John Tyson, Jr. Helps Citizens Protect Themselves And Their Children By:

Helping them take steps to get away from domestic violence

What John Is Doing NOW:

Providing citizens with information on developing a Domestic Violence Safety Plan

You Need to Plan -- for your sake and for your children's sake

Domestic abuse is dangerous for you and your children. Planning in advance could prevent serious injury -- it could even prevent death.

Please remember -- abuse, either mental or physical, is not your fault. You do not deserve to be threatened; you do not deserve to be abused. You have a right to be safe. Your children have a right to grow up without fear.

Plan For Safety at Home

Talk to your neighbors. Ask them to call the police if they hear raised voices or violent noises.
Decide on a code word to use with your children, family, friends and neighbors when you need the police.
Keep phone numbers for police, hotlines, friends, and the local shelter where you or your children can find them quickly.
Put together a bag of things you and your children use everyday and hide it where you can grab it and go if you need to.
Know and practice with your children the best way to get out of your home safely. Figure out which doors, which windows, which elevators or stairwells would be best.
Make a habit of backing your car in the driveway and keeping gas in the tank. Leave the driver's door unlocked and all the other doors locked.

Plan for Safety at Work
Decide who you can tell at work. It may be embarrassing, but remember -- you and your fellow employees have a right to be safe; if your workplace is prepared they are better able to protect you and the other employees. Chances are good that your workmates already suspect that something is very wrong.

If you work at a company big enough to have a human resources officer, talk to that person. There may already be policies and procedures to deal with victims of abuse.
If you have security personnel, make sure they have a photo of the abuser.
If you have an Order of Protection for your work, give a copy to your boss or human resource officer.
Try to have your calls screened.
Try to not be alone at your workplace. If everyone else is leaving for lunch, it would be better for you to go out at the same time as they do so that you aren't left alone.
Change up the ways you go to and from work. Think about what you will do if you are attacked while in your car, on the bus, parking lot, etc.
Plan what you will do if the abuser confronts you in various situations.

Plan for Safety for Your Children
Your children have the right to be safe and to grow up without fearing abuse. Even if the abuser doesn't directly hurt the child physically or emotionally, seeing or knowing that you are being harmed does damage to the child. At the very least, they will consider this life "normal" and may very well go on to repeat the cycle of violence and abuse in their own lives. If you won't seek help for yourself, think of your child and get the help that you need.

Make plans with a neighbor who can care for your children in an emergency.
Teach your older children how to leave your home quickly and quietly to remove themselves from harm's way and to get help.
Teach your children to never try to intervene between you and the abuser. Tell them their job is to stay safe.
Make sure your child's day care or school knows who is authorized to pick up your child. Give them a copy of your protection order and the protection order for your children.

Plan for Safety During and After a Violent Incident
Sometimes you know the abuser is going to "blow."

If you think a confrontation is coming, have your children stay elsewhere and ask someone to call you to check up on you. Use your code word if you need to.
Try to take the argument to a room where there is more than one exit.
Try to stay out of the bathroom; stay away from the kitchen or any room that contains weapons.
Make yourself a small a target as possible. Protect your face.
If the police are called, try to remember to get this information: the responding officer's name or badge number and a police report number. It helps to know what precinct you live in
Have someone take pictures a few days after the violent incident because bruising and swelling often don't show up right away. These photos will help you get an Order of Protection
You can get copies of your police report. You will want them for your records and for court. Keep them with the items you are storing at a friend's house.

Plan for Preparing to Leave
As bad as living with abuse is, leaving an abusive relationship can also be a dangerous time. Having a plan and taking concrete steps will help you focus and "put one foot in front of the other" on your journey to safety.

Don't share your plan with anyone who is not part of helping you -- this includes your children; they might accidently tell the abuser.
Open your own savings account or checking account or set aside money as you can
Open a post office box and have the bank statements sent there (or to a friend's house). Keep the key off your key ring if the abuser might question it.
Get a prepaid cell phone and keep it hidden from the abuser. Program in emergency numbers.
Practice getting out of the house -- take out the trash and the mail, take the dog for a walk, go to the store. Decide what would be your story to get out of the house when you leave.
Think about places you could go -- a local shelter, family or friends.
Think about who would let you keep a bag of extra clothes and items you would need at their home. -- preferably not close neighbors, family or friends of the abuser.
Think about who might lend you money until you are back on your feet.
Think about arrangements for your pets.
Contact your local shelter -- they may have resources for you and more ideas.
You may want to request a police stand-by or escort to leave your house in peace.

Plan to Take What You Need

Money, credit cards, checkbook and savings book
Identification: driver license, social security cards for you and your children, passports, green card, public assistance ID
Papers: birth certificates for you and your children, lease, rental agreement or house deed; insurance papers; medical records; house and car keys; address book; divorce papers/temporary orders; school records
Clothing, special jewelry, medications, toiletries and diapers
small saleable objects, if possible
small toys for children

Plan to Stay Safe After You Have Left

If the abuser has a key to your residence, change the locks. Make sure your smoke detector is working and get a carbon monoxide detector. If possible, consider installing stronger doors, a security system and outdoor lights.
If you have a Protection Order, keep a copy with you all the time. Give a copy to the police, to your boss, to your children's careviger, to their school.
Ask your neighbors to call the police if they see the abuser around your home.
Use different businesses and stores instead of the ones you went to when you were with the abuser.
Figure out a safe way to communicate with your abuser, if you must.

Get help. Click on the link for your area of Alabama on this page. In this document are contact numbers for local agencies that work with victims of abuse.

You can also call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Assistance is available in English, Spanish and they have access to translators for many other languages, as well as TTY (1-800-787-3224)

What John Will Do As ATTORNEY GENERAL:

John will develop more easy to use information that citizens can use to protect themselves and their children and make it available to every citizen, including educators and doctors.