NewsBreak Original

A handgun sits amidst ammunition.Thomas Def on Unsplash. (Denver, Colo.) A full-time investigator for the Denver District Attorney’s Office reviews handfuls of domestic abuse filings each day. Then, the investigator scours social media and studies provided statements, video footage and other evidence of possible firearms or ammunition at the suspect’s home.

**This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events that I have experienced firsthand; used with permission. I don’t remember what the weather was like that day. I don’t remember what I was wearing. I don’t remember much.

A shot of a local neighborhood in Buffalo, New York.Photo by J.M. Lesinski. With the COVID-19 pandemic came a new wave of unexpected domestic violence that blindsided many and left countless in bad situations. New York State Governor Kathy Hochul recently revealed the allocation of over $64 million in federal funding for the aid of domestic violence and abuse survivors, children, and households in New York state.

**This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events that I have experienced firsthand; used with permission. Occasionally, my mind will wander to dark and negative spaces thinking about how a significant chunk of my 20s was spent in a relationship with my abusive ex.