THE STAND:

The History of the Fight Against Domestic Violence

in the Bloomington/Normal area in Illinois

Written by: Anna Mae Bales, Peace Studies Intern, Spring 2006

Introduction

          In this paper, the reader will find the exploration of a community^s evolution on the issue of domestic violence. The Bloomington/Normal area in central Illinois had taken a stance that domestic violence was a family matter, and nobody outside of the family should be involved. However, through the efforts of eight women, things began to change. They opened the eyes to many and the doors for others that felt the same way. People began to step up and prove to the community that domestic violence was a problem that everyone should be involved in. Programs were created for victims and later on abusers, police began to change their stance, and the States’ Attorney and court system improved prosecution. Through all this dedication emerged talented people who will not sit on the sidelines while women, children, and even men are being abused. During the course of three months data was collected by interviewing people prominent in changing domestic violence from private to public policy. Their interviews, found in appendix one through twelve, are the backbone of this research paper covering the 1970’s through 2002.

Research Findings

            “Not in our Town!” This seems to be the outcry of every town for every social issue. They feel that their town is free of this social issue and the issue is not tolerated. However, often this cry simply means that they do not want to talk about the issue in question because it brings about mixed feelings and unanswered questions. While most people living in these towns go along with these slogans, there are few who decide to question the issue. For example, in the Bloomington/Normal area, in the state of Illinois, there were several dedicated people in the late 1970s and early 1980s that took the initiative to address one of these issues. They took a stand against domestic violence and sought ways to address the issue so that victims and abusers could find help.

In a community where domestic violence was seen as a behind closed doors issue, and where no one should concern themselves with this family matter, several dedicated individuals challenged this method of thinking. Their challenge against the universal thoughts on domestic violence began with underground outreach to battered women; giving them a chance to escape the violence they suffered everyday. Slowly this caused people to take notice and programs slowly began to trickle into existence. People were resistant to the programs at first but slowly people began to realize that this was a societal issue and cried out for police to take charge. This research paper is to show the steps the Bloomington/Normal area has taken since the late 1970s in efforts to bring domestic violence into the mainstream and find a solution to this problem that creeps along in the dark shadows without people noticing that it is there, in front of them.

            “Its okay to beat your wife as long as the stick is not wider than your thumb”, is an old rule of thumb that many societies did go by when it came to domestic violence. By the late 1960s this ideal was gone but domestic violence was not. In the Bloomington/Normal area of Illinois domestic violence was occurring daily but there was nobody reaching out to stop it. When speaking with an individual that deals with domestic violence daily they stated, “The history of domestic violence was not just that it was okay to beat your wife but it actually was encouraged. Women were not very validated, it was definitely a male dominated culture and it was strongly encouraged, in fact required to keep your women in line. The society moved from that to believe that it might not be right to beat your wife, but if you do, do it behind closed doors.” (See Appendix 5) It became a family secret, hidden between those two individuals. 

            Eventually in the late 1960s early 1970s there was a group of women that said enough was enough and became determined to end the ignorance of domestic violence. They were going to do this by reaching out and help the individuals that were victims of domestic violence. These few dedicated women received calls that were patched to their homes through PATH, is a hotline were individuals can call in times of emergencies to speak with someone. As an over the phone counseling service, PATH would take their domestic violence calls and patch them to the women who were on call that weekend. Two women interviewed for this research paper, Jana Edge and Beverly Poole, were partners and members of this underground help task force (See Appendix 2 and 4).

            The reason why it is considered to be underground is because no one knew who was doing this work, the police did not appreciate their efforts, and everything was done with code names, and discreet meeting locations. Society had not yet accepted the fact that it was good to talk about domestic violence out in the open, and even help victims get out of such a violent relationships. Jana Edge and Beverly Poole were strong women who worked in secret, along with six others, to take calls and do the best that they could to help these women, despite society’s thoughts. They attempted to do this by reaching out to the women by talking, meeting, or even relocating these women.

            When women would agree to meet they usually met in a public area, such as a local fast food parking lot or a coffee house. They would still use code names, in fear of being identified, and would talk to these women about their situations. Many of the victims did not want anything but simply the chance to talk to someone, to reach out and be able to confide in someone. However, there were times where women did want to get out of their violent relationship and reached out to people like Jana and Beverly for assistance. During this time there was a house created to act as a safe place, the Claire House. Jana stated that there were numerous times she would take a client there, “Claire House was a place where you could meet with your clients, it was a safe place, more than once I meet my client at the House” (See Appendix 2). The women would be taken to the Claire House, but that could only be a temporary fix.

            There were no agencies at this time that would serve as a stepping-stone for women to get out of an abusive relationship and live on their own. The women of the underground movement took on this role. They found it their responsibility to find victims public aid, find an apartment, look for jobs, and even supply clothing for children. Ways to do this were getting help from other groups, friends they could trust, or simply doing it themselves, “talking with women, getting them out of their environment, finding a place to put them. We would get them to the taking care of point and then hand them off to other groups that can provide services to get them started on a new life, but we were still on call with them if they needed or wanted to talk” (See Appendix 4). These women used all the resources they could muster to find help for victims of domestic violence.

            The police during this time took a rather hands off approach to domestic violence, not because the majority of them felt domestic violence was okay, but there was more of a lack of understanding and education in the field. Because of the hands off approach most police officers used, it was up to Jana, Beverly, and other women in the movement to help get the women out of their homes. Jana stated in her interview that this would prove to be often dangerous, but at the time they really did not think about the dangers. They typically would wait for a time of day where the abuser would not be present in the home. Then they would have one person in the car, motor running, and ready to leave at any moment. The other women would be helping the victim grab essentials and then pack up in the car and drive away. Many times there would be children involved as well. The reason why one of the women would stay in the car was to make sure that there was a quick getaway incase the abuser would come home and become angry. They would always tell the victim that if things were to get ugly they would leave without her. Jana and Beverly did all of this together, no other help, and no protection from the law enforcement. They risked their lives so that many women could finally leave their abusive relationships.

            Jana and Beverly’s extraordinary efforts to combat domestic violence, when no one else would take a stand, ended only a couple of years after it began. Both women worked in areas where they would use the phone often and although they used different names when talking with victims, they had the same voice. Having a recognizable voice proved to be dangerous for both Jana and Beverly, and one day they were discovered by an abuser over the phone. They loved what they did, but they knew they could not risk their lives or the lives of their family members.

            Slowly during the time of this underground work something emerged in the community, a sense of understanding the depth and pain of domestic violence. Not everyone was willing to see this, but there were a small number of people that would have a huge impact. 1978 through 1983 “brought increased advocacy and civil rights movements would make a tremendous impact on domestic violence. Offices on domestic violence were established in the United States Department of Health and Human Rights. The community had taken up the over all stance of taking action against battering” (See Appendix 8).

            It was in the mid 1980s and early 1990s where things began to pick up in the efforts against domestic violence. The YWCA created a Countering Domestic and Sexual Violence Program with funding from McLean County Mental Health Board and the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence (See Appendix 8). All of these programs sprang up from local and federal initiatives to stop domestic violence and the ability to recognize that it was a societal problem. While support seemed to be growing within the group of individuals trying to end domestic violence, it was still seen by the public as a family matter.

            In 1987, McLean County would face a tragedy that would prove to show how strong the efforts were to end domestic violence. The YWCA lost its state grant money to provide the services the Countering Domestic Violence program offered. Many people involved took on the stance, “McLean County would continue services to victims of domestic violence” (See Appendix 8). This was possible through a large number of volunteers stepping up from the community, people who did not want to see this program be destroyed. The community groups involved with volunteering were PATH, Rape Crisis, and Mid Central Community Action. This truly was the first step in showing that the community was not going to tolerate domestic violence any more. These volunteer efforts stayed strong and were able to keep the program running until the fall of 1988 when Mid Central Community Action required the states’ funding (See Appendix 1).  Mid Central Community Action regained the state funding and became the administrative office for the McLean County Domestic Violence Victim Services” (See Appendix 8).

            The Executive Director of Mid Central Community Action at that time was Carol Reitan, a dedicated woman with big dreams for the community. She began to work with personnel from the YWCA’s program and reached out to regain funding so that the community could have a place to turn to when there were victims of domestic violence. She was able to succeed in this task and gain funding so the program could still be in operation. “By September we had funding from the state and officially took over the countering domestic violence program and the house on the west side that the YWCA had leased. That is when I hired Jewel Beale as the director” (See Appendix 1).

            Jewel Beale took the house under her wing and began working to create a place for victims to feel safe. In early nineties Carol felt that there needed to be a change and decided to move the house to a newer location. The community was growing and therefore the victim population grew as well. This new location, after being restored, was named The Neville House. The Neville House, located in a Central Bloomington Historic District, was a shelter for victims of the community to get away from their abusive relationships. At this time the community was gaining a stronger sense that domestic violence was a societal problem. The Neville House was open to all women who were victims of domestic violence. It offers shelter, outreach, support, love, and kindness. Women who go to the Neville House are treated kindly and are helped to make the transition from being independent on their abuser to being dependent from their abuser. There are many services offered such as counseling, child counseling, and most importantly support. Jewel Beale saw the Neville House as “a symbol of safe haven and hope, support, and guidance in achieving peaceful and meaningful relationships” (See Appendix 8).

            In the 1990s Neville House was able to gain a better home for the victims, by offering more room and more services. Jewel Beale left the Neville house knowing that her mission was complete. Her mission of “developing a catalyst for women of McLean County and surrounding counties, protect them from acts of violence, and networking with other social service systems” (See Appendix 8).

            When Carol and Jewel began work with the Countering Domestic Violence, they began to feel that there needs to be more done. There needs not only to be an outlet for the victims, but also a way to reach out to the abuser, i.e. abuser counseling. In fact there was more being done. As people from all aspects of the playing field were taking more notice of domestic violence. There was more community involvement, police involvement, and court involvement.

            The States’ Attorney during the 1990s was a man by the name of Charles Reynard. Entering as the States’ Attorney he did not have a clue about domestic violence and the impact that it had on the community or the court system. After commissioning a study by Lighthouse Training Institute to look at the number of cases that involved domestic battery “it turned out that probably 80 percent of a small number of cases being prosecuted were being dropped” (See Appendix 10). Reynard wanted to raise the level of prosecution and ordered his Assistant States’ Attorneys not to drop cases involving domestic violence, even if the victim requested it. He also wanted the police to treat domestic violence calls like any other call, “if they determined there was evidence to support an arrest they were obligated to make an arrest in domestic violence cases” (See Appendix 10). Charles Reynard felt that if intervention began early then the cycle of violence could be stopped. 

             In 1993 Charles Reynard and Cheryl Gaines teamed up to created a McLean County Domestic Violence Task Force. Members of this group included Mary Campbell and David Nybakke, who both currently serve as co-presiding officers. This was a group of people that would get together and discuss the issue of domestic violence and possibly ways to impact it. “Domestic Violence Task Force started and some people started to develop the task force, had a few meetings, put some things out there to work on and develop” (See Appendix 12). Mary Campbell described the Task Force as a place where members “tried to get more participation from organizations, police departments, hospitals, and social service agencies” (See Appendix 7). When asked what the goals of the Domestic Violence Task Force Mary Campbell replied to be representatives, educators, and create peer pressure (See Appendix 7). While the Task Force has not been seen as strong recently, it still holds meetings and help the community get involved with domestic violence. 

Cheryl Gaines, Carol Reitan, Deborah Sudduth, and Kathy Tornquist felt that there needed to be more done that what was going on, there needs to be a social service agency that could aid in various conflict situations. This was the inception of Collaborative Solutions Institute (CSI) and the AVERT program. The first program of the social service agency was to aid in counseling domestic violence abusers. The program started out just helping male abusers but eventually recognized the need to help female abusers as well. After getting grant money and everything needed to begin this process, there were a few bumps in the road.

            Other social service agencies began to declare their hand in supplying programs for abusers and this created turmoil for funding and overall operation. Once everything was finally worked out it created three agencies offering services to abusers, three more that the year before. The courts used the system where the abuser would be sentenced to complete sessions at one of the three “protocol” agencies, the abuser choose which social service agency they would attend.

            There was a large resistance to the AVERT program and abuser services in general. Many people felt that having abuser services would take away from victim services. But Carol, Cheryl, and Jewel all knew that with one you have to have the other. One could not possibly fight the problem of domestic violence with out attacking it from both angles.

            During the end of his time as States’ Attorney Charles Reynard wrote a county wide grant with Illinois State University to research the effectiveness of intervention for abusers. This grant allowed for the hiring of probation people and a clerk that would deal with just domestic violence cases, and the birth of the Victim Impact Panel (See Appendix 3). The creation of a new probation office meant a creation of criteria. The beginning members “wanted domestic violence offenders to report more frequently to the probation office more than other probation offices” (See Appendix 5). This was a big step for the effort in ending domestic violence because they would be able to reach individuals at an earlier stage, closer to the initial event, which could aid in a better recovery or understanding. The Domestic Violence Impact Panel was created through this new office as a jump start for offenders to be interested in what they can learn by hearing from victims (See Appendix 5).

            Another part of the grant written by Charles Reynard gave police departments specialized officers and allow advocacy within the police department (See Appendix 3). The police began to realize the impacts of domestic violence and the seriousness involved with it. And with this education, provided by people that dealt with victims and abusers, such as Cheryl Gaines and Beverly Poole, the police began to develop policies that were devoted to domestic violence cases.

nbsp;          In 1996 after noticing a trend and the need to step up and do something the Normal Police Department formed a dedicated domestic violence unit. Here they had officers that were either working on an overtime basis or were assigned to that unit. “They would conduct follow up with victims to get additional statements, evidence, or to see if the police could provide assistance to get orders of protection” (See Appendix 11). The unit officer would either be the one to go on, or with, to domestic violence calls. There they would talk with the victim and get a statement. Whether they were there that night or received the police report the next day they, would always do a follow up. They would sometimes take with them a States’ Attorney advocate so when they speak with the victim they can know their rights. The Normal Police Department recognized that sometimes victims do not have signs of domestic violence the night of the attack, or even want to speak out about it. They found that more victims were showing signs the day after and felt more comfortable speaking about it after the alleged attack, maybe when the abuser is not present.

"> All this was done under the grant received through the States’ Attorney. The goals of the domestic violence unit were to intervene earlier, provide better services to victims, and arresting in situations that called for it (See Appendix 11). The grant for this project ended in three years, the Normal Police Department met their goals in two years. They saw the effectiveness of early intervention and decided to keep the program for themselves, and it still exists currently.

            As one can see, the Bloomington/Normal area has grown tremendously in the aspects of domestic violence. People such as Jana Edge, Carol Reitan, Charles Reynard, and many more, can be credited with the success of getting domestic violence into the mainstream of the areas. They introduced new ways of dealing with this delicate issue that helped the community open their arms and minds to see that they needed to embrace change. The underground help, the Task Force, and victim/abuser services have tried to spread healing across the wounds of what is referred to as domestic violence....for a copy of the full report including Appendix 1-12 (Transcripts of Interviews) send an e-mail request to Collaborative Solutions Institute -- admin@collaborativesolutions.org