Ending Domestic and Sexual Abuse in Mississippi

When female high school students were asked whom they would talk to
if someone they date were attempting to control them, insulted them,
or physically harmed them, 86% percent said they
would confide in a friend, while only 7% said
they would talk to police.

Tiffany J. Zwicker, Education Policy Brief,
“The Imperative of Developing Teen Dating
 Violence Prevention and Intervention
Programs in Secondary Schools.”
12 Southern California Review of Law
and Women’s Studies, 131, (2002)

Read this article on the WLOX website by clicking here

Murder victim’s family speaks about her “controlling boyfriend”
By Rebecca Powers

GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) – It was chaos outside a coast casino early Monday morning as a murder suspect kept Gulfport police and federal marshals at bay by pointing a gun to his head.

The Hattiesburg murder suspect ended up in the Island View Casino parking lot 6 hours after Brittany Morgan was killed.

Those who knew her said she was a wonderful young woman in a bad relationship.

Those who knew and loved Brittany Morgan said the 20 year old spread a lot of joy with her beautiful smile.

Brian Dace, her cousin, said she was “A very spirited person, loved to have fun, very social person, no matter what or when or where you saw her, she always had a smile on her face.”

Dace got the terrible news just hours after Brittany’s murder. Police say they believe her boyfriend, 35-year-old Anthony Rico Gipson, beat and stabbed her to death.

According to Dace, “It wasn’t hard to see that he was a very controlling person.”

Brittany’s cousin never met Gipson, but said the boyfriend’s controlling nature became apparent during a phone call he had with Brittany one day.

Dace explains, “I remember him being in the background, being very aggressive, making her get off the phone and that sort of thing, so I knew that there was some kind of aggression in their relationship.”

But no one knows what led to the brutal attack. Hattiesburg police said Rico Gipson was their suspect immediately. So they called U.S. Marshals in Gulfport, after learning he has ties to the Coast. By 3 am, U.S. Marshal’s spotted the 6 foot 7 inch tall suspect with 2 friends in the parking lot of Gulfport’s Island View Casino. Marshals said when they yelled out his name, Gipson put a gun to his head.

Justin Vickers of the U.S. Marshal’s Service in Gulfport said, “It’s a great concern. The guy is wanted for murder and he’s holding a gun in his hand, so he’s obviously a danger to us as well as to himself. So it is very tense and stressful, so fortunately, this one resolved peacefully.”

The standoff lasted just 30 minutes. But the pain of this crime, for those who loved Brittany, will last a lifetime. Dace said one of the things he’ll miss most is her contagious laugh.

“It was unique, it was Brittany. It was Brittany, a very nice girl.”

Copyright 2011 WLOX. All rights reserved.

February is National Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, but we know that problems of abuse occur all year long. This video produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is just one of many online resources that parents, teens, teachers and friends can use to start a conversation about topics that are embarrassing, uncomfortable or scary. Talking about problems saves lives. S.A.F.E., Inc encourages anyone who knows about an abusive dating relationship to make time to visit and learn from these websites, or call 1-800-527-7233 to set up a free, local appointment for counseling.

See more at http://www.youtube.com/user/breakthecycle1996

This year S.A.F.E., Inc. provided dating violence prevention materials for every public school student in Pontotoc County, Mississippi.

Now, we want to hear from you. Did you like it? Did you get it? What can we do to make it better? Let us know by taking this confidential survey.

Thank you!

Letting us know how you feel helps us prevent violence in our communitiesand provide better services for victims of violent crime.

For more information on teen dating violence click here.

S.A.F.E., Inc. Valentines

Many times, parents are concerned about their teenager’s dating relationships. They sense that something is wrong, but they don’t know how to talk about it. Unfortunately, this can sometimes end in tragedy. Elizabeth Crecente (mother of Jennifer Ann Crecente; a teen murdered by her abusive boyfriend) stated, “Even thought we were so close, I knew she didn’t want to hear it from her mom, you know. She felt like I was nagging or criticizing, which is normal for a teenager, but this situation was not normal.”
Fortunately for teens and parents, there are many new resources available online to get a conversation about dating violence started:



• Jennifer Ann’s Group www.jenniferann.org is dedicated to the memory of Jennifer Ann Crecente. This site has many online resources on teen dating violence and is an easy and free way to information with friends and family. This site also hosts an annual challenge for video game designers to create games that combat the problem of teen dating violence, as well as other contests. It’s a great jumping off point for parents and teens that want to discuss dating violence or actively get involved in a creative project that can help save lives.



• The website “That’s Not Cool” www.that’snotcool.com is sponsored and co-created by the Family Violence Prevention Fund, the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women, and the Ad Council. It is part of a national educational campaign that uses online resources to illustrate controlling and threatening behavior. The goal: to raise awareness about and prevent teen dating abuse in a non confrontational & teen friendly format. “That’s Not Cool” also has a facebook fan page, a Twitter feed, and a YouTube channel. Part of the site features online games that parents and teens can play together to test their knowledge, original videos, and tips for helping a friend or family member in an abusive relationship.



• Loveisnotabuse.com, sponsored by LIZ CLAIBORNE INC. was one of the first major online resources for teens and parents and continues to update its look. The format is teen-friendly and informative. This group has invested over $8 million into research for this website as well as the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline (1-866-331-9474 | 1-866-331-8453 TTY). Parents, teachers and teens can download free abuse prevention handbooks educating them on what they can do to end abuse. Innovative aspects of this site include the “Love Mashup Movie Maker” (teens can make their own movies about dating violence and post them to their social networking sites) as well as live, anonymous chat where teens and parents can ask questions about dangerous relationships.



February is National Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, but we all know that problems of abuse occur all year long. These are only a few of the many online resources that parents, teens, teachers and friends can use to start a conversation about topics that are embarrassing, uncomfortable or scary. Talking about problems saves lives. S.A.F.E., Inc encourages anyone who knows about an abusive dating relationship to make time to visit and learn from these websites, or call 1-800-527-7233 to set up a free, local appointment for counseling.

S.A.F.E., Inc, in partnership with the Ecru Police Department will be displaying the “Jeans for Justice” exhibit throughout the month of February . On Monday February 7th there will be a showing of two films about teen dating violence starting at 6PM on Monday February 7th. The display and films will be shown in the 4,800 square-foot police department building located just behind town hall.