Domestic violence came close to home this year at Medgar Evers College. Two days after the beginning of the semester, a tragic case of domestic abuse occurred on the streets near the college.
On a bright, sunny afternoon student Kaidan Ramsey, 22, was confronted by her enraged husband, Lenox Ramsey, 25, as she was entering the campus. Lenox Ramsey dragged Kaidan down the street. According to witnesses, when she broke free, desperately screaming for help, Ramsey chased Kaidan, grabbed her arm and screamed, “I got a gun, don’t —- with me!” After Ramsey fired two warning shots into the air to scatter the crowd, Lenox shot Kaidan twice in the back. Kaidan was taken to Kings County Hospital in stable condition. She survived the attack. Police arrested Lenox shortly after the incident. Lenox Ramsey told detectives he thought his wife was having an affair with a fellow Medgar Evers student.
Kaidan had moved out of the couple’s home three days earlier. Lenox, a security guard, was known to frequently fight with his wife and fellow residents in the couple’s apartment building in Brownsville, according to neighbors.
The horrific incident was recorded on a nearby surveillance camera.
On Monday, October 19th at 1:30 pm, the Male Development and Empowerment Center (MDEC) will host a special domestic violence forum in the Founders Auditorium. The gathering, entitled “Domestic Violence: Moving Men from Allies to Activists,” is designed for male students as part of an ongoing effort to address the issue of domestic violence from a male perspective.
“We are trying to raise awareness amongst men,” said Larry Martin, director of the Male Development and Empowerment Center, “and attempting to educate and re-educate our men about their personal responsibility in ending men’s violence against women.”
Special guest speakers are community voices who work with men on a wide variety of issues. Quentin Walcott is program director of CONNECT Training Institute (CTI) – an organization whose mission is to expand the number of professionals and community members who have a deep understanding of the dynamics and consequences of violence in the family. By providing intensive training, CTI participants with tools necessary to develop community-based solutions for the complex problem of family violence. Lumumba Bandele is a SEEK program instructor and domestic violence activist. Kevin Powell is a community activist, author and Male Development spokesman who has spoken and written extensively on the issue of domestic violence.
Through this event, MDEC hopes to prompt a discussion that assists men in identifying abusive tendencies, educates them on avenues for finding help with this issue, and trains those who are faced with this difficult situation on means of safely intervening.
“We are targeting men and what they can do,” said a spokesperson for Medgar Evers President William L. Pollard. This year’s gathering, in recognition of Domestic Violence Month, is part of President Pollard’s overall mission to make Medgar Evers College a “student-centered campus.”
The event is open to the community.