Facts of Life and Death

FLASH!

Harsh Words

Magistrate Sharon M. May, who thought Gabe Clevenger’s petition for a protection order against Alex Blair, her husband and future murderer was insufficient, has been fired.

This is a knee jerk reaction, throwing Sharon May to the wolves to improve Richland Country Domestic Court’s political optic.  No piece of paper ever stopped anyone from committing an act of violence.  The paper represents consequences that are enforced later.  Children and some adults never, never ever concern themselves with future consequences.

Granting this protection order would have made no difference.  Sharon May is not responsible for Gabe’s death.  That fault is shared unequally between Gabe and Alex

Faces of Life and Death

Her friends knew her as Gabe.  So did her killer.  Too bad no one taught her the facts of life.

Restraining or protection orders just pieces of paper

Monday 10 Feb 20, her friend, Lisa Davis, reported 20-year-old Gabe Clevenger was missing.  Her husband’s family told Lisa that Alex Blair had stabbed Gabe to death in his car.  Her husband was arrested and later led police to the wooded area where he had left the body.

There’s a back story.  Gabe was scared of Alex who abused her, but didn’t know how to leave him.  She was attempting to get a divorce.   She petitioned for a restraining order but Magistrate Sharon M. May ruled Gabe’s request did not meet the legal requirements, not that it would have mattered.

The court has stated, following her death, they are broken hearted and regret Gabe’s petition did not meet the preponderance of evidence.  Oops, our bad, they said.

Facts of life?  Is that the bird and bees?  No, it’s about reality.

Laws and writs only work because the governed elect to be governed.  If the majority of the governed feel a law is unjust, they can eventually over turn it through civic disobedience.  Those of us who cannot agree to conform to the majority’s wishes are called criminals.  A paper with words on it never stopped anyone.  It takes force.

These are the two facts of life Gabe didn’t understand:

• A protection order is only effective against people who choose to be restrained by it.
• Never go with, allow into your space, or accompany anyone who has used violence against you, no matter how sorry or reformed they say they are.

There was a cartoon in Women and Guns I deeply wished I had saved.  It was four paneled.  The first three show a thuggish man smirking into his beer at a bar with three different caption.  They read: wife beater finding out his victim got a restraining order, …joined a support system and, …joined a self-help group.  But the last, ah the last, shows a very fearful man with the caption, wife beater finding out his wife bought a gun and is taking lessons.

If only someone had taught Gabe about these facts of life.  Maybe you could do that for someone.