Casey Self was 24 when a man she had been dating for a year pinned her to a bed in his apartment. He began choking her. He put a knife to her throat. She almost passed out. Someway, somehow, she fought him off and got the knife, threw it behind a couch and survived. And is still surviving.
“I was within 30 seconds of losing my life,” she says today. She escaped, saw a counselor the next day, called the University of Tennessee Police Department and they in turn called the Knoxville Police Department. “A KPD officer came out and took me to the Family Justice Center (FJC). That changed my life.”
Casey Self
This happened in 2007. Today, she is a successful professional who owns a consulting company – Casey Self Strategies – and is director of marketing for Perceptics, an engineering firm that makes vehicle imaging systems like license plate readers. And she serves on the board of directors for the Family Justice Center.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Self and the FJC are doing all they can to educate our community about the issue of domestic and family violence. The sheer number of reported cases will shock you, especially when you consider that most domestic violence cases go unreported.
Take a look at these numbers:
- KPD and Knox County Sheriff’s Office together received 17,026 domestic violence-related calls in 2020.
- That breaks down to approximately one call every 30 minutes.
- 1,282 clients were seen at the Family Justice Center in the same year.
- On average, victims try to leave their abuser seven times before they are able to truly leave.
- In 2020, there were six domestic violence-related homicides in the city and county.
“The numbers for 2020 are actually slightly lower than 2019’s numbers and what we’ve seen so far in 2021,” says Kathryn Ellis, the FJC’s executive director.
Ellis is clear that domestic violence does not discriminate. “It literally touches every race, every socio-economic group and all ages plus all types of relationships – females, males, transgenders, same sex couples. Everyone knows a domestic violence victim even if they don’t see the abuse happening – it’s that pervasive.”
In 2020, the FJC saw 187 clients ages 18 to 24, 953 from 25 to 59, and 110 age 60 and older.
Ellis says reaching marginalized, underserved populations is an ongoing challenge. It is important to know that undocumented immigrant victims of domestic violence are protected under federal law from being deported or barred from services and support due to citizenship status. The FJC can still help them.
The Family Justice Center makes it easy to get help with eight agencies, including law enforcement and social services, located on-site. Clients meet first with a “navigator” who explains their options. The client chooses which on-site agency to work with. The navigator then connects them to an “advocate” from that agency.
Self says of her own abusive relationship: “This guy was so controlling. He threatened me at work, threatened my co-workers, even their pets. He would make scenes, stalk me and was very angry.”
Once she reported the abuse and violence, he was arrested and had to go through alcohol and drug counseling and anger management classes, she says. “I feel very lucky to be alive today.”
She is a UT graduate with a degree in sports management and a master’s in communications. She and a little brother were raised in a “wonderful home” in Alexandria, Virginia, with parents who have been married for more than 40 years. Her point – this can happen to anyone.
“I was lucky. We didn’t live together. No kids involved. It was easier for me to leave the relationship as opposed to many others,” Self says. “I felt weak and embarrassed that it happened.”
Today, Self has a loving partner. “He was incredibly supportive and took time making me feel safe. He wanted to be around me in a way that I was comfortable. I’m really happy.”
And what advice does Casey Self have for victims: “What you are experiencing is unfortunately very common. You’re not alone. There is a group of people whose job is to help you in whatever way you need. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You did nothing wrong. This is not your fault.”
The Family Justice Center is located at 400 Harriet Tubman Street. Info here or phone 865-521-6336.
Tom King has served at newspapers in Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and California and was the editor of two newspapers. Suggest future stories at tking535@gmail.comor call him at 865-659-3562.