Letter of the Day: More advocates needed

<p class="bold allcaps">Advocates needed</p> <p>EDITOR: Joe Manthey's dismissive tone about domestic violence in the community is callous and misinformed (“Domestic violence,” Thursday). According to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2010 report), 35.6 percent of women and 28.5 percent of men reported incidents of “rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner.” Treatment in the emergency room is seldom the result of domestic violence; those admissions typically happen only after repeated acts of violence.</p><p>The Sonoma County YWCA has provided shelter to victims of domestic violence for years, and Madeleine Keegan O'Connell should be commended for their work, not criticized for raising our consciousness. In this county, and in California, the problem is so common that special criminal courts have been established to handle the volume of cases that stem from episodes of domestic violence. The Sonoma County probation department has an entire unit of deputies dedicated to supervising convicted domestic violence offenders.</p><p>Manthey chides “advocates” for “exaggerating violence against women.” Violence perpetrated on anyone is something we all should abhor, especially when it occurs in domestic settings. We should all be “advocates” for that goal.</p><p>MICHAEL J. WALDORF</p><p><i>Retired Probation Officer</p><p>Santa Rosa</i></p>