Part 1 of a two part series. Read Part 2 here.
There I stood, deliberating whether or not I should run across the street to help her. The sunny afternoon of Oct. 10 turned dark in a matter of minutes after I witnessed a woman get beaten to the ground by a man.
On the corner of East First Street in downtown Duluth, two men approached a woman who was accompanied by another man. Their conversation turned into a boisterous verbal argument, which hinted they had met before.
The content of the discussion was blurred as I was already engaged in conversation with two white-haired women who were rallying for pro-life and Catholic beliefs, unaware of the harsh reality staring us directly in the face.
The woman marched angrily away from the two men with no intention of responding to their constant yelling. She made it a few steps down the sidewalk before one of the men ran after her and threw her to the ground in the middle of the street.
By this time, the entire block was aware of the violent attack. He proceeded to kick her gut and punch her in the face as she lied defenseless on the ground.
Cars were honking and bystanders, including myself, were screaming at the man to leave her alone as if our voices were intimidating enough to make him stop.
When the perpetrator had enough, he fled the scene in a hurry. She slowly got up, and I motioned her toward me and the white-haired ladies. The right side of her face was swollen and bloody.
“Call the cops,” she said in an enraged and shaky voice. She explained that this was not the first time this man had beaten her.
After what seemed like hours of waiting for the cops to arrive, the officer pulled me aside, and I gave him my testimony. He took my full name, date of birth and phone number and assured me it was safe to walk to my car.
I locked my doors as I sat in my car distraught over what I had just witnessed. I took a few deep breaths — gathered my thoughts — and proceeded to drive home with a story embedded in my mind in need of documentation.
What happens next?
Eric Warren Kingbird was charged with 5th degree assault and disturbed and disorderly conduct. This case has been brought to the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office as a gross misdemeanor and is still under investigation.
This experience raised many questions about how the city of Duluth handles these types of situations, and Pat Goodman provided all the answers. Goodman is part of the Domestic Violence Response Team (DVRT) as a member of the Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs (DAIP).
“Abuse is about having control over someone. It happens over a period of time, not just a single incident,” she said.
The "Duluth Model" is considered less of a therapy and more of a psychoeducational program for domestic violence perpetrators. It is geared toward the understanding that men are the main perpetrators in domestic violence cases.
“The Duluth Model is extremely dedicated to helping the victim and serving her best interest,” Goodman said.
Each morning, Goodman goes to the police department, and the response team goes over each case of assault that had been filed the day before.
“There will be at least one per day, but weekends tend to produce more, and it’s not unlikely to have seven or eight (cases) on Monday,” she said.
The DVRT consists of five people: Goodman, who represents the DAIP, two police officers, a Safe Haven advocate and another system advocate.
“It is the Safe Haven representative’s job to call the victim and help her with whatever her needs may be. She might need housing,” Goodman said. “She might need an order of protection. All kinds of things.”
A “no contact order” may be put in place on the woman’s request but, she added, “There are a million reasons why women may not follow through.
“Women who call 911 want help in the moment. They don’t necessarily want a long-term intervention,” she said.
The types of things that would prevent a woman from following through could be threats by the man, dependency on the man and household resources, fear from the victim and the future of any kids the victim might have. Each situation is subject to its own motives.
“What happens in that moment could be extremely different two days from then,” she said.
With domestic violence, if an officer arrives at a scene where a woman is injured, the cops must make a mandatory arrest.
“They changed the law because they understand how much of a safety risk it is for the woman,” Goodman said. “She doesn’t have a choice, the state decides.”
These cases may take several months to resolve in the courts, but it is in the advocates’ best interest to instill a change in both the perpetrator and the victim’s life.
“They’re getting arrested because there’s something in their belief system that says, ‘It’s OK to treat my partner this way,’ ” she said.
There are different sentencing options for the man depending on the case. He may be put on probation or sent to jail. More often than not, he is put in a 27-week men’s group, which is a batterer intervention program.
“So many of these cases get solved before they ever go to trial,” Goodman said. “The men will confess and get a plea agreement.”
The underlying goal is to advocate for change for each party involved in order to create a safer and happier environment.
Part 2: Seeking to educate, not fix: ‘Duluth Model’ works with perpetrators of violence