Last month the LAPD announced that they had made arrests in the case of the brutal beating of Bryan Stow, the San Francisco Giants fan who was assaulted in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium on March 31st of this year. Two men, believed to be responsible for the assault on Mr. Stow, that left him with severe brain injuries, were taken into custody and charged with mayhem, assault and battery.
Despite the progress toward bringing Mr. Stow’s alleged attackers to justice, the true emotional and physical cost to Mr. Stow and his family can never be fully measured. This story, although unique in terms of the public interest it has attracted, is like so many other stories of victims of violent crime, entailing great financial toll and a long struggle for recovery. In the five months since the attack, Mr. Stow remains hospitalized and battling very serious injuries.
News headlines seldom follow the personal aftermath of violent crime and the long road to recovery faced by victims. Once the tragedy is out of sight, we tend to forget about the burden victims are left to carry. Even more sobering, we know that for each story that we hear about in the media, there are literally thousands of other violent crimes in California, some which go completely unnoticed in the public eye. Whether we hear their stories or not, these are all victims who may travel this path without knowing where to turn, in order to find the support they need.
Though no one can ever erase another’s suffering and struggles, we can work together to make sure victims of crime receive assistance with the bills they can’t pay. At CalVCP, we work with victims to connect them with victim advocates and get them compensation for expenses incurred as the result of a violent crime.
For these victims, CalVCP assistance may be a critical step in the recovery process. We will continue our mission to provide the best service possible to all victims of crime and never forget the struggles they suffer and the long road to recovery they must endure.
Despite the progress toward bringing Mr. Stow’s alleged attackers to justice, the true emotional and physical cost to Mr. Stow and his family can never be fully measured. This story, although unique in terms of the public interest it has attracted, is like so many other stories of victims of violent crime, entailing great financial toll and a long struggle for recovery. In the five months since the attack, Mr. Stow remains hospitalized and battling very serious injuries.
News headlines seldom follow the personal aftermath of violent crime and the long road to recovery faced by victims. Once the tragedy is out of sight, we tend to forget about the burden victims are left to carry. Even more sobering, we know that for each story that we hear about in the media, there are literally thousands of other violent crimes in California, some which go completely unnoticed in the public eye. Whether we hear their stories or not, these are all victims who may travel this path without knowing where to turn, in order to find the support they need.
Though no one can ever erase another’s suffering and struggles, we can work together to make sure victims of crime receive assistance with the bills they can’t pay. At CalVCP, we work with victims to connect them with victim advocates and get them compensation for expenses incurred as the result of a violent crime.
For these victims, CalVCP assistance may be a critical step in the recovery process. We will continue our mission to provide the best service possible to all victims of crime and never forget the struggles they suffer and the long road to recovery they must endure.
