Saturday, February 21, 2009

Rihanna and Chris Brown Find Women in Crime Ink

Women in Crime Ink’s Susan Murphy-Milano found herself in the thick of the Rihanna/Chris Brown fiasco when she was quoted in over a dozen news and media pieces, including Associated Press, People magazine, and TMZ.com, regarding the domestic violence incident involving the two high-profile entertainers. Murphy-Milano, a violence expert and victim’s advocate, was contacted extensively about her knowledge of domestic violence victims.

The night before the Grammy Awards, Chris Brown allegedly assaulted his long-time girlfriend, pop-star Rihanna, after a pre-Grammy award show at mega-producer Clive Davis’s party. According to news reports, Brown allegedly received a text message that escalated the verbal altercation into a physical assault. Photographs of the pummeled pop-star Rihanna appeared on numerous Web sites this past Thursday, prompting a public outcry and an LAPD internal investigation. Women in Crime Ink declines to publish this photograph due to the nature of the crime.

Although under scrutiny by law enforcement and public opinion, Murphy-Milano does see a positive side to the violent incident, as told to the Associated Press.

"I think she could be a very important voice and a tool for other people," she said of Rihanna. "She could turn this around," Murphy-Milano said, and tell others, " 'Don't be me.' "

This story and others simply show that the contributors of Women in Crime Ink are clearly the experts in the criminal justice field.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rihanna is a typical example of a battered woman.

This was a crime committed which should be prosecuted.

We as a society have got to start taking these crimes seriously.

What if this was your daughter?

Shatter the silence of familiar abuse.

Rihanna be strong and think of the example you set for the female youth not just in US but around the world.

Love is not abuse. Love protects.

FleaStiff said...

I've never heard of either of the two parties involved in this spat. I wouldn't know anything about the incident but for the fact that google provided so many hits on news items about it in response to a search I had entered concerning a missing airplane in Guyana.

I wonder why there is such an outcry about this domestic violence incident. People occasionally have problems and sometimes tempers flare. Its up to them to decide if they want to patch things up between them or end it. Its up to the victim to decide if she wants to press charges. I see no need for all these calls for vindictive prosecution. Let her make up her mind in peace. Apparently they are each recording stars of some sort, let them go about their lives without additional pressures. It seems they have enough pressure on them right now.

Delilah said...

When a well known woman is battered all kinds of opinions come out of the woodwork and some are not so nice.

The fact is, Rhianna survived an attack that many women do not. She is lucky, and I only hope she realizes how lucky.

Rhianna now stands at a crossroads in her life. She could take this incident and help bring about changes for other survivors, or she could sweep this incident under the rug and carry on with her career.

There are women who have no voice, who are beaten, battered and afraid, hanging on to just threads of their lives. I hope that with the help of those like Susan Murphy Milano, Rhianna will decide to add her voice to those trying to bring focus and attention to the rate of domestic violence attacks in homes all across our country.

Levi said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Levi said...

FleaStiff he beat this woman until she was literally black and blue. You cannot "patch" that up. What a bunch of BS.

Victims have a moral obligation to press charges, because once a domestic abuser, always a domestic abuser. We have seen domestic violence lead to murder.

We need more vindictive prosecutions of domestic violence cases, not less.

We need more of an outrage and anger against domestic violence. We need to start shaming the men involved. Your liberal nonchalant attitude is SCARY.

Do you have the same opinion about rape? Child Molestation?

Back in the good ole days people like Chris Brown would simply be taken out back and shot.

Levi said...

Moreover I think battered womens groups need to create billboards of Chris Brown with the caption that says "DOMESTIC ABUSER" and hang them all around big cities. Just to show what a POS he really is.

Anonymous said...

I don't think we shold tolerate violence of any kind. That includes spanking shildren.

Anonymous said...

I don't think we shold tolerate violence of any kind. That includes spanking shildren.

Levi said...

If spanking is considered violence, then I guess I lived through a child hood of abuse... ::NOT::

FleaStiff said...

>Back in the good ole days people like Chris Brown would simply be taken out back and shot

I don't know what good ole days you might be referring to.
Colonial Pennsylvania: A homeowner could fondle a female servants breasts, it was neither legally wrong nor morally wrong.
Wisconsin at the height of its Populism: a Husband could legally order his wife detained at an asylum even though she was not insane. This was at the same time that females voted, held office and served on juries.

Our views on domestic violence have varied greatly. In the American West, even outlaws would hang a man who had molested a good woman and occasionally would hang a man who had merely insulted one. In the American South, if a White Woman was ravaged, atleast one Black Man would be hanged by Sundown.
This special status for "the fair sex" is not always a part of our society but usually public violence against a woman is not tolerated.

Levi said...

FleaStiff, I did not mean that literally if you want to get all politically correct with me. I was trying to make a point that people like you see this as "no big deal." When it is a real problem.

FleaStiff said...

I never said it was 'no big deal'. Its often cultural... we value the indigenous cultures such as the Maori but must recall "Once Were Warriors".
Violence in relationships? The brave man with a sword and the coward with a kiss may be a bit of an exaggeration.
Rather than "no big deal" I would suggest "a primarily private matter" which the woman should have the option of deciding for herself without pressure to be a role model on the issue simply because that is the au courant viewpoint of the literatti.

Anonymous said...

FleaStiff,
I understand what you are trying to say, but without these cases being made public the laws to help women would not have come about. Yes it is a private matter that occurred in a public place with two very public people. There are women out there who are afraid to press charges due to retaliation. Now the law in most states says the responding PO will do it for you. It takes the burden off of the victem. Without high profile cases a lot of laws would not have come into effect. It's the nature of the beast. People aren't interested in joe schmoe down the road being beaten, but when it can happen to a woman of her fame and wealth then people think twice about the crime.
Is it her responsibility to set the example? I suppose that is a matter of opinion. MHO is that it is her responsibility. She is an idol to many young women. Fame and wealth have a price. Without the adoring fans she would be nothing. In return she does owe it to them to be a good role model.

Susan Murphy Milano's Journal said...

Only after Nichole Brown Simpson was murdered were photo's of the abuse she sustained released. Her husband was famous hiding behind his fame no differently than other cowards who use violence as a means to control the person in their realtionship.

We have laws on the books across the country, not signed with a pen of ink, but blood. Women lost their lives for laws to be passed and implemented. More women have lost their lives than the total number of those who have died in the vietnman war.

This is a war. And, in my opinion
someone of this public celebrity status has the opportunity to influence as well as implement programs at the high school level for teenagers to understand this behaior is not tolerated. And it is against the law.

Anonymous said...

It is great to see the exposure, but the education aspect is even bigger.
Kudos to Harvey (Im a Lawyer) Levin for bringing attention to the story on TMZ.
The dopey hollywood set need wake up calls every so often.

Levi said...

FleaStiff, An act of violence is not a private matter.

Anonymous said...

Hitting is violence, even if you call it discipline. Kids that get hit, learn to hit.

Soobs said...

If domestic violence is not a private matter (and I don't believe that it is) why not show the photo of the end result of that violence? Why decide that the photo is "private" yet the action isn't?

As Susan said, Nicole Brown's photo of abuse didn't come out until after her murder. Why? The "shame" should be on the abuser, not the abused. I don't understand Women in Ink's decision in this regard.

Anonymous said...

That's the problem with women they submit when they shouldn't and back bite each other instead of ganging up on the ones battering their fellow sisters.

Makes one sad. Rhianna is a typical battered woman. She drowning and we're all watching.

I wish someone would write about a woman who actually helps change the system. Like Diane Rosenfeld with the GPS monitor.