This isn’t for me. I wasn’t even going to post this, but the kind Ministers at the Ministry of Minor Perfidy thought I should even though, it’s kind of painful. I don’t do this very often, but I think there are a few things you should know.
1. If you are a victim of a violent crime, many times you can be assisted by a victim relief fund run by or affiliated with the local police department. Often they will cover the medical bills and some lost wages, up to a maximum.
2. If you are an immigrant who is the victim of a violent crime, there is a U visa you might be able to obtain which may allow you to remain in the US up to 4 years. (But the law that created it applies mostly to women who are victims of domestic violence.) (First link goes to the DHS regulations, the second to a national advocacy group’s FAQ.)
Ok, *DEEP BREATH* so the story goes like this. My cousin from CA came a few weeks ago and drops a huge bomb on me. My aunt with the developmentally disabled child was beaten while working at her store. It was so bad she was in the hospital for a while. This explains her being ’sick at home’ while her sister-in-law was visiting from Korea, an occurrence which I thought was really odd.
Later on, I press my mother about this and she tells me that my injured aunt is home from the hospital and is doing fine and the police victim fund has taken care of the medical bills. Then she quickly changes the subject. I am flummoxed and scared. My aunt lives 3 blocks from her store. This means that whoever did this also did it near where she lives and could further victimize her and my cousin who may or may not know how to react.
What I really want isn’t sympathy though. A crappy thing happened to my aunt, but she is alive and well as far as my mother will tell me. (I am kind of distant from my aunt since her English isn’t very good.) What I really want is some DC area PF bloggers to consider attending a fundraiser for the DC Crime Victims Compensation Program The event is called Music is Bulletproof, on 10/2 at Red & Black on H Street at 9pm. Yes, I know it’s a Thursday.
If you are thinking of your end-of-year charitable donations or just feel randomly generous, look to your local police department for a similar fund.
Thanks & peace out,
mapgirl
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Thank you for posting this. I’m terribly sorry that this happened, but it’s good to know that there are resources for victims of said crimes, and that there is a way we can contribute to help them.
Obviously, not in the area, but will be happy to look into donating to my local police department.