IN the 1989 movie, A Cry for Help: The Tracy Thurman Story it all happened in St. Petersburg, Florida when Tracy met Buck. After they got involved, Tracy realized that Buck had a gambling problem. Tracy confronted Buck about him losing money while gambling in front of his friends. Buck became furious and punched the door working his way around Tracy.Buck starts yelling and saying how his mother put a gun to his head and asked Tracy never to leave him. Thinking she was seeing his vulnerable side, Tracy felt sorry for him. This duped Tracy into thinking that Buck had a shattered soul and a sense of humanity.
Not too long, Tracy found out she was pregnant. After telling Buck the news, he beat her for the first time. Tracy then leaves for Connecticut, her hometown and stays with a close friend. Buck follows her to Connecticut and pleads, begs, and promises that it will never happen again. They get married, stayed in Connecticut, and had a baby boy.
Buck is unable to find work and convinces Tracy to move back to Florida. After losing a game of cards, he goes into a rage and beats Tracy again leaving her with two black eyes. Tracy moves back to Connecticut, only to have Buck follow her and take the baby away from Tracy.
Tracy gets a restraining order against Buck and he is not allowed in the State of Connecticut or near Tracy's home. She sees Buck standing in front of her home and calls the cops. The cops cannot find the court order. When the cops come to the house they tell her that he has the right to stand in the street and it would be easier if they weren't married.
A couple of days later, Buck is outraged. He shows up at Tracy's house again screaming for her to come out of the house. This time he doesn't let up. Tracy calls the cops and tells them that Buck is at the house and asks for a cop car to come by. The cop takes forever to get there. The cop that was assigned to come decides to make a detour and go back to the station for a pit stop.
When he finally gets there he finds Buck beating Tracy to a pulp. Stabbing her several times, Buck then stomps on her face leaving her paralyzed (parapalegic). The cop with fear in his own eyes doesn't know how to control Buck. Finally, the cop is able to take the knife away from Buck and puts it in the trunk of the cop car.
The cop doesn't handcuff Buck. Buck is screaming at everyone while holding his son. Finally, after the ambulance came, Buck was finally cuffed and taken away.
Tracy sued the city of Torrington, Connecticut for failing to protect her and Tracy won.
Today many police departments still ignore Domestic Violence Policies and Protocols.
"Why is it that when you DO go to the police about someone or something, they treat you like an overwraught woman? tell you its somehow YOUR fault? or patronize you? - Anonymous Abuse Survivor
I have seen a number of similar situations. I personally live in the town with the salon shootings 2-3 years ago. Repeated restraining order violations before taking out his wife and several innocent salon stylists.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion goes as follows: I think most of this is because law enforcement in most situations doesnt react until a crime is committed.....until something happens; until it is too late. Secondly I know of an instance where the cops are afraid of these over grown bullies and what could happen to them and there families once the scum is released and we know they cant throw away the key. I know of such a man that has his teenage sons deficate on their grandmothers front stoop to get back at his exwife that he has beaten and raped infront of them. I love this site and a thousand of your answers are in every article. I currently am a victim of dv at 56 he pushed me once but mostly it was emotional and economical. I have no self esteem, I am homeless and often sleep in my car, when I had a place to live a house I built and all I had to my name that I lost I slept with the lights on always. Afraid I guess if I turned them off all the hurt would be real. He is sleeping with an enormous masculine woman (?) That has a giant nose course grayhair an enormous rearend and Iis an absolute splitting image of his father who looked like a young prince charles. She has stalked me, drugged his food, spiked his wine with everclear, has asked him to assault three people and he does Iit because he would never go against his father, she has threatened suicide, hurt herself and blamed him and likely according to my counselor threatened him with a false dv charge. I cant prove it but there is evidence that she has killed three people. I now know he is a psychopath and when he met her well my gf is convinced they are brother and sister as she sought him out. I ache mostly for me but it is so hurtful to watch a strong man be turned into a puppet. I finally see him for what he is but it feels too late. I went into the bar portion of a restaurant to get carry out a couple of weeks ago and a man starting talking to me and showing interest. I started shaking uncontrollably and couldnt wait to run out of there. I walk at all times with my head down which has contributed to 3 pinched nerves. You get dumped and hurt because a man you fell in love with and thought was real would rather have intercourse with his father and then defends her actions like someone with stockholm syndrome. See what that does for your self esteem. O btw our supposed womens center that is suppose to hel victims put notes in my file one of 4 pages after 3 years of counseling that it was just a breakup get over it move on. That the reason I couldnt leave was because I would rather play house. I spent 25 years in corporate america and ran my own business if that is the help you get from people who are trained in this field and people that should have "empathy" well how can we possibly get it from law enforcement. Both of the people that have abused me belong in a maximum security prison but where are the resources and they are con artists and would just con, buy, sleep, or bully their way out.