On October 21, 2007 Milaus Almore, eight weeks pregnant, sought refuge at the SafeSpace abuse shelter. Ten days later the 26-year-old woman lay dead, stabbed with a pocket knife that left a gaping wound in the side of her neck. The weapon was wielded not by her abuser, but by another woman staying at the Stuart, Fla. facility.
The victim’s grieving mother blurted out the obvious irony of her death: “She went in there to be safe, and she got killed.â€ÂÂ
Employees at SafeSpace were, of course, surprised and shocked. But it turns out the alleged perpetrator, Marilyn Hooks, had a prior criminal record – but none of the staff had bothered to check. That’s because, according to Board president Anthony Westbury, “you don’t put up any more barriers for victims wanting to enter the shelter.â€ÂÂ
Violence at abuse shelters occurs far more often than most persons realize. Rita Smith, executive director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, admits fisticuffs among shelter residents are commonplace, according to a November 9, 2007 article in the TC Palm. At SafeSpace, about 10 incidents occur each year that require police intervention, many of them involving assaults by shelter residents.
These problems were no secret to local residents who often overheard angry outbursts between mothers and their children. Following Almore’s stabbing death, the neighborhood was up in arms. “It’s not safe for anybody. Even the people who are using it deserve better,†according to Jim Brady, who resides on the quiet cul-de-sac where the shelter is located.
Within hours the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence dispatched a team to investigate. Its findings dealt a second blow to local residents still grieving over the death of one-year-old Myliak Dale, run over by a car in the SafeSpace parking lot just days before.
Upon her admission to the shelter on September 22, Marilyn Hooks did not “appear†to have any mental health issues — whatever that means.
But within days, Hooks became embroiled in a series of conflicts and verbal altercations with other shelter residents and staff. Soon these disagreements escalated into outright threats.
On October 17, Hooks threatened to kill shelter employee Paola Jimenez. Two weeks later Hooks told a co-resident she was going to eliminate her – not Ms. Almore, but a different woman.
These incidents were reported to shelter manager Kathleen Comstock, along with urgent recommendations that Hooks be “exited†from the facility. But Comstock refused the appeals, and reportedly “rolled her eyes†and told one employee she was “tired of it all and didn’t want to hear about it.â€ÂÂ
In violation of shelter policy, Hooks’ case files contained no mention of the death threats – maybe because the staff believed it was of no use, or perhaps they were so instructed.
Nor were these incidents reported to executive director Hylan Bryan, a woman who was paid nearly $69,000 a year to oversee shelter operations.
At the conclusion of its two-day visit, the Coalition team issued a scathing indictment. The untimely death of Milaus Almore was caused by the “egregious failure of the entire agency to satisfactorily assure the health, safety, and welfare of both its clientele and staff.â€ÂÂ
The FCADV opted to not post the damning report on its website, but it can be read here: http://web.tcpalm.com/2007/11/10/safespace.pdf .
In response, SafeSpace developed a series of corrective measures. These included – get ready for this – drawing up an organizational chart, updating job descriptions, and reviewing managers’ competencies “to make sure they’re competent to be doing the job they’re doing.â€ÂÂ
Bear in mind, this is a $3 million taxpayer-funded agency that presumes to be expert at stopping partner abuse.
Turns out, SafeSpace had a history of dubious practices. In 2002 the shelter was cited for not providing requested records to state auditors. The probe also found shelter staff were breaking the rules by admitting women who were not true victims of abuse.
Ironically, the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence had conducted an inspection just two weeks before Almore’s death, concluding SafeSpace passed with flying colors.
So ten months after the incident, key questions remain unanswered. Was Marilyn Hooks the sole perpetrator of the deed? Or were there accessories to this heinous crime?
Was the autocratic shelter manager at fault for turning her back on staff entreaties to discharge Hooks?
Did the executive director fall down by failing to assure the incidents were reported to her?
Was the SafeSpace Board of Directors asleep at the switch for not assuring effective management controls were in place?
Or is our entire shelter system so rooted in a dysfunctional gender ideology that it needs a top-to-bottom housecleaning?
