Milhomme Realty Group, LLC | From the Broker's Desk

Posts

Violence Is Not Love: My CCADV Training and the Truth Survivors Need the World to Hear

- November 25, 2025

Recently, I completed my Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence (CCADV) training — and while it was “just a certificate,” it felt like so much more. It felt like a call to action. A reminder. A responsibility. In that training, I kept thinking about something I’ve known my whole life but never had the words for until now: The person who hurts you is not an “animal.” Animals don’t torture their mates. People do. Domestic violence isn’t a moment. It isn’t a single argument. It isn’t “losing control.” It is a pattern. A strategy. A system of domination designed to break someone down so gradually that they begin to forget who they were before the fear took root. And the worst part? Most survivors don’t know which moment is going to be “the one.” The final blow. The final threat. The final snap in the abuser’s mind that changes everything. That uncertainty — that walking-on-eggshells existence — is what destroys people long before the violence ever becomes visible. ...

Breaking the Silence Before It Begins

- November 18, 2025

Author’s Note The reflections shared here come from a lifetime of observations, experiences, studies, and quiet conversations that have shaped my understanding of trauma, relationships, safety, and healing. While elements may echo familiar patterns to some, this piece is not a portrait of any one individual, nor is it meant to recount specific events from any single relationship or period in time. Sometimes the quietest spaces hold the loudest truths. An empty classroom can feel haunting when you think about how many future adults are shaped in rooms just like it — long before they have the language to describe what they’re experiencing at home.

The Link Between Animal Abuse and Family Violence: Why Protecting Pets Protects People

- November 18, 2025

When I look at Lincoln — my sweet boy with those soft, trusting eyes — I’m reminded of the purest kind of love. He doesn’t worry about safety, loyalty, or whether he’ll be cared for tomorrow. He knows he is protected. And that’s what every animal should feel. But for so many pets, that isn’t the reality. And what most people don’t realize is this: **Animal abuse is rarely an isolated act. It’s a warning sign of deeper violence happening inside the home.** This connection is so strong and so consistent that psychologists, child-protective workers, animal-control officers, and domestic-violence advocates refer to it simply as The Link. What “The Link” Actually Means Decades of research show a powerful pattern: 57% of families investigated for child maltreatment also had a harmed animal. 48–71% of domestic-violence survivors say their abuser threatened or hurt their pets. Children who harm animals often come from homes where they themselves are ab...

🕯️ A Shared Voice for Mimi’s Law

- October 21, 2025

A single flame can light countless hearts. For Mimi, for justice, for change. 💔 When I began this journey to advocate for Mimi’s Law , I hoped for awareness — but what I’ve witnessed instead is something even more substantial: unity. Across Connecticut, people are coming together to demand change after the tragic loss of 12-year-old Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia , whose life was taken far too soon. The heartbreak of her story has sparked not just one petition, but several — each driven by the same determination to ensure that no child is ever forgotten again. Recently, I came across another petition started by a fellow advocate, a father who courageously shared his own experience with the failures of our system. His story — and those of others — show that this isn’t just about one case or one child. It’s about all children who fall through the cracks when agencies, courts, and laws fail to protect them. Whether the message comes from New Britain, Hartford, or beyond, the goal re...

🕯️ What We Now Know: The Truth About Mimi’s Case | Connecticut Child Protection Reform

- October 21, 2025

The story of Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia has shaken Connecticut to its core. It is a tragedy that no one with a heart can ignore — a story of a child who slipped through every net designed to protect her. According to search warrants obtained by WFSB’s I-Team (Smink, 2025) , Mimi died in September 2024 — long before her body was discovered behind an abandoned property in New Britain nearly a year later. Investigators found that her mother and her mother’s boyfriend admitted to restraining and starving her. Despite multiple red flags, no one checked on Mimi after she was withdrawn from school under the guise of “homeschooling.” This devastating failure mirrors what many child advocates have warned about for years — a system too slow, too fragmented, and too trusting of paperwork over people. When a child is removed from public education, there must be follow-up, home visits, and accountability. There must be a real human safeguard between a vulnerable child and potential dange...

💔 Mimi’s Law: When the System Fails a Child, We Must Not Stay Silent

- October 19, 2025

Twelve-year-old Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia of New Britain, Connecticut , should still be here. Instead, her life was stolen after months of abuse — while the very systems designed to protect her looked away. Her mother gained custody by default, even after prior DCF involvement. When Mimi was withdrawn from school and marked as “homeschooled,” no one verified her safety. There were no welfare checks, no alarms raised — and for more than a year, her voice was lost to silence. I created the “Mimi’s Law” petition because silence has consequences. Connecticut must close the deadly loopholes that allow children to disappear from the system’s view. 🕯️ What Mimi’s Law Calls For Mandatory in-person welfare checks for homeschooled children or those withdrawn from public schools. Custody order verification before any parent with a DCF record gains or resumes custody. Cross-agency alerts and data sharing between schools, law ...

Search This Blog