I dreamt of becoming a teacher. A few years ago I had to put my dreams on hold. I was walking home from the bus stop after working at Nordstrom’s. A man grabbed me off a busy street and dragged me into an underground parking garage. I was stabbed repeatedly in the throat with a screwdriver, stabbed in the face, strangled and left for dead. I fought back as well as I could and fortunately avoided being raped.
I spent months recovering. Afterwards I swore to God I would do everything I could to prevent this from happening to anyone else. I called my local legislators asking them to support victims’ rights laws. I got no responses. I got a list of all our state’s representatives and started calling them in order. When I reached R and called Aaron Reardon, I was surprised that he personally answered the phone. After a brief conversation he agreed to meet with me. It is difficult to explain to a man the fear, rage and self-loathing that accompany the trauma I experienced. Aaron was sincerely moved by my story and let me explain the importance of crime prevention and victims’ rights laws. He had slated 30 minutes to speak with me, but ended up canceling half of his day’s appointments so that we could have a full, candid discussion. Aaron promised me that he would be an advocate for victims of crime at every turn. He’s kept that promise and renewed my faith in government.
Aaron is now running for Snohomish County executive. There is no one who cares more about women and victims of crime than Aaron Reardon and I know he’ll make a great county executive.
Seattle
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