At the time of this interview in November 2009, Dr. William Petty was head of Victims Services at the Austin Police Department in Austin, Texas. In Video 1 of this interview, Petty describes how he came to work in Victims Services and the difference between what counselors can do during a crisis or tragedy as opposed to months or years after the fact. They can offer resources and also -- more importantly -- what Petty calls \a ministry of presence.\ Petty also talks being a Black man working for an institution that he, and many other Black people, have had strong reasons to distrust and stay away from. He discusses, as well, self care and changes that have taken place in policing and victims services. Video 2 includes a discussion of what happened among people who found themselves at the Austin Convention Center after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In Video 3, Petty talks both about being an advocate for victims for marginalized people as well the pressures on police officers, chief among these being attitudes of the public and accusations of misconduct, and the stigma associated with seeking help.
Contributor | Contribuidor:
Petty, William (Narrator), Texas After Violence Project (Contributor), Raymond, Virginia (Interviewer), Morrissey, Ellen (Videographer), Morris, Jennifer (Transcriber), Landes, Courtney (Transcriber), Skillicorn, Alexa (Transcriber), Raymond, Virginia (Transcriber), Ambrosini-Bacon, Kimberly (Proofreader), and Chammah, Maurice (Proofreader)