Two nights ago it dawned on me how to describe my 1,014 days of experience with the NYS Crime Victims Board:
Abuse.
I've been lied to, I've been strung along, I've dealt with ridiculously long delays, I've seen astonishing ignorance of the laws on compensation, I've experienced this state agency violating my basic legal rights under their regulations, and I've kept track as they ignored witnesses to crimes and then lied and said there was no crime, so no compensation.
It changes your life. It's worse than dealing with criminals and law enforcement. The Crime Victims Board is supposed to be there for crime victims, and it's one big fat lie. But they keep stringing you along, and you go along, because there are crimes and witnesses and evidence of crime, and of course they know that. Two years ago, the witnesses wrote to the CVB about the crimes -- and the CVB totally ignored them, then lied and said no crime. Since the stalking crimes continued, I could file a new application. This time, I had all my ducks in order, and kept every single record, and made sure I could tell the story of how they screwed up.
On Tuesday, the day after the CVB denied me my basic legal right to ask questions at my own appeal hearing, told me to stay out of my own appeal hearing....... I had a sudden realization that this is abuse. Abusers lie and abuse power and manipulate and try to control every single thing. It's systemic with the CVB. They do whatever they want to do, violating personal rights and the law, just like abusers do.
A thousand days of abuse.
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that agency should be shut down. it jerks victims around. other people tell stories very similar to yours.
ReplyDeleteHang in there, Kate. As a lawyer, you can make a difference.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the support! This road is such an ordeal, but I will see it through.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the problems posting comments. A few people contacted me about it, and then two appeared. I don't know what's up with that. I think it's a blogger problem, after finding the same issue on other blogs.