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00:30Good evening to all of our 2022 Essence participants for the 2022 Cultural Festival, first one since COVID in person, so we welcome you to our wonderful city in New Orleans.
00:49My name is Mary Claire Landry, and I am the director of the New Orleans Family Justice Center, and we are very excited to be a part of this show, part of this educational process.
01:05And we are just delighted to be able to talk with you about the work, the critical work, and important work that we do at the New Orleans Family Justice Center.
01:15Our center was created 15 years ago, and so we are celebrating our 15th year of operation.
01:24It is a one-stop center designed to bring all the systems that deal with domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking victims to one location,
01:37so that it is very easy for survivors to get help, no matter what it is that they need, whether it's assistance with the criminal justice system,
01:48whether it's assistance with law enforcement, whether it's civil legal services that they are seeking,
01:55whether it's assistance with the criminal justice system, whether it's assistance with housing, with counseling, with dealing with their trauma, services for their children, or healthcare.
02:07We have all of those services on site that can be easily accessed at any given point.
02:16We are totally a walk-in center, so survivors can come to us at any point, at any time.
02:24They do not need to make an appointment.
02:26They can make an appointment if they like, but they can also walk in because what we know about survivors that are in crisis,
02:34that it is difficult oftentimes for them to be able to access services.
02:41So we want to make these services and help accessible to them as quickly and as efficiently as possible,
02:52and when they're ready to get those services.
02:55This is a very difficult process, and oftentimes it is overwhelming and scary
03:02to think about what they need to do in these kind of situations.
03:08Oftentimes they are really making life and death decisions for themselves and for their families.
03:14And so this is not an easy process.
03:17And so we want to be able to have them come in at any time.
03:21So when they call our number, we tell them, just come in.
03:24We will help you.
03:26And then we go through a process, and so we help talk through what it is they are experiencing,
03:36how much danger they may be in, what their options are.
03:40We give them resources, and that can be from anything like I mentioned before.
03:46It could be for emergency housing.
03:48It could be for rental assistance.
03:50It could be for a number of things that they may be seeking.
03:56They may be looking for legal services.
03:58They may want to separate from their husband or file for a protective order.
04:05So there are many civil legal remedies that may be available, and we have several partner agencies
04:12that work with us here on site to help survivors navigate through those decisions.
04:18We also have case managers that work with them through the process to explain oftentimes
04:26what is involved in the criminal justice system, what is involved with the civil legal services,
04:32what's going on in terms of their health care.
04:36If they have experienced strangulation in their situation, we're going to help them get medical services.
04:43We're going to help them get a forensic exam if that is something that is important for them.
04:50If they are going to be cooperating with the police, a forensic exam is a situation
04:57where a survivor may need to collect evidence if they've had injuries.
05:03So we document that through a medical procedure.
05:07And we have a sexual assault nurse examiner on staff who works with survivors.
05:14So there's just a wide range of services that we provide.
05:18This is a difficult process, and we never know what the needs of a particular survivor may be at any given time.
05:26They may just be looking for housing, or they may just be looking for a civil protective order,
05:32or they feel like they need to file for a divorce that they've had enough.
05:39So even though these may seem like simple processes, they can be very complicated.
05:46And often what we know is that we want to make sure that they understand how to do this safely.
05:56We provide safety planning for them so that they know what the dangers may be in the event that they are trying to leave a domestic violence situation.
06:08So we want to make sure that they really understand all the safety implementations that need to occur so that they can do this safely.
06:20We also know from the research that oftentimes survivors are in most danger when they're trying to leave an abusive situation.
06:28And so, again, a lot of people say, well, why doesn't she just leave?
06:33But that may not be the safest alternative until we can really work out a safety plan with her so she can do that safely.
06:41And make sure that she has the resources and the tools and the knowledge so that she can do that as safely as possible.
06:48So I thank you for giving me this opportunity to welcome you to our wonderful city and to be able to talk about the New Orleans Family Justice Center.
07:01We are one of the most robust Family Justice Centers in the country.
07:06We are very proud of the work that we do because we provide just a tremendous continuum of services,
07:14ranging from emergency housing to more permanent supportive housing.
07:18We provide a lot of financial assistance for survivors.
07:23We provide a lot of trauma counseling services.
07:28So we stay involved with survivors for a long period of time.
07:33This is not just a one-time situation.
07:37We're going to be with that survivor over many years to make sure that wherever she is in her process,
07:44that she has a supportive network, that she has a supportive family that's here for her and her family,
07:52and that we can provide the most comprehensive services so that she can make the decision that's going to be best for her.
08:00Hello, everyone. I'm just going to kind of touch bases on the benefits I received from the New Orleans Family Justice Center
08:22and how they brought me through a really rough time that I was with.
08:26So to just kind of start off and give a little insight, I am a domestic abuse survivor.
08:33I am a mother of two. I am a native of the city.
08:37In my situation, I guess, just started off very small, I guess, typical.
08:45You know, the normal things you would see as domestic abuse kind of progresses.
08:49So I started off with just, you know, mental abuse, which probably is the worst component.
08:54You know, and then things kind of progressed to me being physically assaulted multiple times.
09:00I dealt with this situation for maybe going on three years now.
09:05And throughout the entire three years, just going back and forth, back and forth.
09:10The New Orleans Family Justice Center was always there, you know, on my side to support me.
09:15So I guess the main event that took place ultimately left me hospitalized.
09:22I guess the easiest way to say it is he did everything except kill me because I'm here today.
09:30I was in the hospital for a few days with fractured, you know, fractured bones in my face and dislocated jaws and blackened eyes.
09:41And the thing is, this event took place right in the middle of Hurricane Ida, which made everything, you know, ten times worse because we're in the middle of a natural disaster.
09:51And I'm in the middle of a unrealistic situation, which kind of made the situation even ten times harder.
09:59So with this going on, the family deficit was definitely on my side.
10:07They provided me with a safe haven, me and my kids, because at the time I didn't have a newborn baby as well.
10:13He was maybe three or four months and I have a seven-year-old daughter.
10:17So they definitely provided me with a safe haven because due to the situation, you know, it was immediate move.
10:26Like I had to move immediate.
10:27It was no in, absolutely buts.
10:29Like it wasn't, okay, you had two days.
10:31Like I had to go in that very moment.
10:33So, of course, I didn't have, you know, the financial means to just pick up and move, especially trying to say, you know,
10:41doing a hurricane, trying to figure out what hotel we can go to or how we can go to jazz.
10:46It was just a life.
10:47So they did provide me with a caseworker who pretty much played my setting my own role, if I'm being honest.
10:55She definitely is one of the main reasons that I'm here today, me and my kids.
11:02At the hands of my abuse, I kind of lost my sense of self-confidence, my work, you know, my dignity.
11:11It was pretty embarrassing.
11:13And they provided me with the necessary tools I needed.
11:17If that was to go get counsel, or if I needed a gas card to go put $25 in a car, or if I needed some tissue or some toilet paper for the house.
11:26You know, it was the little things, but it was because of them that I'm here today, that I'm able to say, okay, I'm back working.
11:33Or, you know, that I'm getting into myself again, or that I can actually be here to parent my kids.
11:39Without my caseworker and the legal team and every resource that they appointed me to, it would be no me.
11:48So I am definitely grateful for everything that they've done.
11:52I'm grateful that they never left my side throughout these three years, because it's been a long time coming.
11:58Like, it didn't just start, you know, and it's over.
12:02So, I'm just very appreciative of everything in the healing wounds, with healing wounds.
12:10And I'm trying to heal lives, because it's definitely a problem.
12:13Like, even months later, I'm still trying to figure out, you know, what's the next step for me.
12:18So, thank you to the Lord Family Justice Center.
12:30I'd also like to mention, though, for the Radix team of the Family Justice Center, for helping me stay out of my situation.
12:39Because, due to Kugel's attempts to leave the situation, I didn't feel I was able to stay on my own.
12:47For the Family Justice Center, they made sure that I was able to leave the situation and not have to look back.
12:53And I had to feel bad about my decision to make sure that my children were protected.
12:59Even with the court case, they made sure that they made sure I felt protected, that I didn't have to deal with it.
13:08One, two, testing.
13:26One, two, testing.
13:28There you have it, the New Orleans Family Justice Center, located in downtown New Orleans.
13:34We're known as the one-stop shop for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and stalking.
13:44You've seen and heard of some of the services.
13:47We're known as a wraparound service agency within this community.
13:51You've seen and heard what we do here, but nothing speaks volume no more than hearing a story coming from a survivor that has thrived.
14:03And she's here with us today.
14:05And I present to you, Ms. Branch.
14:08Hey ladies and gentlemen, I'm Chrishell Branch.
14:15Thank you all for gathering here today to hear my story.
14:20I'll start off by briefly telling you guys my experience and what happened to me when I experienced domestic violence.
14:27I met someone that I almost fell in love with at first sight.
14:34No one could have told me that this was not the person for me.
14:39One day we got into a dispute about almost nothing and he asked if I could come and meet him.
14:46I felt like the situation was a little hostile, so I decided to try to meet him in a public place where it was a lot of people because I just felt the tension through the phone.
14:56So I said, okay, well, meet him on Canal Street.
14:59Meet him on Canal Street and I kind of like try to stand out the car to have a discussion with him to figure out what was going on.
15:06And out of nowhere he literally forced me into his car.
15:10And I'm like really on Canal Street in front of all of these people?
15:14It just was mind blowing to me.
15:17So I went from being forced into a car to having a gunshot in my face being threatened that, you know, this will be my last day on earth.
15:26So I said, okay, well, can you bring him to use the bathroom?
15:29I have to use the bathroom.
15:31So try to get him to take me to the bathroom.
15:34So he took me to Waffle House.
15:36We pulled up in front of Waffle House and the phone rang me and it's just like he just pulled off.
15:42So one thing led to another and I knew he was about to attack me when he pulled down to a dark street.
15:49So I just kind of like try to brace myself to defend myself or whatever the situation may have been.
15:55And I just remember him taking his shirt off.
15:58So, you know, I'm from New Orleans.
16:00You know, some people take their shirt off and wrap it around their hand to try to fight somebody.
16:04So I'm just bracing myself for him to hit me.
16:08I never would have thought that this guy was literally wrapping his shirt around his hand to sprinkle me with his shirt.
16:16I passed out.
16:18I woke up hyperventilating.
16:20I didn't know what had happened to me.
16:22I had no idea what had happened to me.
16:24And I just screamed and hollered and trying to catch my brother.
16:26And I'm like, what did you do?
16:28What happened to me?
16:30And I just remember getting out of the car, trying to run.
16:33He ran behind me, drove me back to the car.
16:36It was just terrible.
16:37It was terrible.
16:38I had never experienced nothing like that ever in my life.
16:44So we get back in the car.
16:47And I finally just tried to calm down, to try to deescalate everything.
16:53You know, because I literally did not know what had happened to me.
16:56So I just tried to get back into my vehicle and make him understand that, okay, whatever you want is fine.
17:01You know, just trying to please him.
17:03It was the day before Mardi Gras.
17:06And this was like, this happened at like 11 o'clock at night.
17:09The next day when I woke up, I didn't have maybe like three or four hours of sleep.
17:14But you know how it is on Mardi Gras.
17:16Everybody waking you up, trying to get you ready.
17:18And I just remember getting myself ready.
17:20Because I'm like, if I don't go, somebody's going to know something happened to me.
17:23And at this point, my mind was still blown.
17:26I just remember being at Mardi Gras.
17:29And I remember the next day I woke up, my eyes were so puffy.
17:32It looked like I had a black eye, but I know he had never punched me.
17:35So I was like, well, I'm going to just put on these shades.
17:38It's a sunny day outside.
17:39Like I never experienced, I never thought that I was experiencing something.
17:43Why would I have to hide my face from my parents?
17:45You know?
17:46I remember just being at Mardi Gras, you know, getting through the day, getting through the day.
17:51You know, trying not to think about what had happened to me.
17:54It didn't hit me until the next morning when I woke up and my blood vessels had busted my eyes.
18:01And I was like, I started Googling everything like, what could have happened?
18:06And then I saw where it said that I lost oxygen to the brain.
18:10At that point, I knew I had to do something about it.
18:14I knew that it was not okay and that I could not let him get away with what he had done to me.
18:18I felt like if he did it to me, he had did it to somebody before me.
18:23And that if he continued to get away with it, he would continue to do it and people wouldn't make him, you know, answer for his actions.
18:31I didn't want to tell my family and my friends.
18:36So I called the one person I know I could trust and she was like, yeah, you should, you should, you know, go to the police department.
18:46Went to the police department, found my report and everything.
18:51Had him arrested and that was my story of how I, like, what actually happened to me when I actually experienced it.
19:00Once all of this happened, I felt like, I just felt like something had to change.
19:04Like I knew that God had a bigger story for me because I knew that I could have lost my life that night in that car.
19:10So a few, like, two months later, I had finally got contacted by the DA's office and when they contacted me, they was asking me if I wanted to move forward, X, Y, and Z.
19:22And I was telling them how I was being pressured by him not to move forward because of his career.
19:27His career.
19:31Long story short, I explained to her how I was in fear for my life because I didn't know what he would do to me.
19:37He had already put a loaded gun to my head and basically put me to sleep once.
19:41I didn't know what could happen.
19:42So she was like, well, how about you contact the New Orleans Family Justice Center and maybe they can help you relocate.
19:48I was like, I will.
19:50I ended up contacting them.
19:52They were so helpful.
19:54They helped me relocate, helped me try to find a new job, you know, different things to do differently, you know, to take my mind because my mind was just, I had never experienced anything like this before.
20:04So I ended up moving.
20:07Y'all, I have no kids.
20:09The New Orleans Family, they blessed me with a three-bedroom house.
20:13I said, I'm in a three-bedroom house on the pandemic.
20:16I had to do something with this space.
20:18I turned one of my rooms into like a spa.
20:21And I started accepting clients for lashes, eyebrows, facials, and just different things.
20:28So throughout the whole pandemic, I just worked on my craft, trying to build up my clientele.
20:33And now I'm in an actual, I'm blessed to be a part of a spa that's a one-stop shop.
20:40We have everything in there that you can imagine, massage therapist, weight loss, biotic center, everything.
20:46My grand opening is next weekend.
20:52It just feels good to overcome it and know that you're better than what your situation is and that you have the opportunity to change everything.
21:01Because at that moment, I thought I couldn't, like, I don't have any friends.
21:05So I thought this was the only person I could turn to, the only person that I could depend on.
21:09And I didn't want too many people to know what I was experiencing.
21:13It was very embarrassing.
21:15Like, it was really embarrassing.
21:17But thank you all for listening to my story.
21:19And I hope that I can motivate someone else or that my story can motivate someone that you know that's experiencing the things that I was experiencing.
21:26Thank you, Chrishell.
21:31As she said, if you are someone that you know of, that you love dearly, that is possibly experiencing some of the things that what she did are violence, period.
21:45It's not just the physical, it's emotional, mental, financial, psychological abuse.
21:51Abuse is abuse and no one deserves to hurt.
21:56Love does not hurt.
21:58And if you're hurting, learn to identify what is hurting you and do something about it.
22:06I encourage you here today, if you know of someone that's hurting, the first and foremost, most important thing that you can do is listen.
22:15Listen to what that person is saying.
22:18They may not want your opinion at that time, but listen, they want an ear.
22:23And as you get that ear, you may have an opportunity to gain that trust in them that you can fall with them or refer them to a place of hope.
22:36And I'm grateful to be a part of the New Orleans Family Justice Center.
22:40You can locate us on the website at www.nofjc.org.
22:47You can locate us there or you can call our crisis line at 504-866-9554 or during the week business hours 504-592-4005.
23:04Remember, love does not hurt and daily we are creating pathways of hope for such as Branch sits here before us as an entrepreneur, not just surviving, but thriving.
23:24I love me.
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