Posts

Showing posts with the label Connecticut advocacy

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

Image
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. ...

🕯️ A Shared Voice for Mimi’s Law

Image
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

Image
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...