San Francisco struggles to handle pandemic spike in home violence

San Francisco is facing a worrying rise in family violence and growing disagreement over how to respond.

During the course of 2020, the number of jury trials in San Francisco fell sharply and was completely suspended for several months. Domestic violence incidents also fell as victims had fewer opportunities to seek help due to pandemic-related closures, according to a recent San Francisco Department report on the status of women.

However, the decline in coverage has been accompanied by tons of research showing that incidents of domestic violence increased during the pandemic. The United Nations Population Fund estimates that intimate partner violence has increased by 20% worldwide due to quarantines and lockdowns.

The trend was a living reality for Lennette, who managed to escape a violent and abusive relationship that began in 2015. (She declined to give her last name for privacy reasons.)

Last November, her perpetrator was convicted of eight crimes for burning his girlfriend’s face and neck with a lighted cigarette, stabbing her thigh and stomach with scissors, and handcuffing and gagging her while using an electric drill to her temple held.

“There is too much in life to remain in a relationship that no longer serves any of you. Happiness means you’ve broken a toxic cycle. I know a trauma bond is real, but once you break your bond with an abuser, you see all of those opportunities and you can thrive, ”Lennette told about 30 prosecutors, law enforcement officers and community members at one of the prosecutors San Francisco-based event honoring domestic violence survivors.

Lennette’s story is one of hope and bravery, but it’s also rare, especially in the wake of the San Francisco pandemic.

“In San Francisco, we have an amazing number of vendors offering services,” said Catherine Stefani, District 2 supervisor, who previously served as a district attorney in Contra Costa County. “But in my opinion we fail to hold the perpetrators accountable and provide them with the services they need to take responsibility and leave the cycle of violence so that they no longer abuse their partner.”

In 2020, around 24% of total domestic violence cases filed with prosecutors were prosecuted and prosecuted, a significant decrease from 2019 (32%), 2018 (35%) and even 2017 (27%). on the data provided by the office.

Earlier this year, Stefani requested data on domestic violence-related arrests and charges, which revealed that 131 domestic violence arrests were made and 113 of them were released in the last three months of 2020.

“When I got these numbers back, I have to tell you that I was absolutely shocked,” said Stefani.

In 2021, the percentage of indictable cases has already risen back to 31%. But at a San Francisco Public Safety Committee hearing Thursday called to investigate the city’s response to domestic violence, it was clear that some have no confidence in the system used to hold perpetrators accountable.

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin told The Examiner that it is more difficult to gather evidence to prove domestic violence cases during the pandemic. Other DA officials described the numbers as “selected”.

“If you see any differences in fee rates, it reflects the quality of the investigation we are receiving,” said Boudin. “Often times survivors are unwilling to participate in law enforcement, and that means we have witnesses or other evidence that we can use in court. And unfortunately we didn’t have that much of it during the pandemic. “

Stefani and other lawyers for domestic violence victims do not accept the argument. Instead, they fear prosecutors will drop cases and let repeat offenders off the hook, citing examples like in April 2021 when a 7-month-old boy in San Francisco was murdered by his caregiver arrested twice earlier on suspicion of the crime at home Violence. Both times he was released without charge.

“Domestic violence cases are difficult, but any good prosecutor knows how to prosecute a DV case and you don’t have to rely on a victim’s testimony,” Stefani said. “These cases can be prosecuted. End of the story.”

Still, domestic violence cases are among the most difficult crimes to prosecute. Victims can be afraid to testify because retaliation is possible. And because of the intimate nature of the crimes, it is often difficult to confirm stories or find witnesses.

“We recognize that not every survivor wants to continue criminal proceedings. But we certainly hear from survivors facing severe domestic violence that their cases are not moving forward. We have to find a balance, ”said Beverly Upton, executive director of the San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium. “I don’t see the prosecutor as an enemy, but the criminal justice system is there to protect the survivors and to protect the public.”

Evanthia Pappas, Senior Attorney for the Domestic Violence Division of the Prosecutor’s Office, understands the challenge she faces.

“The pandemic has undoubtedly impacted domestic violence law enforcement,” Pappas told The Examiner. “Anecdotally, I can tell you that once the restrictions were lifted in June 2021 and more vaccines became available in the spring, we had an immediate spike in coverage and there were more cases of SFPD and we are indicting more cases.”

Pappas, who is a national expert in prosecuting domestic violence cases, said the likelihood of a case being prosecuted often depends on what happens when law enforcement officers arrive on the ground. She is currently focused on providing new training and recommendations to the San Francisco Police Department on how to safely assist victims and gather vital information that can later be used in court, even if the witness later decides not to testify.

Even if charges seem to have returned to pre-pandemic levels, attorneys at the hearing on Thursday said there was room for improvement, including investing in alternative approaches to assisting victims and offenders outside of law enforcement.

The San Francisco District Attorney has launched a handful of emergency shelters and transportation for victims of domestic violence, including partnering with Lyft to offer free rides and another with Airbnb, which opened 20 furnished apartments for survivors for 90-day stays. It has also launched a text messaging service so victims can discreetly try to get help.

“At the start of the pandemic, we were immediately concerned about what local shelter would mean for domestic violence survivors. It is one thing to have shelter on the spot, it is another thing to have shelter with a perpetrator, ”said Boudin.

However, looking back over the past two years, some proponents say it wasn’t enough.

In 2020, 79% of clients seeking emergency shelter for domestic violence were turned away, according to the report by the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women. Women made up 70% of victims of domestic violence incidents to which the police responded, and black and Latin American communities were overrepresented among the victims, the report shows.

Stefani is now introducing a law requiring quarterly reporting on local incidents of violence, arrests and indictments. Without such data, say Upton and groups like the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee, it’s difficult to understand the full extent of the problem.

Some proponents say an increased focus on law enforcement isn’t the answer either. Instead, they are promoting approaches that focus on improving access to basic needs such as housing and food, and promoting community-based violence prevention and recovery programs such as Men In Progress, a peer-counseling program run by the Glide Foundation.

“The most common reason patients didn’t seek help in our emergency department because of health emergencies was fear of the police,” said Leigh Kimberg, interpersonal violence prevention coordinator for the San Francisco Department of Public Health and professor of medicine at the San Francisco Department of Public Health UC San Francisco. “We invest heavily in police work and not in structural security measures such as housing, food and income.”

The different approaches, protracted debates and calls for political change underline the complexity surrounding the issue of domestic violence.

For survivors like Lennette, however, the personal rather than the political is more in the foreground.

“It is brave to walk away from something unhealthy, even if you stumble on the way out. Not everyone will understand what it’s like to walk in your shoes, but you do, ”she said. “Take care of yourself.”

sjohnson@sfexaminer.com

Correction: In an earlier version of this story, Lennette’s name was misspelled. It has been updated.