Little to no effective resources for parental victims of child domestic violence

Little to no effective resources for parental victims of child  domestic violence                

    WINTER GARDEN, FL — There is a crisis in Florida that is being overlooked: parental victims of “minor” child domestic violence. There are very few effective resources where families can go for help.

In 2016, Alice Slaughter-Flowers, along with her daughter, Tiffany Kelly, coordinated a cycling event wherein Alice, along with four other cyclists, successfully completed a 300 mile cycling event from Orlando to Tallahassee, the state Capitol. It was an awareness ride to educate the state to the dangerous impact of this form of domestic violence.

On July 15, 2013, Rosemary Slaughter-Pate was found by police stabbed and strangled to death in her bedroom. Her son was arrested and charged with her murder. Currently, child to parent violence/abuse is not recognized under Florida statutes as a form of Domestic Violence.

This year, Alice is coordinating a cycling event “Ride4Rose” from Oviedo Fla. to Melbourne Fla.  Cyclists will depart David’s World Cycle (sponsor) at 7 a.m. located at 7505 Red Bug Lake Rd. Oviedo Fla, and end in Melbourne Beach, Fla. ”We decided this year to cycle to a location closer to Orlando in order for more cyclists to participate in a 2-day event versus a 5-day event.” says Alice Slaughter-Flowers, Rose’s sister and organizer of the event.

Join Alice, friends, cyclists, and supporters as they challenge a 140 mile round-trip cycling event, April 22 -23, 2017. Cyclists are encouraged to cycle as far as they’re comfortable with. A bill has been filed and moving swiftly through the 2017 Florida Legislation, HB 1199, and SB1694 (Support for Parental Victims of Child Domestic Violence).  Senator Victor Torres, Jr is the bill sponsor, and Rep. Kamia Brown is the bill co-sponsor.  Support of any kind (financial, volunteer, in-kind sponsorship, media coverage, etc) is greatly appreciated.

There is no reason to feel ashamed or embarrassed if you have an angry, and/or aggressive child who is engaged in unwelcomed abusive, violent behavior. An abusive child carries the risk of growing into an abusive adult.

Thank you for your time and support; the family of the late Rosemary Slaughter-Pate looks forward to hearing from you. Should you have questions or need additional information, please contact Alice Flowers at (321) 229-7688, aflowers@themorningaftercenter.org, or visit www.ride4rose.org.