To Protect
The rumors couldn't be true. Sitting alone in my cabin, after my belly churned for days, I nervously called a friend who had once been where I now found myself. Feeling trapped by the typical gossip of a small community, I wanted the name of a confidential person at the domestic violence and sexual assault non-profit. In a warning tone, my friend confirmed, “Mari can help—just be sure to avoid Mari’s boss, the executive director, who is not a safe person.”
I felt concerned, having heard numerous local citizens tell stories of mistreatment when interacting with this executive director. Taking a deep breath, I reminded myself that there was nowhere else to turn to for this specialized assistance, so I called their office.
Just when I found myself …show more content…
My password was rejected time and again. I looked up to ask the executive director if passwords had been changed. The look of rampage on her face left nothing to wonder about. She immediately ran toward me, chasing me around the office, screaming “GET OUT!”
Shaking, I rushed home and called the sheriff’s department. A deputy calmly talked with me, expressing his shock that of all places, abuse was happening at the one non-profit that exists to protect victims of abuse. Yet he said he believed me, telling me the sheriff’s department “had plenty” of concerning run-ins with that executive director “over the last seventeen years.” He added, “This is what happens when members of the board are friends with the executive director—this kind of behavior is allowed to continue.”
The deputy emphasized that I should have never returned to the workplace after the first incident of workplace abuse. He advised me to not return to work until after filing workplace violence reports with the state, then only if the board guarantees protection. He kept repeating, “You have a right to safety in the workplace—do not go back until you are protected from the executive
The rumors couldn't be true. Sitting alone in my cabin, after my belly churned for days, I nervously called a friend who had once been where I now found myself. Feeling trapped by the typical gossip of a small community, I wanted the name of a confidential person at the domestic violence and sexual assault non-profit. In a warning tone, my friend confirmed, “Mari can help—just be sure to avoid Mari’s boss, the executive director, who is not a safe person.”
I felt concerned, having heard numerous local citizens tell stories of mistreatment when interacting with this executive director. Taking a deep breath, I reminded myself that there was nowhere else to turn to for this specialized assistance, so I called their office.
Just when I found myself …show more content…
My password was rejected time and again. I looked up to ask the executive director if passwords had been changed. The look of rampage on her face left nothing to wonder about. She immediately ran toward me, chasing me around the office, screaming “GET OUT!”
Shaking, I rushed home and called the sheriff’s department. A deputy calmly talked with me, expressing his shock that of all places, abuse was happening at the one non-profit that exists to protect victims of abuse. Yet he said he believed me, telling me the sheriff’s department “had plenty” of concerning run-ins with that executive director “over the last seventeen years.” He added, “This is what happens when members of the board are friends with the executive director—this kind of behavior is allowed to continue.”
The deputy emphasized that I should have never returned to the workplace after the first incident of workplace abuse. He advised me to not return to work until after filing workplace violence reports with the state, then only if the board guarantees protection. He kept repeating, “You have a right to safety in the workplace—do not go back until you are protected from the executive