In October 2022, the Genesis Women’s Shelter gathered at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for the Rally Against Domestic Violence. Jan Langbein, the CEO of Genesis Women’s Shelter, was in attendance and stated that amongst the Dallas area, the Oak Cliff zip code of 75216, in her belief, was one of the most dangerous zip codes for women in the city of Dallas.
Two years later, this unfortunately remains true.
Langbein states that the zip code 75216, as of 2023, held 85% of domestic and familial violence cases involving women of color. According to information obtained through an open records request, there were 413 instances of domestic violence committed against Black people in the Oak Cliff area from January to June of 2024. This violence, Langbein says, has a detrimental impact on individuals and the community as a whole.
“Domestic abuse can wreak havoc on a woman’s emotional, mental, spiritual and physical well-being and often can feel like there is no help or hope, so it is necessary that there are organizations like Genesis close by to meet her where she’s at in her journey,” Langbein says.
When that help and hope is lacking, Black women can end up being further subjugated. According to the Domestic Violence Hotline, Black women are more likely to be criminalized while trying to survive the abuse they endure. Black women are 80% more likely to be convicted for killing their partners while attempting to defend themselves.
Cassandra Wesley, a community outreach manager at Genesis, domestic violence survivor and advocate herself, feels that a component of this disproportionate effect of domestic violence that Black women experience is the idea that they are “stronger.”
“If you go all the way back to slavery days, it was the Black Woman,” Wesley says. “The Black Woman was strong, so she was able to put up with more. And so I think that mentality has come all the way over to 2024. It’s like, okay, so she is strong. Why is she going through that, or why doesn’t she reach out to someone? Because she’s been told all this while that she could handle it.”
Local shelters and outreach resources like the Genesis Women’s Shelter do what they can to provide support for these women and children in need, such as emergency shelter, therapy and legal services via their onsite attorneys and additional support from the Legal Aid of Northwest Texas, along with offering awareness to South Oak Cliff community members around domestic violence.
“We believe spreading awareness, the warning signs, types of abuse, and how to help a friend is critical to not only getting women and children in South Oak Cliff the support they deserve, but shifting the conversation around domestic violence,” Langbein says.
Along with events like the Rally Against Domestic Violence, Genesis also hosts events such as their upcoming Four Part Luncheon series, which provides attendees with an understanding of domestic violence and the role that community can play via their response to domestic violence.
A number of factors can contribute to someone remaining trapped in an abusive relationship, whether that’s safety concerns for themselves, their children or a fear of what can happen when law enforcement gets involved. Financial abuse, according to Langbein, can play a significant role in one’s ability to find resources. This additional factor affects a victim’s ability to leave.
“There can be an array of factors that keep a woman from leaving an abusive home like safety concerns, children or the concerns of getting law enforcement involved, but we have seen that financial abuse can play a large role in her ability to find resources,” Langbein says via email.
Former Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings hosted the first Rally Against Domestic Violence on March 24th, 2013. The event had a reported turnout of 5,000 residents along with former Cowboys Quarterback Roger Staubach and running back Emmitt Smith, shining a spotlight on Dallas’ domestic violence epidemic as it grew. The city’s work to reign in domestic violence continued with the introduction of a new plan for their Domestic Violence Unit, implemented by former Chief of Police Eddie Garcia. This new plan included a tier system to address both victims and perpetrators of violence.
According to Langbein, while the South Oak Cliff community as a whole has benefited (violent crime numbers being down) from the introduction of the Violent Crime Reduction Plan, she states that, from her understanding, it has not had a huge impact on domestic violence numbers. They saw 3,700 children and women housed in their emergency housing, Genesis’ site states.
“We know that abuse will not stop until abusers stop abusing. We need to stop asking ‘Why doesn’t she just leave?’ and start asking ‘Why does he do it?’ We must all continue to raise awareness about these crimes and hold accountable those that perpetuate them.”
DPD’s violent crime reduction plan seeks to do this, working with the District Attorney’s Office and shelters in the Oak Cliff area along with Genesis Women’s Shelter. For high-risk victims, (if they agree to it) DPD will enroll them in DPD’s High Risk program, which provides legal assistance, counseling and shelter. (The victims) will also be able to work with the District Attorney’s Office to help prosecute the perpetrator.
On her end, Wesley works as a faith community outreach manager, frequently going into churches to directly address the issue of spiritual abuse. The intention, Wesley states, is to help redirect leaders in the church from trying to counsel the victim and abuser. Instead, she suggests outreach to professionals in abuse.
“I go into the churches, I talk to the church’s (members,) if they allow me, about spiritual abuse and what services are provided,” Wesley says. “Because it’s okay for your pastor to pray for you and all of that, but he needs to know the resources to give, and he needs to understand that no, he cannot counsel you and (the abuser). That’s not going to work, and he really shouldn’t be counseling her. These are [the] resources. Let me send you to the professionals.”
Dallas’ domestic violence numbers have, on paper, experienced a change. Prior to the implementation of the Violent Crime Reduction Plan in May 2021, there were 1,337 domestic violence cases among Black people. In 2023, the number dipped to 992. Overall, the cases were at 2,156, a decrease from the previous year’s 2,307.
Genesis works in tandem with DPD’s domestic violence unit to offer training and speaking engagements at local police departments. Former DPD Chief of Police Eddie Garcia is taking part in their upcoming luncheon series, along with the district attorney from the Northern District of Texas.
On DPD’s end, the head of the Domestic Violence Unit Senior Corporal Brian Martinez says that in an effort to reduce wait times, the department has implemented an online reporting system for non-emergency calls. Domestic violence calls are considered high priority.
“The implemented strategies increased availability of patrol officers to respond to calls for service more efficiently and improved response times to high priority calls,” Martinez says.
According to Martinez, since the introduction of this plan in 2021, DPD has introduced more detectives and supervisors to their Domestic Violence Unit.
“The system enhances the Domestic Violence Unit’s ability to identify victims at high risk of lethality in the city. Determining lethality involves assessing various factors, including repeat offenders and seriousness of offense,” Martinez says.
Martinez states that the detectives within the unit are regularly trained in interview and investigation techniques, working on a round-the-clock basis.
Local advocates, groups and organizations offer resources for detectives in the Domestic Violence Unit to review to improve their knowledge in order to best help the women of Oak Cliff.
Moving Forward
In the following years, Martinez stated that they will continue to train and offer resources to detectives and other members of their Domestic Violence Unit. They also hope to further deepen their relationships with the organizations they partner with.
“We will work to continue training and provide resources to detectives and members of the unit, along with our members of patrol who also answer family violence calls with members of our unit, and further strengthen the relationships we have with our partners, including advocates, shelters, and the District Attorney’s Office,” Martinez says.
Langbein states that families looking to help victimized family members and friends can offer support to keep a victim from being completely isolated, even if the victim is with the abuser.
“It is more valuable than you know to stand alongside her in her experience and provide support even when that means staying with the abuser — she is the expert in her unique situation and knows if it is not safe to leave,” Langbein says. “In fact, one of the most dangerous times a woman can be in is when she exits that abusive relationship. What we always recommend is reminding her that what is happening to her is not okay, and referring her to Genesis so she can receive services that help her heal.”
Wesley states that local police are given domestic violence training to teach them how to deal with and de-escalate these instances. Additionally, Wesley believes that officers should be retrained every two years.
“Domestic violence has really changed since when I went through it back in the ‘80s,” Wesley says. “Now you have digital abuse; you have cyber abuse. He’s able to track her on her cell phone. He’s able to put a tag in her car without her knowledge. So (police) need to be trained on that, because it has went from just a landmine now that we have cell phones.”
Helping Victims Get Out
When survivors come into Genesis, they are not always ready to take the final step. Wesley states that in Genesis, they make sure to not force change upon them. Rather, they let them know that when that option is available, they can help the survivors plan a route to escape when they are ready to.
“So let’s prepare her,” Wesley says. “Let’s take the plan with her, and we take her lead.”
