Hanover Park plans domestic violence forum

Rafael Alvarado had no record in Cook and DuPage counties of domestic violence, according to court records.

But, police allege, that didn't prevent the 32-year-old Hanover Park man from using a hammer to kill his pregnant girlfriend, Norma Favela, 31, on Thursday in the couple's bedroom. He's in custody with a $10 million bond.

Violence has been a problem recently in Hanover Park. Mayor Rod Craig has organized a forum on Wednesday to focus on gang-related violence.

But what about domestic abuse? Besides Thursday's incident, a fatal shooting in November outside a Hanover Park strip mall was committed by the victim's ex-boyfriend, police said. The man has been charged with murder.

Women notoriously underreport occurrences of domestic violence and fail to seek the help they need, experts say. Some feel embarrassed, some feel they deserve the poor treatment and some think they don't need assistance.

Physical abuse is often accompanied by emotional and financial trauma, Hanover Park Trustee Toni Carter said.

Favela's death resonated with Carter, who said she is a survivor of domestic violence. She wants the village to take a lead role in raising awareness. She was involved in an abusive long-term relationship and she hopes other victims can learn from her mistakes.

"I hid it from family, from colleagues, from friends for many years," Carter said. "Because people automatically judge you, 'Why is she so stupid, why does she put up with that?'"

Carter said she plans to host a domestic violence forum in the next two or three weeks at village hall with the assistance of officials from Palatine's domestic violence shelter, WINGS. She'll release plans when they're finalized.

The forum is "so people can understand the cycle of violence, to help their mothers, their sisters and their daughters," Carter said.

The need for more focus on domestic violence is also seen by Leila Gomez-Bock, who works at the Hanover Park branch of Centro de Informacion, a social service agency aimed at helping Latinas, like Favela.

It's hard for women to seek help as their husbands are typically controlling, she said. If they allow their wives to have jobs, they may be there right after work, picking them up and making sure they don't wander off anywhere.

"And if they don't answer the cell phone, it's a big problem," Gomez-Bock said.

Finding a way for a woman to seek help without their abuser knowing is a challenge, she said.

Some Latinas have additional reasons why they don't report domestic violence, including language barriers with police or fear of deportation if they're undocumented. Though many departments have bilingual officers, due to the limited number it's sometimes difficult scheduling when they can take a report, Gomez-Bock said.

And they can feel trapped by traditional views that women should not disrespect their men.

Carter said women shouldn't be afraid of police, as officers aren't allowed to ask domestic violence victims about their immigration status when called into an incident. That doesn't mean though that an officer won't take it upon themselves to report the status anyway, Gomez-Black said.

No matter the immigration status, Carter and Gomez-Bock said, no woman deserves abuse.

The problem isn't restricted to ethnic minorities, said Carter, who is African-American, citing last week's fire in Arlington Heights, which police said was set by Kevin Finnerty, killing his wife and one son.

"This is an American issue," Carter said.