Abuse is a serious crime that the public does not want to come to light. Reading about Mayor Fred Pinto’s arrest for domestic battery has brought back fearsome recollections of my years as a battered wife. It was a time that I thought, finally, was in my past with all its shame and horrible memories. Your family and your friends do not know the fear that one goes through in an abusive relationship that you desperately try to hide from everybody. In addition, there are children who many times become the victims, either from the physical harm, but even more so the emotional pain that never really goes away.
Domestic abuse is no one-time incident that you can turn your back on and hope that it goes away. It does not. It keeps going and growing until the abused partner leaves or ends up dead. It is difficult to tell this story, for in my case, three people ended up dying, my former husband and his victims. I thankfully left that environment, but my children still live with the memory.
Lenore White, Royal Palm Beach
Editor’s note: For the record, the case against Mr. Pinto was later dropped. He has described the situation as a misunderstanding.
Disgusting! And this is the Mayor with no Shame. Everyone in Royal Palm Beach should be ashamed if he they allow him to continue to sit in their leadership position.