Says she was raped on campus by fellow student has launched an unusual act of protest. Emma sulkowicz has bowed to carry a dorm room mattress with her everywhere on campus as long as he remains on campus. Emma joins us in the studio along with fellow columbia whoent zoe ridolfistarr, was also Sexual Assaulted by a classmate. She is a lead complainant and the title ix complaint against club the university. As calls mount for nfl commissioner Roger Goodell to resign over his handling of Domestic Abuse cases, we will speak with the wife of a former nfl player. When she reported being abused, the league pressured her to keep quiet. She will tell her story. All of that and more coming up. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. The Obama Administration launched what it calls the first strikes of its expanded military campaign against the islamic state. The pentagon says u. S. Warplanes bombed isis positions south of baghdad in support of iraqi forces under fire. The u. S. Had carried out previous strikes under the stated mission of safeguarding u. S. Personnel, helping refugees, and protecting infrastructure. The strikes in iraq come as the u. S. Won pledges to fight isis at an International Summit in paris. Some 30 countries signed on to a statement vowing to defeat isis by any means necessary. The u. S. Did not invite iran to the summit, but confirmed it had reached out with an unspecified offer of cooperation against isis will stop there many in government rejected the u. S. Overture as hollow and selfserving and marred by evil intentions. France had wanted to invite iran to the talks in paris, but secretary state john kerry said saudi arabia and the United Arab Emirates would have boycotted. Secretaryh foreign said iran could still play a role. Having a coming together to today, today including 10 from the middle east region, following the meeting last week, shows we are building the momentum of support for the coalition and its objectives. In terms of iran, i think it was always unlikely that iran would become a fully fledged member of the coalition. But i think we should continue to hope that iran will align with theoadly direction the coalition is going. And that we can expect iran to be cooperative with the plants the coalition is putting in ofce, if not actively a part the coalition. Talks despite the pledges of cooperation, france is still the country to join the u. S. Bombing effort so far, launching the surveillance flights over iraq on monday. President obama is set to unveil an expanded u. S. Response to the Ebola Outbreak in west africa. The plan reportedly include sending up to 30,000 military personnel and helping build new Treatment Centers in liberia. Congress will be asked to approve around 88 million in. Unding it follows a dire warning from the World Health Organization that the number of cases is far surpassing aid workers capacities to respond. At the united nations, the u. S. Ambassador Samantha Power called an emergency meeting for this thursday. The trendlines in this crisis are grave. And without Immediate International action, we are facing the potential for a Public Health crisis that could same lives on a scale far greater than current estimates. And set the countries of west africa back a generation. Because of the increasingly grim situation, particularly in liberia, sierra leone, and guinea, the United States has requested emergency meeting of the Security Council this thursday, september 18. I dont need to tell any of you how unusual Security Council debates on Public Health issues and Public Health crises are, but at this moment, it is crucial that Council Members discuss the status of the cordmic, confer on the needed international response, and begin the process of marshaling our collective resources to stop the spread of the disease. And statement today, the Group Doctors without orders warned the chretien government has offered a number of key concessions to the separatist forces it has battled since april. A proposal from president poroshenko would grant the separatist amnesty, language protections and selfgovernments rights under ukrainian sovereignty. The offer comes as part of the peace effort following the truth record earlier this month and the worst violence is the truce was reached, at least six people were killed and 15 wounded in shelling monday and a rebel stronghold of donetsk. The violence comes as the u. S. And other nato countries began military exercises in ukraine. Hundreds of migrants are feared dead after several shipwrecks in recent days. In the worst incident, the International Organization for migration ones up to 500 people died after traffickers rammed their ship off the coast of malta last week. The death toll on the year for migrants at sea is near 3000. British prime mr. David cameron has issued an appeal to scottish voters to reject independence in thursdays referendum. The Prime Minister spoke during a visit to scotland on monday. It is my duty to be clear about likely consequences of a yes vote. Independence would not be a trial separation, it would be a painful divorce. So this is our message to the people of scotland. We want you to stay. Head, heart, and soul, we want you to stay. Please, dont mix up the temporary and the permanent. Please, dont think, im frustrated with politics right now so i will walk out the door and never come back. If you dont like me, i will be here forever. If you dont like this government, it wont last forever. But if you leave the united kingdom, that will be forever. Pulls show the referendum is too close to call, with a large number of voters still undecided. North korea has sentenced an american prisoner to six years of hard labor for hostile acts. Matthew todd miller is one of three u. S. Citizens known to be imprisoned in north korea. New figures show last month was the warmest august on record around the globe. According to nasa, west antarctica felt hotter temperatures of up eight degrees celsius higher than normal, 40 degrees fahrenheit. This year, so far is the fourth hottest on record. A new International Study released today says reducing the Carbon Emissions that cause Global Warming will be of minimal cost, and might end up saving money. According to the Global Commission on the economy and climate, and a vicious plan will trillion overars 15 years, or about 5 of the money that would be spent anyway on new power plants and infrastructure. The changes would also lead to less deaths from air pollution as well as lower medical bills and fuel costs. Senate republicans have the gun have blocked the measure and nearing the pay gap between men and women. The paycheck fairness act would let workers compare salaries without the threat of retaliation and force companies to explain pay disparity. Republicans voted unanimously to block the bill monday in the latest effort to defeat the measure over the past four years. The National Football leagues Minnesota Vikings have reacted reactivated a star after benching him for a gain following his indictment for alleged child leaves. Desktop abuse. He was released in texas on saturday following allegations he used a tree branch to beat his fouryearold son. On monday, the vikings general manager defended the teams decision to allow peterson back on the field. You have to respect there is a Legal Process in place and we have seen everything in the file. I will not get into any details just because i hope you can respect the Legal Process will take its course and everything and all the information that we have been able to gather as of today, this is the decision we felt was best. Theres protocol in place on how we report everything. So we reported to the nfl, they were aware of the situation, but the decision based on having adrian and active this week and was from our organization and the decision based Going Forward as of today is our organizations decision. The vikings decision to reactivate peterson came just as it emerged he was investigated sonsbusing another of his last year. No charges were filed in the case. The news comes as the nfl faces scrutiny over its lacks treatment of abuse cases involving players and their partners. We will have more on the nfl later in the broadcast. The architect of arizonas infamous and Immigration Law has resigned at his top post after making denigrating comments about medicaid recipients. In a radio appearance, Russell Pearce called for the forced sterilization of medicaid recipients. You put in charge of medicaid, the first thing noah do is give women Birth Control implants or two legislation, then test for alcohol and drugs and nicotine. Get a job. In response to criticism, yes to done as there is an republicans parties first buys chair. In 2010, he sponsored Arizona Senate bill 1070, which forced police to investigate the immigration status of people they have lawfully detained. Pope francis has issued one of his strongest condemnations of war and the arms trade to date, saying the spate of conflicts worldwide amounts to a piecemeal world war iii. He made the comments in a visit to italys largest war memorial, built for soldiers who died in world war i. Finding myself here in this , i amnear the cemetery able to say only one thing. War is madness. Even today after the second failure of another world war, perhaps one can speak of a third , one fought piecemeal with crimes, massacres, destruction. Today, too, the victims are many. How is this possible . It is so because in todays world, behind the scenes, there are interests, geopolitical strategies, lust for money and power. Theres a manufacture and sale of arms, which seem to be so important. Pope francis recently unblocked to beatification of a leading advocate for peace, the salvadoran catholic archbishop oscar romero. Known as the voice of the voiceless, romero was a prominent advocate for the poor and a leading critic of u. S. Backed salvadoran military government. He was murdered in 1981 delivering mass the hospital chapel for members of the u. S. Backed death squads. With Pope Franciss move to unblock him, romero would be eligible for a dedication declaration of sainthood in the catholic church. And as are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. A Columbia University senior who says she was raped on campus by fellow student has launched an unusual act of protest. Emma sulkowicz has vowed to carry a dorm room mattress with her everywhere on campus as long as she and her rapist agenda same school. She said she was raped in her own dorm room in august 2012. That was only the beginning. After she reported her soul to the university, she appeared before a Disciplinary Panel or she was forced to explain to University Official how the painful member manner in which she was raped was physically possible. Then a panel found her accused assailant not responsible. Two other students also came forward and filed complaints against the same person, accusing him of Sexual Violence. In one case, the alleged assailant was found responsible, but the charge was ultimately dismissed after he filed an appeal with the dean of his college. The dean convened a whole new hearing, which did not involve the survivor at all because she had graduated. In the second case, the university denied the woman a hearing citing a lack of evidence. Allegedsulkowiczs rapist remains on campus. S her senior thesis project this year, emma launched the mattress performance, or carry that weight. She since received a wave of support. Last wednesday, students gathered to help emma carry her mattress across campus to school. On friday, hundreds of columbia students and supporters rallied in front of low library. They wore red tape of their mouths to symbolize the harms done by columbus bureaucratic handling of Sexual Assault. Emma sulkowicz addressed the crowd. Shout. Ve to thank you so much for being here. All of the support i have received since the beginning has moving,overwhelming and that i am made a loss for words. Your emails, your thank yous and your help carrying my mattress has shown me that we really do care. We are more determined than ever to end Sexual Assault on this , apus and across the Nation Movement is rising. [cheers] your passion is strong and contagious. Now more than ever, we must continue to spread sensitivity to others and a new understanding of what it means to be a survivor. This is urgent. We must show the world why this matters and this fight to end the silence come every voice counts. This is why i thank you all again for coming today. I believe that the survivors greatest asset is support. To see you all here together, its a beautiful site. It is reminder that we do have support because we have each other. Thank you. That was Emma Sulkowicz speaking at Columbia University on friday. She joins us now here on democracy now we did and back on the university to join us on the program, but they did not make any School Official available. The university did provide a statement to us that read in part Emma Sulkowicz, welcome to democracy now this performance piece that you were doing throughout the year, talk about how you came up with this idea. I first came up with the idea when i was in our residency this summer. I was making a video where had to move a mattress out of a room. The idea of me carrying a mattress got stuck in my head as a song gets stuck in some said. I realized all of the symbolic importance of what it would mean to carry a mattress around with me at columbia and i realized i had to do it. What does it mean . In my case, i was raped in my own bed. Rate can happen anywhere, but it desecrated one of the most intimate and private places in my life. The way i brought my story from a place that i keep secret out into the public eye, mirrors during the mattress itself out in the light for everyone to see. I felt like it would be an appropriate metaphor. . When did the attack happened the first day of my sophomore year. What did you do about it afterwards . Who did you report it to . Immediately after . Welcome at first i did not even tell my parents. I was very ashamed and felt disgusted and did not want to talk about it at all. That mymet other women rapist had attacked as well, i realized if i did not do something, he would continue to rape other students on our campus. That is when i decided to report it to the school. What did the school do . Completely mishandled my case. For one, they allowed my attacker to postpone it for seven months, which is long enough for one of the women who reported to graduate, because he had academic conflict like midterms and essays which we all have. One of my Hearing Panelist kept asking me about whether there was lubrication involved because she did not seem to understand could happene without it, which is ridiculous because rape is forced, and that is how it works. That is how i was in pain. She asked you to explain this in front of the panel . Yes. And then the investigation itself was a total mess. Investigator did not even include the position i was in when he raped me and the reporter was ultimately given to the Hearing Panel because i guess she did not think it was an important detail, even though a repeated multiple times. The list goes on. What did the panel find . They found him not guilty of Sexual Assaulting me. This was two years ago . This was at the beginning of my junior year. The rape happened two years ago, but this was the beginning of your junior year were the panel finished. Yes. In the case of the other two women, another woman wanted the panel like you did . Yes, one woman was denied a hearing because they told her she did not have enough evidence to have one, which i believe is the Hearing Panels decision to make, but the school decided to cut her off short. And the other woman had the hearing, they found him guilty of groping her at a party, but then he submitted an appeal to the dean of his college who, by the policies, has full autonomy to decide the case however he wants. Dean convene an entirely new Hearing Panel, even the woman at arty graduated, and the panel never heard her voice, and they found him guilty in the new hearing not guilty in the new hearing. You are dragging this mattress everywhere you go on campus . Carrying it, yes. Do people help you . Yes, most of the time. As soon as i get up to leave the room, someone will jump up to help me. But a lot of people believe and say, thank you for what youre doing, and walk next to me while i carry it. What has been the universitys response . They have yet to reach out to me. They have mentioned, perhaps mentioned my piece, in an image of the university or said Something Like, we respect individuals rights to protest usefully or Something Like that peacefully, or Something Like that, but they have yet to contact me directly. Doxsee reported this to Columbia University, the attack. Did you report it to the police . I did. What happen in that case . The First Responder told me what happened to me was consensual, kept insisting it wasnt rape that he just got a little weird. And he wasth me smoking a cigarette in our face. When she asked him to put it out he said, quite down, honey, youre in my office now. He really made me feel unsafe and like i could not trust the police at all. Were charges ever brought . Ultimately, the District Attorneys Office told me that it would take about nine months to a year for hearing to happen and by that point, i wouldve arty graduated and ive a feeling of soon as they graduate, i am going to want to move on with my life. You are just referring to zoe ridolfistarr who also joined us after break. Were talking to Emma Sulkowicz, senior a Columbia University. She reported her assault, went before a panel that was in 2013, now in 2014 after the university ultimately found the alleged rapist not responsible, she has begun a performance piece, which is carrying her mattress around campus everywhere she goes. We will be back with Emma Sulkowicz in a moment. [music break] this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Were speaking with emma Columbia University senior, who says she will turn a dorm room mattress with her everywhere on campus until her rapist is expelled or leaves campus on his own. Emma sulkowicz is not alone. On friday, hundreds of students turned out to a rally carrying mattresses of their own and chanting carry that weight a reference to the emotional burden they say all survivors must carry each day. In front of low library at Columbia University and a speak out that lasted for hours, many shared stories of violence, injustice, and healing. This is just some of their voices. Carry that weight1 carry that weight carry that weight i am a freshman here at columbia and for the past two weeks, ive been meeting with deans and advisers in different environments. They have been telling me how they can help me get a job, how they can have a study abroad. How are you going to help and Sexual Assault on my campus . Why is it more likely for me to raped in this college than for me to be getting in this college . Any two has a swim test to pass. I dont get why [indiscernible] my assault or graduated. My friends rapist graduated. Knowing how to breast stroke is not going to keep me from drowning when i see my rapist on campus. Columbia, [indiscernible] i am dorothy. I am a freshman. I have been on this campus for two weeks. I was sexually assaulted six days ago. And no one tells you where to go from there. [applause] my first year here on campus at barnard college, i was raped. Unlike the vast majority of students were raped on this canvas, i was not raped on campus but off campus. I quickly went into something of a spiral where i cannot sleep at night and economic sleep during the day. I started having trouble in my classes and i started having my grades slip. It became an issue and i want to speak to the dean of students, a woman, a Womans College and i told her what had happened to me. She looked at me with a sad expression and said, you went where we tell our girls never to go. She would play me and invoke the most racist stereotypes of how Sexual Assault happens at the same time, says everything about what this university represents. This was 22 years ago. What has changed . I am a sophomore at barnard during my second month here at columbia, 06 resulted by a here and i just wanted to go home. I just wanted to be in my own bed. They wouldnt let me go. Of what people are doing, i think everyone here is amazing. I just want to say, i think it is beautiful that you are all here. Hink the administration i think we can do it. I think all of you right here showing your support and coming out here today, can do something. We will not be silent. Rallye of the people at a and speak out on columbias campus on friday. The protest have put columbia the center of a National Debate over Sexual Assault on college campuses, where studies show one in five women are sexy assaulted during their college years. In april, a White House Task force headed by Vice President joe biden released a report urging colleges to take action by conducting surveys, promoting bystander intervention, in approving the disciplinary systems. Over the summer, lawmakers in both the house and Senate Introduced bills to address raped on college campuses. To talk more about columbia and the national picture, Emma Sulkowicz remains with us and were joined by her fellow Columbia University senior student zoe ridolfistarr, who is also sexy assaulted at columbia in 2012, in the lead complained in a federal complaint against columbia over his handling of Sexual Assault. ,oe ridolfistarr and emma thank you for being with us. Zoe, talk about what happened to you. When it was working on campus over the summer, i had a great job in the Political Science department and was very excited about it. One night i was out at a local bar and at a party. I ended up being sexually assaulted in a Columbia University fraternity house. What happened then . You were assaulted there and i was confused and scared and disgusting. The first person i told reacted very badly, sir really did not speak about it again promised a year and a half for almost a year and a half. Emma was actually one of the first people i told. Did you ultimately file a charge with university . No, because by the time i felt Strong Enough and sure enough of myself and what had happened, by the time i stop victim blaming myself for drinking, for flirting, for going out at night, i had met emma and spoken with her and other survivors who had gone through the process, you know, had a pretty clear picture of how they would treat me and what the outcome of the case would be, so i had absolutely no faith in the system and decided not to report it. You are at the rally on friday, seen hugging many of the women who were weeping. Columbia university did send a statement saying can you talk about these steps and whether you think beer is responding in an adequate way . I think a responding to this issue as a pr crisis rather than engaging directly with emma or myself or so many of the other survivors, students who have been working tirelessly to bring this issue to light and a share our personal, painful, private stories just to force them to take us seriously. The new genderbased misconduct policy they announced is completely an effort to stay within complaints of the act that all universities were recorded change the policies in order to comply with. They completely ignored the large majority of students and literally excluded us from the development of that policy, despite the fact any of a state in the city over the summer so we could be a part of that process. We were to literally excluded. The prevention programs are still totally inadequate. They focus on first years there. Theyre not critical or comprehensive. They are inadequate. Work student to feedback, shut us out of the decisionmaking, and treat this really as a concern about their public image rather than our safety. Emma sulkowicz . The mean, at the end of day, my rapist is still here. So matter what policy they put forward, i still see him on campus and i still have to fear i cant take a class i want to take because he wants to take it first. What good are these policies when my serial rapist is still on this campus, potentially attacking more students . Columbia university is under federal investigation. Along with scores of other universities around the United States. Zoe, you are very active on the national level. You are an organizer with the ed act now campaign as well as know your ix. Explain what these are and what does it mean for your campus, to your university, to be under investigation . s astute ledger of an organization that works to empower students to and Sexual Violence on cap best. Ed act now is the organizing branch of that group. We are pushing for improved policies at both campus from state and federal levels, around these issues of Sexual Violence on campuses. Is. Xplain what ix it refers to title ix which is the education amendments of 1972, which require universities to take action to prevent and respond effectively to gender discrimination. That has been interpreted to include Sexual Violence. Basically, says universities are required to create Safe Environments for all students to pursue their education free from genderbased dissemination, clean Sexual Violence. What does it mean for your university to be under investigation . It means they have failed to protect students. They have failed to prevent gender discrimination. They have created an extremely hostile environment where students like emma myself who worked our entire lives to achieve enough to get us into columbia in the first place, and in my case, to get the scholarships, i would need to attend and be admitted to the university, then come then come within most of the time within our first year, assaulted and then have to struggle through the remaining years of our education, navigating that with that weight on our shoulders, with that burden constantly present in our minds while the university has completely failed to take the action they are legally required to take to prevent that from happening and to respond effectively when it. Does i want to go to another storefront friday, a woman named jen read the story which was submitted anonymously. Boyfriendrel severely beat me in my dorm room. He threatened to kill me. A month before that in a similar incident, he threw me down and threatened to rape me. That night in may, he hurt me so badly that i could not move my neck or shoulders for days. Someone on my floor heard me screaming and reported it to my r. A. Once columbia had enough information, issued a mutual no contact order to both me and him. We broke it. I was completely alone and isolated and felt like i still needed him. I still loved him and just wanted the assault to go away. The penalty for breaking a no contact order, whether complainant or respondent, is the same and can include suspension. The man who threatened to rape and kill me is protected under this policy, because he knows that i cant give columbia the information that they need to expel him without him turning the in for breaking the no contact order. He will take me down with them if i pursue the case. It is completely unfair that columbia holds abusers and their victims to the same community of punitive measures when it is shown that victims often feel andped and isolated therefore, stay with the people who attacked them. [cheers] one of the people who spoke out on friday. Zoe, your response . Can you talk specifically about the no contact orders . In this case, in a many cases, it is one example of the kinds of policies that place a really undue burden on the shoulders of the survivor who is trying to just move forward with their life, whether or not they choose to report, theyre trying to heal and trying to move on, trying to find peace and find ways to be happy again. In this case, it prevents her from even reporting and from seeking help. This is a person who submitted an anonymous story who actually stayed afterwards at the rally to speak to me and was desperate for help. We started working with her to try to explain what that process is like, how other students have tried to navigate this concern about the no contact directive before, particularly, in Domestic Violence cases. This is very clear and will document his cycle of abuse for abusers manipulate victims and survivors and people do and thats speaking to the perpetrators again. That is wellknown for anyone who has been trained even as i was just as an internet of Domestic Violence agency your go to understand. Columbus somehow cannot understand the policies respect just reflected. Whats in april, but has task force headed by joe biden released a report urging colleges to take action against Sexual Assault citing studies that show one in five women are sexually assaulted in college. The government launched a new informational website notalone. Gov. It features president obama and joe biden alongside benefactors. Method problem and leave your help. What is happening on college campuses,. What is coming even high schools. What is happening to our sisters and our daughters. Whats polarizing a friend bookmark it is called Sexual Assault and we have to stop it. Listen up. She doesnt consent for if she cant consent it is great, assault with a crime. It is wrong. To doas not you have something about it. Advice on happening, i was up. What if i saw it happening, never blame her. I would help her. Fidelity part of the problem. I want to part of the solution. As a nullity to be part of the solution. This is about respect, responsibility. It is up to all of us to put an end to Sexual Assault. At start with you. One is too many. That was an outcry comes up as, steve carell, president obama and Vice President is a player the psa will air. Senator mccaskill, we will address that issue later, what is happening at the center level. Your response to the psa . It is extremely encouraging to see leaders, particularly male allies, speaking of but it does focus is supposedly on a narrow story of what Sexual Violence looks like. A man assaulting a woman. For some a survivors on campus, that is not what theyir express looks like. You think of mel survivors or those of lgbtq because of the stigma attached, potentially even more vulnerable and pushed further away from services or more discouraged from speaking out. It is unfortunate their voices and their expenses were not reflected in a campaign or most of the other white house materials coming out on this issue. Emma, you will go back to campus today, you will pick up that mattress and you will continue to carry the weight. And people also help you carry it. Can you ask people to help you . I cannot. That is one of the roles of the piece, i cannot ask for help. If help is offered, i can accept it. How has this affected you . You have received to menace amount of Media Attention now around this issue. Now aroundattention this issue. Knew some new stations had expressed interest to me and wanted to be there on the first day. Never in my wildest rains had i ever imagined it would become this big and become an International News item. The surge of reporters has been wild. Inspired that so some another people across the country and across the world care about this issue. I mean, i guess, they havent really had an outlet to speak about it before. It is really moving to see that people are building off the work intoe done and taken entirely new levels. It is been a really emotional and moving experience for me. And you will continue to drive this mattress around campus until i will carry the mattress with me to all of my classes, every campus building, for as long as my rapist is on the same campus as me. I want to thank you both for being with us, Emma Sulkowicz, senior at Columbia University, brought a charge against a fellow student. She says he raped her. She reported her cell to columbia in april 2013, but the university ultimately found the alleged rapist not responsible. Two other women said the man did the same thing or engaged in an assault on them. Zoe ridolfistarr, organizer for the ed act now campaign and know your ix, also was assaulted on campus. She is a senior at Columbia University. We will continue to follow these stories both at columbia and all over the United States, not to mention outside of our borders. When we come back, were going to cleveland to speak with the wife of a former nfl player. She is going to tell her story, what happened to her and what role the nfl played. Stay with us. [music break] this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Calls are increasing for nfl commissioner Roger Goodell to resign over how the league has addressed a mystic violence. So far this year, at least for players of been arrested for Domestic Violence, most notably also running back ray rice. He was indefinitelys is been a last week by the league after a video emerged of him punching his fiancee, now wife, in the face, knocking her unconscious inside an Atlantic City casino elevator. Rice had previously been suspended for two games by the nfl after an earlier video of the same incident showed him dragging the unconscious woman from the elevator. In a letter sent on monday to the leagues 32 owners come nfl commissioner Roger Goodell admitted he didnt get it right when he initially suspended rice for just two games. The arrest is not an isolated incident. A september 4, new york jets wide receiver was arrested for assaulting woman at a hotel in new jersey. Less than a week earlier on august 30, San Francisco 49er ray mcdonald was taken into custody after Police Officers responded to a 911 call and found his pregnant fiancee with bruises on her arms and neck. Enday, propyl defensive greg hardy was arrested for salting and next girlfriend. Found guiltyuently for salting and threatening her. He is appealing the ruling. As the nfl faces and coming criticism, the league announced monday it hired four women to help shape its Domestic Violence policies. Ofa freel, the former head the sex crimes prosecution unit in the new york District Attorneys Office, rita smith, the former executive director of the National Coalition against a mystic violence. About a mystic abuse faced by winds and partners of nfl players, we go to cleveland, ohio, where we are joined by dewan smithwilliams. She is married to retired nfl player wally williams. He played on the cleveland browns, baltimore ravens, and new orleans saints. Dewan smithwilliams is a survivor of Domestic Abuse herself. She says the league pressured her to keep quiet about the abuse. Dewan smithwilliams is also an advanced practice Psychiatric Mental Health nurse. We welcome you to democracy now why dont you start, dewan smithwilliams, by talking about your own experience, the abuse that you suffered, and what happened when you turned to the nfl for help. Well, first, i would like to say thank you so much for having me. I want to say that this isnt about my situation. Im not a victim. I am here to make a change, hopefully, promote change within the nfl. In my particular situation, thend i became situation, our marriage became very tumultuous. He basically wanted to do what he wanted to do and when i would oppose it, there would be problems. I was a participant in the arguing and the fighting. In my situation, i think of my husband had been in the Diversion Program for drug and alcohol for use of marijuana. He was just doing what he wanted to do. At one particular time when i contacted the league, he a become he became angry and upset and got a bat in our home. I locked him in the garage with the bat. He began beating on the door with the bat. , hitt into the house chairs, hit walls. He was running through the house like a crazed man with a baseball bat. I ran upstairs to my bedroom and locked the door. I called the player liaison, the nfl p. A. That was working with wally and his Diversion Program. I told them i was really afraid and they needed to send someone to the house. That i was fearful, that wally was being crazy right now with a baseball bat and running to the house hitting things. They told me to make sure i stayed safe, to try to get out of the house were if you was leaving, to let him leave, and they would get back in contact with me. I never heard anything back from them. They never called me or call to check on me. It was basically it happened and that was the end of the story. Youre calling them from a closet, your husband is running around the baseball bat and youre calling the nfl for help, the point person dealing with you and your husband, and he said, i will get back to you . That is correct. That is correct. When you wented with blac to the nfl and said, what can you do . What happened when you talk to other women, the wives of nfl players . Do you share your story with them . It was aunately, common conversation that i had with many of my friends whose husbands also played football. Of silence. A code you did not talk about it. When you would talk about it, he weigh whatted to is happening right now, how am i going to be perceived in the situation, like im turning him down. Victim and you feel things are going wrong in your household, he you are made to believe it is your fault. You are dealing with a person who was a superstar in their own mind, superstar on the football field. Everyone gives them what they want. Aboute would conversation it, problems would come up between the wives because we called it hello top. If the women would go back to their husbands and share anything that i would say were some in us would say, the husbands would go to the locker room and share it, the now escalate the argument and the fight because then your husband comes back home and says, stop talking our business. You told such and such about this. Keep our business in our house. Because it difficult happened to many women, both physical and verbally, and it was just it is just what happens. Can you talk about the ofference toward attitude Domestic Violence and drug abuse, that there is a zero tolerance policy around drug use, but when it comes to beating up your wife or attempted murder in a whatever the issues are and it is coming out more and more all of the country seems the dam has broken, the question is, what will be done about it . That kind of comparison . Unfortunately, drugs and alcohol and football speaking from my experience, that was just a part of our life. That was just part of the lifestyle. I cant point the finger and say that i never participated because in trying to please my husband and be part of the crowd, there were times when i copengage with him just to in dealing with the situation that i was in. Dewan, what was your breaking point . I breaking point where i knew the relationship was no longer going to exist there were several. With the time was a baby. My youngest son was a baby. We had another one of his teammates wives insurance at our home. My sister was there. Wally and i were arguing. I made a very foul comment about about his mother and he ran toward me and grabbing by the throat. I had my son in my arms and he lifted me off the ground and was choking me. My friend and sister were pulling on his arm, telling him to let go. I was saying, take the baby, take the baby, because i was very feel for all fearful i was going to drop my child. After he let go, violets violence is not the answer. I picked up the mob began hitting him with it. Situation. D my sister came and said, what are you doing . This man can kill you. This is not the proper way to respond. You guys need to stop. At that point i realized, all of our arguments, it was never any sitting down and talking, you know, just having peaceful discussion, it was always arguing and bringing up past situations. And there were many. It was just a very toxic situation. When you went to the nfl, did they tell you to be quiet . Told tosnt that i was be quiet. Nothing was done. Nfl,you say going to the there are several arenas that come to play. Youre talking about coaches in my coaches wives, other players,. A. N calling the nfl p havingery difficult discussions because if the team does not have permission from anythingr to discuss with you, then they wont talk to you. They wont give you any information. They listen. Theyre great listeners, excellent listeners. But as far as action, it never happens. Its like, ok, it happened, ok. So i got a lot of head not in a lot of im sorry to hear youre going through that, we have counseling. Were you told not to go to the media or to go to a lawyer . That was a different situation, yes. When we lived in new orleans, our home was raided by the police. We were on vacation. When i came home, one of the coaches had left a letter in our kitchen on the refrigerator stating we needed to call him. We had gone to the atlantis for the week in and taken our children and our flight back was delayed. That day, the police were there with the k9 dogs in our house and had gone through our house and they found drugs are familiar. There were weapons. So when we came home, my husband wally called his coach and he came over and told us that this was really serious and that we should not talk to the media, we should not talk to any attorneys, we should not talk to anybody about the situation that has occurred, that they would be the point person for everything, that they would handle everything, they would get us attorneys. Have very little time, i want to play a comment from your husband wally williams, former nfl player. Now a sports analyst for cbs baltimore. He says he does not by the nfl story that it had not seen the ray rice elevator video until tmz released it. The protocols that were in place put forth by the nfl, put forth by our judicial system as we know it, as far as we all know, he has followed that to a t and was advised by his lawyers and everybody. So the come back now and say this needs to have more president s, this needs to have more punishment, i think it is a total coverup by the nfl. Theyre just trying to save themselves on this because i think they all have the opportunity to see this video. Former nfl player wally williams, the husband of dewan smithwilliams, who we are joined by in cleveland. As we wrap up, at this point, do you feel that the nfl is going to change . Among the things that done is higher four women they say will be consultants on issues of Domestic Violence. My hope would be that these four women, moving forward, would be able to speak with someone like myself that would be able to tell them what the issues really are. To nfl took several months even acknowledge there was a problem, even after they had been told by ray rice that he punched his wife. It took them several months to acknowledge Domestic Violence occurred. So if youre hiring someone and you dont know if the issues are, i just hope they talk to someone that knows the issues and is willing to come forward and speak about them. The nfl needs to put in place things for the players come as far as with the draft, the same things they do with the drills, with the physical aspect of the team, and you can do that psychologically, maybe doing some coverings of psychological testing that would screen and let them know what players are at risk for high risk behaviors with this Domestic Violence, drug abuse, and put into place some teaching and training so themnot only just throw out, but the players dont need to be abandoned right now. They need to be offered tools to manage dewan smithwilliams, thank you for being with us. That does it for our broadcast. Democracy now is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. Email your comments to outreach democracynow. Org or mail them to mail them to democrac stone being chipped