Baltimore IMC : http://baltimore.indymedia.org
LOCAL Commentary :: Gender and Sexuality
Domestic Violence in Immigrant Communities
Author
- Susan C. Pearce and Natalie Sokoloff
Date Created
- 15 Apr 2005
Date Edited
- 15 Apr 2005 10:37:14 PM
License
This work is in the public domain.
This is the second in the Baltimore IMC series on sexual assault. In this installment, the authors, two Baltimore-based sociologists, present a cross-cultural look at domestic violence. As they write "Domestic violence knows no borders."
One evening in Baltimore, Maryland, a woman from Sierre Leone arrives at the local YWCA homeless shelter with her child. She is escaping her husband's physical abuse, but wants to remain in the United States. Her legal status is tied to that of her husband's, however. She stays in the shelter for several months, holding on to hope that she can get legal papers to remain in the States. Her efforts are unsuccessful, and she eventually is forced to return to her home country that she had left.
Domestic violence knows no borders. And when people cross those borders, the practice can follow them, but with new permutations that arise from the pressures, attitudes, socially structured systems of inequality and many challenges of a strange land.
Violence against immigrant and refugee women in their homes is all too common, and rarely a subject of discussion in public debates. Whether a woman enters a partnership with a native-born American, lives with her partner from her home country, meets her partner for the first time through an arranged marriage, or is trafficked into another type of living situation--such as domestic work--her experience is often veiled from public view. Yet researchers and service providers estimate that domestic violence is more prevalent among immigrant than native-born women and, in some cities, is more likely to lead to death of immigrant women.
While it is all too often believed that immigrant women come from more abusive cultures, Uma Narayan clarifies how this misconception occurs. In the United States, when we hear that women in India or Pakistan die “by fire” in dowry deaths (a man or some of his family members kill the woman because they are dissatisfied with her dowry to the paternal family line with whom she often lives) the “culture” tends to be blamed. But, when women in the U.S. are killed by guns (at the same rate as dowry deaths in India), this is rarely, if ever, said to be due to the culture. It is typically blamed on the individual man’s unstable personality at best or the system of patriarchy at worst. But the American culture is not said to be “backward,” “overly violent,” or to blame for her death.
Clearly, culturally justified abuse may follow a migrant woman to her home in a new country. It may taboo for a woman to question a husband’s authority in her culture, for example. Yet many other conditions intensify the risk of abuse for foreign-born women.
Economic struggle is one of these conditions. Low wages, unanticipated expenses, and barriers to finding work are sources of tension in any family. Many immigrant workers show up for a paycheck at the end of a job, and there is either no check or no sign of the employer. She may make a decent wage, but not be allowed to keep or have access to it by a controlling husband and a culture that supports that dominance. Hostility by members of the host country, including alienating experiences with a public school system or another agency, can contribute to the tension. These newcomers are trying to live on a cusp between two cultures, and that experience may take a dark turn. One immigrant man, for example, brought a patriarchal attitude of dominance over women from this home culture, and felt empowered by the more sexually permissive environment in the United States to engage in a pattern of repeated sexual abuse against his wife.
Like any woman, an immigrant woman can feel entrapped in such a situation. She may fear consequences for herself or her child if she leaves or speaks up. She may not believe that she has the financial means of self-support. Yet unlike many native-born women, some of the circumstances entrapping immigrant woman are unique to their immigrant experience. She may not have the language or professional skills to secure living wage employment. In fact, 67.1% of battered immigrants (as compared with 40% of U.S. citizens) cite lack of money as a main reason that they stay with their abusers. Public assistance is less available than in the past, following the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) (“Welfare Reform”) and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA), which also limited the number of public benefits available to immigrants.
Many are fearful of the consequences for their immigration status. According to Julie E. Dinnerstein, "Battered immigrant women may fear deportation more than they fear their batterers." Abusers commonly use this threat of deportation to silence their partners. A recent study of Latina migrant farm workers found that legal status is one of the primary predictors of couple violence. A woman will be hesitant to call the police both because she holds suspicions of the criminal justice system and because she may associate the system with immigration officials.
Social and legal services may not understand, or they may interpret violence against immigrant women as falling within the domestic violence framework commonly understood in the United States. For example, in some South Asian cultures, when a woman marries and lives in her husband’s home, she may be responsible for taking care of the needs not only of her husband, but his parents and brothers. In such a situation, she may be abused by his mother—another woman—which is not covered or understood by the domestic violence laws in many jurisdictions. Further, an abused woman may fear rejection by her own ethnic community if she leaves her spouse, as this community may be her source of support, strength, and identity. Quite often, she is unaware of social services and legal remedies available to her. But even these sources may not be able to help her because they do not understand her language, her culture, or the structural barriers that face any immigrant, let alone a battered immigrant woman.
Lest we contribute to an image of a passive woman with no resources to change her situation, an immigrant may come to this country armored with one of many traditions of resistance and resilience that are known throughout the world. Women of Nigeria, practice a tradition called "sitting on a man." When a man is known to have beaten a woman, women gather in a group, dressed in costumes, and harass the man until he pledges to change his ways. And women from some South Asian cultures may surround the abuser’s home, banging pots and pans, mobilizing protests against a batterer, thereby using public shaming as a tactic to fight against his abusive behavior against his wife.
In recent years, the United States has introduced new legal remedies to help empower immigrants in this situation. The 1994 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), for example allows spouses and children of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents to self-petition to obtain lawful permanent residency. The recently introduced U Visa gives legal relief to victims of many crimes, including domestic violence, but only under certain conditions. One of those is a pledge to assist the police in their investigation of the crime. It is recommended that women interested in using these measures seek out the assistance of a knowledgeable attorney or legal specialist. Like any U.S. citizen, immigrant women can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for help. While these new laws can help immigrant women with abusive partners, many more safeguards are needed if we truly want to TOP domestic violence in immigrant communities—not just respond to it AFTER it has occurred. This requires working for large scale social change in the area of violence against women and social inequality that intersects so brutally with that violence at the same time that we provide meaningful culturally competent services for immigrant women who find themselves in violent family situations.
With the reaction to the 9/11 disaster in the United States, immigrants have been treated more harshly—and this applies to battered immigrant women as well. As Bernstein and Santora report on a recent study by the Congressionally appointed U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, “women and children seeking asylum, ‘whose trauma histories and emotional needs may be more severe and require specialized training’ were at a greater risk of harm.” As Gretchen Ely argues in reviewing the literature on social workers’ ability to help battered immigrant women and their unique needs, we need comprehensive interventions not only at the micro level (culturally competent services and resources for the individual woman and her family) but also at the macro level (immigrant laws, educational, occupational training, job availability, income equality, and housing). We wholeheartedly agree.
For documentation,write: scpearce529(at)earthlink.com
Domestic violence knows no borders. And when people cross those borders, the practice can follow them, but with new permutations that arise from the pressures, attitudes, socially structured systems of inequality and many challenges of a strange land.
Violence against immigrant and refugee women in their homes is all too common, and rarely a subject of discussion in public debates. Whether a woman enters a partnership with a native-born American, lives with her partner from her home country, meets her partner for the first time through an arranged marriage, or is trafficked into another type of living situation--such as domestic work--her experience is often veiled from public view. Yet researchers and service providers estimate that domestic violence is more prevalent among immigrant than native-born women and, in some cities, is more likely to lead to death of immigrant women.
While it is all too often believed that immigrant women come from more abusive cultures, Uma Narayan clarifies how this misconception occurs. In the United States, when we hear that women in India or Pakistan die “by fire” in dowry deaths (a man or some of his family members kill the woman because they are dissatisfied with her dowry to the paternal family line with whom she often lives) the “culture” tends to be blamed. But, when women in the U.S. are killed by guns (at the same rate as dowry deaths in India), this is rarely, if ever, said to be due to the culture. It is typically blamed on the individual man’s unstable personality at best or the system of patriarchy at worst. But the American culture is not said to be “backward,” “overly violent,” or to blame for her death.
Clearly, culturally justified abuse may follow a migrant woman to her home in a new country. It may taboo for a woman to question a husband’s authority in her culture, for example. Yet many other conditions intensify the risk of abuse for foreign-born women.
Economic struggle is one of these conditions. Low wages, unanticipated expenses, and barriers to finding work are sources of tension in any family. Many immigrant workers show up for a paycheck at the end of a job, and there is either no check or no sign of the employer. She may make a decent wage, but not be allowed to keep or have access to it by a controlling husband and a culture that supports that dominance. Hostility by members of the host country, including alienating experiences with a public school system or another agency, can contribute to the tension. These newcomers are trying to live on a cusp between two cultures, and that experience may take a dark turn. One immigrant man, for example, brought a patriarchal attitude of dominance over women from this home culture, and felt empowered by the more sexually permissive environment in the United States to engage in a pattern of repeated sexual abuse against his wife.
Like any woman, an immigrant woman can feel entrapped in such a situation. She may fear consequences for herself or her child if she leaves or speaks up. She may not believe that she has the financial means of self-support. Yet unlike many native-born women, some of the circumstances entrapping immigrant woman are unique to their immigrant experience. She may not have the language or professional skills to secure living wage employment. In fact, 67.1% of battered immigrants (as compared with 40% of U.S. citizens) cite lack of money as a main reason that they stay with their abusers. Public assistance is less available than in the past, following the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) (“Welfare Reform”) and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA), which also limited the number of public benefits available to immigrants.
Many are fearful of the consequences for their immigration status. According to Julie E. Dinnerstein, "Battered immigrant women may fear deportation more than they fear their batterers." Abusers commonly use this threat of deportation to silence their partners. A recent study of Latina migrant farm workers found that legal status is one of the primary predictors of couple violence. A woman will be hesitant to call the police both because she holds suspicions of the criminal justice system and because she may associate the system with immigration officials.
Social and legal services may not understand, or they may interpret violence against immigrant women as falling within the domestic violence framework commonly understood in the United States. For example, in some South Asian cultures, when a woman marries and lives in her husband’s home, she may be responsible for taking care of the needs not only of her husband, but his parents and brothers. In such a situation, she may be abused by his mother—another woman—which is not covered or understood by the domestic violence laws in many jurisdictions. Further, an abused woman may fear rejection by her own ethnic community if she leaves her spouse, as this community may be her source of support, strength, and identity. Quite often, she is unaware of social services and legal remedies available to her. But even these sources may not be able to help her because they do not understand her language, her culture, or the structural barriers that face any immigrant, let alone a battered immigrant woman.
Lest we contribute to an image of a passive woman with no resources to change her situation, an immigrant may come to this country armored with one of many traditions of resistance and resilience that are known throughout the world. Women of Nigeria, practice a tradition called "sitting on a man." When a man is known to have beaten a woman, women gather in a group, dressed in costumes, and harass the man until he pledges to change his ways. And women from some South Asian cultures may surround the abuser’s home, banging pots and pans, mobilizing protests against a batterer, thereby using public shaming as a tactic to fight against his abusive behavior against his wife.
In recent years, the United States has introduced new legal remedies to help empower immigrants in this situation. The 1994 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), for example allows spouses and children of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents to self-petition to obtain lawful permanent residency. The recently introduced U Visa gives legal relief to victims of many crimes, including domestic violence, but only under certain conditions. One of those is a pledge to assist the police in their investigation of the crime. It is recommended that women interested in using these measures seek out the assistance of a knowledgeable attorney or legal specialist. Like any U.S. citizen, immigrant women can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for help. While these new laws can help immigrant women with abusive partners, many more safeguards are needed if we truly want to TOP domestic violence in immigrant communities—not just respond to it AFTER it has occurred. This requires working for large scale social change in the area of violence against women and social inequality that intersects so brutally with that violence at the same time that we provide meaningful culturally competent services for immigrant women who find themselves in violent family situations.
With the reaction to the 9/11 disaster in the United States, immigrants have been treated more harshly—and this applies to battered immigrant women as well. As Bernstein and Santora report on a recent study by the Congressionally appointed U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, “women and children seeking asylum, ‘whose trauma histories and emotional needs may be more severe and require specialized training’ were at a greater risk of harm.” As Gretchen Ely argues in reviewing the literature on social workers’ ability to help battered immigrant women and their unique needs, we need comprehensive interventions not only at the micro level (culturally competent services and resources for the individual woman and her family) but also at the macro level (immigrant laws, educational, occupational training, job availability, income equality, and housing). We wholeheartedly agree.
For documentation,write: scpearce529(at)earthlink.com
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Comments
Re: Domestic Violence in Immigrant Communities
I was in Atlanta GA for less than two yrs in 2002-2003. I accepted Jesus Christ in Atlanta, GA Baptist church but I didn’t feel welcome there specially by single group and in between I got involved in a car accident in 2003 August in Alpharetta, which was not my fault and it was complete stop, no one got any damage or bodily injury but it was slight touch and I was in between and driver behind left the scene. Front woman was white American/Jewish, who was very rude put me in a trouble and yelled at me asking me to move my car in the parking lot and I did. She called cob and I said we don't have any damage and driver behind left the scene and she said she didn't know that and not having any damage to her car, she called cob, no show for over 20 min. I gave my all info to her and asked her to pass on her info and she refused to give any further info about her to me saying she will not and very rude saying this is not enough to me and have to wait till cob come. She was very hateful and cruel woman. At that time I was not aware of insurance fraud being in USA that long, as I am till today completely isolated from rest of the world and I feel like I am in a jail, no one like me from Asian background because of my divorce and American hates me because of 9/11and I look different than them and I never thought country which is known as best country in the world, will be hating others because of their colors, as compare to this my country India is better to that respect.
After I left without her info, this woman put me in bad situation filing false complaint about me to the officer and 9/11 was new and officers in GA are worst than any other places in racial profiling and majority police officers don't trust immigrant woman's word and put her behind bar. I made report next day to another officer and I got a phone call from driver's husband saying he needs my insurance agent name and she had every thing with her. I told him that his wife never given her info to me at all and I need that and he only gave me her name Barbara and he said if I won't he will file complaint to the Police officer for HIT and RUN and he did file another false complaint to them. I received a letter from Police dept. I called police officer who is a woman and I thought it is a good idea to talk to her personally as I don't want her to misunderstand me and I gave her a time to see her next day early morning as I been working late night and I couldn't go there but left another message to see her next day and I went to get my report. I found out there are two reports not one, filed by both of us.
I contacted front clerk to see an officer and was not educated by no one not to see an officer personally and can get arrested as they can trap any time just you are different or from another country. Police officer was female, came behind me and arrested on the spot saying you are under arrest, not given me reason or my rights and said she will do that inside. She treated as a criminal person. I was very humiliated and insulted. I was given four tickets no reason as no ticket was valid. One was 1) Driving too closely 2) having more than one driver license 3) not having insurance4) filing false report 5) Hit and Run.
None of the ticket was valid and I do know I can file charge against this police officer and county and police dept. And I wanted to. My bond was about $1200, I think, no money, no family, no relatives and no one to rely except church and I can be humiliated and judged by church pastor and members and I was as I called my church where I got baptized but no help. They asked me to pay upfront in an hr or I will be in side jail and no help calling church, I went inside, fingerprinting and was there for two days, don’t know who to call. I finally decided to call Indian woman whose church I attended twice and she came next day with cash money to bail me out. I was really happy that someone I met twice in her church helped me but not my pastor. I hugged her but she pushed me saying why I was in the jail, what I did, why you are still illegal? She helped me but same time she judged me and she came with her African friends to my home and put condition on me to come to her church every Sunday and I didn’t have no way to come to her church as I lost my DL. There is more to talk about her. But after that incident many other things occurred in my life no job, broke my lease and then new job to get another job as an Ass. Manager from Shia Agakhani man who owned restaurant business in Macon and he destroyed my whole life. I broke my lease and quit my job. He used his employee to move me there and then my car broke Dn and he stolen all my $3000 worth luggage. I didn’t’ file police complaint as was not sure where he took my luggage and then denied place to leave and job and I lost what I had in Atlanta. Originally I am coming from Shia Agakhani religion and these people hurt me, blackballed me, took every thing away from me and I lost every thing including my car and made me home less. I was moving around since then. That was a last yr of my immigration paper and I couldn’t extend as per Amnesty and no immigration, no place in USA anywhere as immigration can solve 99% problem in life in USA, specially after 9/11 and if you don't have anyone to support you and no family or relatives.
My real life disaster started from Atlanta and I approached few time to Rakha org, no help infact they humiliated me and kicked me out and they are not confidential infact every Asian immigrant women org in USA are well connected with each other and slander named of woman like me and do discriminate as they mostly are Hindu and Muslim org are in MI and IL and Muslim don’t like me since beginning as what happened to me. And if one community hates you where you belong, you don’t belong no where in any other religion even the agency based or run by Hindu and when I became Christian my church didn’t help me either. These South Asian Indian Pakistani people love to gossip about specially vulnerable people, destroy their life, get grant from the Govt. to open agency but in real world people like me never get any help and they pocket all those money hiring their friends and family to that agency and make bogus files under any name to show to Govt. how many people they helped. Raksha agency based in Atlanta neither anyone mentioned about CPAC, Center of pan American agency, as they don’t want me to have any help at all from no one. I was just browsing internet and I found out about this agency, which is too late as I moved around so much after that. I moved to TN for a job and my community followed me there to, then I came to Atlanta for my case three times from TN which took two yrs. And I been calling to get my court date and they couldn’t locate that file. I plea no guilty three different time. My public defender was Hispanic Att. Mondelly in Dn Tn Atlanta and he pressured me to say no contest which will stay in my record as Jury trial can’t be trusted and there is 50/50 chance but I had 100 confidence as I can win my case as I am not guilty to any of those tickets. He said if they found you guilty somehow I will be in jail and will be deported because of my immigration but not sure and asked me to talk to my immigration Att. I contacted Asian immigration Att but all these immigration Att. Businesses are money making business and I didn’t get any help from her at all. And what happened to me in my car accident because of racial profile and hate crime, I didn’t want to be racially profiled by jury to put me in a jail even I am not guilty and this public defender discouraged me so much and have to except no contest but when I except no contest with $350 and 32 hrs community service and have to pay Probation officer’s fee. Judge dismissed most of my tickets and he said if I am aware my immigration can be affected by this and if Att mentioned to me and I said no he didn’t as he said he is not sure as he is not an immigration Att. And public defender was very mad at me as I told the truth as he didn’t want my case to go in front of jury as he don’t get paid and he have to waste his time and he knew if I win, I will probably file lawsuit against Police dept, police officer and county and woman who filed false charge on me. And I think they knew this and don’t want this to happen as because of that woman and police officer my life drained and I am no where. I had loss in every aspect, financially, loosing my cart, moving around, lost my luggage, not got my wages paid when I moved and quite my job, mental, emotional stress, trauma and so on…..
Judge New Kirk threw away my file in the trash as he was mad at me saying I have to bring my own private Att. Next day to fight my case. I am poor woman, I already suffered and didn’t have no money to take to the court and I will not find no Att for next day and don’t’ know whom to trust, I was very confused and was living in a hotel room when I came for a court date. I contacted one Att. Who was very unprofessional and he said let me call your Att if you don’t mind and he did and he turn him against me. I been crying all night and didn’t know what to do and didn’t want to get arrested net day not having an Att. as I didn’t know how to represent myself as no one trust me any way as I have accent and from another country as if person have accent, person is lying… Anyway I want to court two hrs late as I couldn’t sleep whole night and didn’t want no trouble and I was thinking I will be in a jail if I got to court no Att. Session was over and I talked to one clerk and they called judge. I cried and told judge that I am not guilty to any of the charges and he said if I like to take same no contest plea and want same Att if I like, as he can’t refused to get an Att, when I can’t afford one. I refused to have same Att, as he lied to me and judge. But he gave me same deal. I have to see probation officer. And I went to see him next day on peach tree st. People there are very rude and finally met my probation officer who didn’t explain to me how it works and it was my first probation, no reason. I told him that I don’t live in GA and will be moving somewhere don’t know an d I also asked him, if I can pay them all together and my probation can be over before one yr once I pay he said yes but he never told me if I don’t pay this month all together, I still have to report to him.
I was moving a lot, from Augusta for a job interview, then SC for a job interview in hotel and Charlotte and then Raleigh , NC . I got a hotel hob at front in Raleigh with a living arrangement and that job lost for a two weeks as it was owned by Patel from India and last three yrs working for Patel, my experience is not very good. They pay less money and refused to pay over time, sometimes they don’t pay at all or sexually harass vulnerable woman and then terminate and if you go to Labor dept and EEOC to file complained your name is slandered all over USA and this is what happened to me in last three yrs and not having any choice because of my immigration papers and difficult to get driver license without immigration since 2003, it was very tough out there. No connection with no agency, no guidance, no support, isolated like I am living in a jungle. And it sound like people all around looking for vulnerable people like me to attach and take advantage of. Any way I lost my job in two weeks and living arrangement. I didn’t’ have no where to go, not enough money with me. I found out about Quaker group and I contacted them, no help, finally I been suggested by Indian nice shelter in town in Dn tn but it was lye and these two Indian men promised to help me but walked out and no response and they knew this Patel man as every Indian Pakistani knows every one and if one hates you or have problem whole community hates you, very manipulative as they know each other weaknesses and they can threaten each other and hurt other party of that party helps you , the way my ex husband threatened my community saying not to help me.
Any way I been assaulted in that shelter in two days I left and started looking for a room and apartment which was very expensive in Raleigh area. In between I got a job BP gas station owned by Indian man and operated by Pakistani man. As these Indian Pakistanis are very nosy and interested knowing who you are especially when you are from same back ground. He found out I am from India , alone, no children, divorced and looking for an apartment to live. He pressured me to move with his Pakistani friend to live with him and lied about his living condition and keep on forcing me some times in July end. I refused to. I was sexually harassed by him. I was terminated next day. I went to get my paycheck and they been acting weird with me and said it will be ready go get it and when I went it was not there. I called both of them came and treated me like a trash, talked less. They looked at my paycheck without handing me in my hand. I turn on tape recorder as I knew there is something wrong there. And I said check is not right and he said why? I said I worked over time for two weeks and he said have you receive your first check I said yes and he said show me your hrs, do you have any proof with you and I showed my written hrs to him and he didn’t expect that from me. Then he said he doesn’t give time and a half to no-one and I said this is not India or Pakistan . He threatened to call Police on me and I asked him Police for what and no answer given and I said I will contact Labor dept. to get my wages.
I left and I was in In-town suit hotel for a week. I moved to that hotel as a weekly basis and same day I was terminated. I been talking to a male friend through web site on going basis and I told him my situation and not having any money with me as I didn’t get paid my $700 wages. He offered me a place to live and he said if it won’t work out between us I can live in his spare room. I drove all the way to Coats and it was almost 20 days of my stay, I received a call from detective from Raleigh saying I filed assault charge long time back and like to talk to me, as no job, gas price was too high and I was depending on my boyfriend, I couldn’t go and I told him if I like to pursue assault charge I will visit you when ever I come to Raleigh, as I don’t have gas money.. Exactly three days latter I have to go to court to Greensboro, NC for my 10 miles over traffic ticket, these police men look at previous ticket two month sago and been paid, they wanted to give nest ticket to make your point worst, specially if you are from another country or driving old car or have previous ticket pending. Anyway it was my second court date for same ticket and I explained to the judge my condition to dismiss my ticket and he did. I was heading towards EEOC to file a complained about BP gas station owner and met a lady by the name Sharon who gave me a direction but on the way I got pulled over by the officer saying I am driving too slow. I was checking addresses to go to Indian restaurant and then to EEOC. And he checked his computer saying I have an arrest warrant in my name and he didn’t know what it is. He locked me in his car checked his record, saying Detective send arrest warrant two days ago as I took something form someone, according to him. Then he said it is embezzlement charge for $605 filed by BP gas station by the manager and detective send arrest warrant.
As per my statement detective called me on 8/22/06 for other issue but not mentioned anything about this embezzlement otherwise I would have tried my best to reach him to clear this matter but I was given any opportunity to speak to and without any investigation he can’t send any arrest under any once name. I was in Greensboro jail for almost three days but my boyfriend never showed up as I informed him thorough that Sharon friend in Greensboro as I can’t call him long distance. I was harassed I the jail calling me Sad ham Hussein and Bin Laden. Women been there terrible and mostly were prostitutes and drug dealers, it was very horrible experience I had in my life where I was humiliated by every one. My car was in a gas station and he never showed up and got a message he will come to see me and not to bail me out as my bail was $5000 and was not sure why it was too high. Then I found out as my driver license was from out of town and I have not given my boyfriend local address to police as, I didn’t want employer or Police to harass me in any way and second reason my bail was high I think was because of Atlanta issue and I didn’t know there is arrest warrant send by judge Kirk on May 2006 there, not making payment every month and I was not sure I have to pay every month and didn’t have any money to pay either and I found out about this warrant after I was out from jail some times in Oct 2006 as it was very hard to get hold of my probation officer and previous officer was no longer working there and people are very rude and been hanging up always on me.
They brought me to Raleigh NC three days latter in 8/26 and I had my court date on 9/19/06 . I been harassed, physically, mentally and psychologically assaulted by inmates and calls me names Sad ham and Bin Laden and everyone ganged up against me and spread rumors all over saying not to talk to me, not to eat with me, not to associate with me and slandered to all the pods that I am mentally crazy, as I filed complained against woman who physically assaulted me, everyone ganged up and when I been moved to another pot to Annex building these inmates who knows each other and coming back to the jail always as they all in drug, prostitution and stealing and live in same location down town, didn’t want any one to be in trouble and trying to prove I am wrong and they are right and I am lying. Police officers there are very rude and treat very badly to those especially from another country specially who look like from Saudi Arabia , Iraq , Iran or Asia . I was a victim of hate crime in the jail and not taken care of this issue in fact when I filed the complained, I been locked in 24 hrs cell and half an hr break for shower and phone call which was not enough and those who assaulted me and in same color African American having fun out side and laughing at me.
Public defender Att. Theodore came to see me three weeks latter same as my fiancée as I was engaged to him four days latter living with him. He didn’t want me to pursue further and asked me to forget about it and said he will marry to me and will fix my immigration papers, saying he loves me. But he been lying all the time about who he is and I found out his real face when I went to jail. He been hanging up phone on me, yelling at me and he judged me not knowing whole truth and that is not love. It was terrifying experience in my life and I didn’t have no one to rely and I wanted to punish this criminal what he did to me and what I been through because of his lye. I been calling many bond man from the jail and it was hard to make collect cal and I got few and wanted 15% bond and couple was ready for 10% but have to put collateral. My car was in Greensboro and I knew it was towed away as it was over three weeks and he refused to get my car back here and said to forget about my car and start all over again. I worked very hard day and night at Hotel as a manager to buy that car for $3500 and can’t not forget as without my car I am nothing, it is my bread and butter, as I can look for a job and go and talk to the lawyers and communicate with new people as I being new here and never been to churches, no friends and can’t afford to loose my car and I was really upset knowing why he changes so fast on me.
Anyway I meta woman in the jail who said same employer filed same charge on her few months ago and I was really shocked to hear this as this employer is in a businesses filing false complained of the people, not paying wages to them and getting them arrested each time and pocket employees money as he being Pakistani knows how to lye and cheat and fool as they know the technique and detective got fooled so as Labor dept and he took both agency in his side and detective believed him 100% what ever he said and a labor dept closed my case as employer showed him something to them to scare them probably not having immigration papers and there is no reason because of immigration papers he have right not to pay my wages and file false charge to get me arrested and deported.
And usually Labor, EEOC, Police dept. 99% time believe those have lots of money without any investigation as they have power and knows each other being in a business for a long time. I had a court date on 9/19 and as per my fiancée, he will bail me out if bail is reduced but I have not trusted him at all the way he been treating me while I was in the jail and said he don’t have no money which was hard to believe , earning $52,000 yearly and no saving. And he never discussed in that period about his expenses and saving and I didn’t know what the truth here knows for 20 days living together.
Anyway public defender said that if I take no contest I can leave today with misdemeanor charge instead of federal charge. I was not ready as I am not guilty. He said he can reduce bond to $3000 but I didn’t’ trust my fiancée that he will bail me out and he said if appeal this charge, I will be incarcerated and will be in jail again and I have only 10 days to do so. I was very shocked to hear this law as this sound like no innocent person like me file appeal to open and fight her case just because I don’t have money to bail myself out or don’t have money for a private Att. This law support all criminal on this earth and this is not justice but MAFIAGIRY as these criminal businessman paying these politician money to pass the law according to them to commit more crime, collect more money from us keeping our paychecks and splitting our wages with politician again to pass another to serve their purposes, doesn’t make no sense.
I took no plea and wanted to appeal my case as he said I will be in jail for six month, if I take no guilty plea as it takes 6 months for court date. It was very hard for me to take no contest but I took it as I wanted to go home. I been looking and checking around but not found one Att. Yet saying he will take my case in contingency basis and couple of Att. Said they will take my case with $7-9000 retainer fees, which I don’t have it. In between I was treated very badly by my fiancée. I gave me ring three times and took it back three times. He didn’t have any respect for me just because I went to jail and he was not thinking I will come out soon. I was emotionally, mentally and psychologically assaulted by him. I called Police twice in thanks giving day and left his house for 10 days I came back as he wanted me to come back, as he emailed me and called me. It was terrible after I came back. Every time I came even after jail or after I left his home, he was getting worst with me and I couldn’t tolerate.
As my driver license was expiring in Sept 2006 which was one yr driving certificate from TN as I lost my GA DL and can’t get my regular license without my immigration papers and all I had was my social card with INS stamp on it and my driving record in the past. TN DMV told me I can’t get my driver license renewed as they changed law. I was surprised to hear this, as that is a last think I wanted to happen to me and without my car and driver license I am nothing same as immigration papers and having driving license at list I can find a job and commute from work, church, bank and so on. It was shockable news for me. I started browsing for each DMV in USA for last three months and I found out about REAL ID ACT passed by congress in May 2005 because of 9/11 and not everyone have anything to do with 9/11. I been her last 17 yrs, what is to do with me to 9/11? And why I am getting punish every time because of someone else crime, why vulnerable people have to suffer, how this country is best in the world when this country donating billions of dollars to other countries in disaster and I been paying taxes for last 17 yrs, why I don’t’ get any Govt benefit and arrested me and not I lost my driver license.
I found out two states offer DL no immigration asked which is UTAH and OREGAN and had plan to go there but $350 round trip by greyhound and I don’t have it and have to show my residence there. Finally after lots of struggle I got my drier license from NC. And still have to take care of my registration which is expiring tomorrow which is $120 and my insurance.
Before I got my driver license I got a job in Indian owned Patel gas station which is close by six miles from here. And I end up working there for over a month and have to quit because of his assault and I was paying for grocery and taking care of one bill. I send two payment of $100 each to probation officer and it is $303.50 with probation fee and 32 hrs community service and still arrest warrant is pending on my name. I been contacting Probation officer daily but he was in a leave for a month and came back yesterday and I was emailing to his supervisor and he didn’t’ believe me that no one can let me do community service and it was because of worker comp insurance. I called churches, coats Police, court house, fire dept but every one denied. I called probation officer who came back yesterday and he was very rude not understanding my situation saying it is my problem and have to submit myself to the judge and let him know what happened. I am NC and he wants me to submit to the judge, it doesn’t make any sense to me.
I tried my best to cut it short and I did. I need place to live, a job, need help to take care of Atlanta situation with my warrant issue and appeal to file of my criminal case in Raleigh , NC . I am still living with this abusive man and he want me to be out ASAP.I can’t cook, he yell at me, call me criminal, bitch and hoer and so on. I am tired of him calling those entire name and he been saying always he love me and fact is he hate me. He lied to me always about every thing. He turned my friends against me and he tried to turn against my family. He don’t allow me to go out or talk to any one and listen to my conversation, check my internet access even my word document as he is Tech Support. I don’t have any privacy here. He is not happy me having my driver license back and now he disconnecting internet permanently so I can’t communicate saying he will save $100 a month. He stopped buying groceries so I will leave this home. I don’t know where to go and will not go to the shelter as I been assaulted twice in the shelter in my life and can’t sleep in my car. I need help and I hope there is help around for people like me when Govt. is funding so much money for shelters and other programs but I never go any benefit of that ever in my life.
I like my immigration papers to be straighten up and I am really tired of this as this is up most in top list in my priority after I take care of my job and place to live. I called NC Justice Center few times and they are very slow unless I know someone there, I can’t go further. I will be waiting to hear from you, to help me resolve this issue. Thanks!
Sincerely
SABRINA