October Begins With a Reminder We Shouldn't Need: Domestic Violence Is Still Happening Behind Closed Doors
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Every year, we see the purple ribbons, awareness walks, social media posts and reminders to look for the warning signs. But this year, October began with another kind of reminder — one that is much harder to scroll past. A Woman Is Dead. Her Longtime Partner Is Charged. In Philadelphia, 48-year-old Maria Pagan was found dead inside her North Philadelphia home in late September. Police later arrested her longtime partner, 46-year-old Melvin Rivera, and charged him with murder. Authorities have not publicly announced a motive. The case appeared in the news just as Philadelphia organizations were preparing events for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. That timing is difficult to ignore. We spend October talking about domestic violence as a national problem. But for someone, somewhere in America, it isn't a campaign or a statistic. It is happening inside a house or apartment right now. Domestic Violence Rarely Begins Wit...