Darrell E. Brooks, Jr., was fleeing the scene of a domestic disturbance when he allegedly drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, killing five people and injuring 48 others.
No words can describe the tragedy experienced by the parade victims and their families but it is important to note what preceded the event.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that just before the parade attack, Brooks was involved in a domestic disturbance, the details of which are unknown at this point.
Brooks was released on $1,000 bail less than two weeks before the parade after he allegedly used his SUV to run over a woman who says she is the mother of his child. CNN states the criminal complaint notes: “Officers observed tire tracks on her left pants leg.”
The low bail indicates that prosecutors did not treat that crime seriously, possibly because it involved domestic abuse, which historically has been minimized and overlooked because most victims are female.
Until the 1980s, police routinely failed to arrest domestic violence perpetrators, telling them to walk around the block and cool off.
Continue reading “Before Waukesha: Domestic Violence”