when schools closed — noting that teachers, counselors and other school staff members provided critical vigilance that is now lost.
Children’s Mercy of Kansas City has not been as busy as before the stay home orders, said Tanya Burrell with the hospital’s Division of Child Adversity and Resilience, likely because “no one is physically seeing them.”
Adults are in danger too. Kansas City police are seeing an increase in domestic violence calls, Sgt. Johnita Harris said, as the 515 calls received between March 24 and April 13 were nearly 100 more than the same time period a year ago.
The committee and its partner agencies prodded each other to continue in a state of hyper-vigilance and rally the community to reconnect with each other and protect everyone’s welfare.
That means “expressing caring,” said Brenda Kumm, co-chair of the Kansas City Health Commission, with “neighbors checking on neighbors . . . churches checking on parishioners . . . using trusted resources to get one another to check on each other.”
Who to call
In a series of videos on Facebook, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker stressed in a message to anyone who may feel in danger that “you have support. You deserve to be safe.”
Courts remain open. Protective orders can be obtained. Help is available:
To request a Jackson County protective order by phone:
Downtown: 816-881-4600
Independence: 816-881-3974
Request Jackson County protective orders online:
www.16thcircuit.org/domestic-violence-forms
Domestic violence shelters
Rose Brooks: 816-861-6100
Newhouse: 816-471-5800
Hope House: 816-461-4673
Synergy/Safe House: 816-321-7050
By Joe Robertson/LINC writer