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Survivor urges Clay County commissioners to act on domestic violence
Summary
Jane Groenaberg, a survivor and former county victim-advocacy coordinator, spoke at the Clay County commissioners meeting to call out systemic failures in responding to psychological and domestic violence and urged the board to implement prevention, education and accountability measures.
Jane Groenaberg, who identified herself as a survivor of domestic violence and a former county victim-advocacy coordinator, told the Clay County Board of Commissioners that local systems have failed victims and that psychological abuse is often minimized. "Don't give us a phone number for a nonprofit agency after the violence has already happened," Groenaberg said, describing how the system dismissed her non-physical abuse and left her without accountability from her abuser.
Groenaberg recounted an episode from January 1989 in which she said her husband left her for dead and no medical care was offered, and she criticized charging decisions that typically exclude non-physical forms of abuse. She also called for the county to pursue prevention and education: "The violence needs to be stopped so the healing is no longer necessary," she said. The chair thanked Groenaberg for speaking and the board did not take immediate formal action, but commissioners acknowledged the concerns and the public-comment record will remain part of the meeting minutes.
