Myra Spearman

Myra Spearman, a survivor of domestic violence, lived in an abusive marriage for 18 years and was stalked relentlessly after for 4 years.  Now she is spearheading a global effort to help others recognize abusive individuals before the relationship is formed and to assist victims in getting much needed assistance. 

In 2007, Myra Spearman created, The Weaker Vessel Inc., which is the nation’s first “On-line Database of Domestic Violence Abusers” (www.domesticviolencedatabase.org). This allows women and men alike to go online to see if they are dating someone who has been abusive in past relationships.  With the member base of on-line social networking sites (such as myspace.com) and on-line dating services (such as match.com) reaching the 200 million member mark, domestic and family abuse which has already exploded will continue to climb.  No one seems to be taking on the cumbersome task of making sure their dates are honestly portraying themselves. More and more people are looking forward, with no regard for the past yet not knowing someone’s past could negatively impact the future. 

The Weaker Vessel Inc. was patterned after Megan’s Law which is the Sex Offenders Registry.   This site provides a comprehensive overview which contains the conviction records of offenders who have been found guilty of domestic abuse, stalking, criminal confinement, intimidation, strangulation, domestic battery etc.  This data is provided free of charge to the general public.  Most other sites charge a fee for service or ask for case numbers.  When a new relationship is formed, most individuals will tell you what they want you to know about them but not necessarily the truth.  Will they ever give you a case number or case details for an abusive past relationship?   That part of their past will stay hidden until it is unleashed on you, the next victim. 

Ms. Spearman works with many phenomenal women including Alexis A. Moore of Survivors In Action, Randi Rosen of Women’s Legal Resource, Linda Rivera and Maria Phelps.  Together they challenge the justice system, victim resources and domestic violence agencies in a continuing effort to advocate improvement of resources for victims across the United States and beyond.

Alexis A. Moore

Ms. Moore knows what it feels like to think that you’re going to die if you stay, what it takes to leave someone, and the challenges a woman faces when starting over with nothing. To protect herself, she learned all the cybertricks and shifted her career focus to preventing cybercrime, becoming a cyberstalking expert in the process. Over the past four years, she rebuilt her life based on a passion for empowering those who share similar experiences, particularly victims of partner abuse and cyberstalking.

Moore plays an active role in the fight against domestic abuse, particularly the use of electronic means to invade a person’s privacy, by working with local, state, and federal agencies to pass legislation that will protect consumers. She provides expert testimony at Senate and Assembly Public Safety Hearings and is currently pursuing the creation and passage of a bill that would require datafurnishers to notify consumers when they sell private information to a third party.

Ms. Moore is the founder of Crime Victim Organization Network and the President of Survivors In Action. She is a director for Witness Justice National Crime Victim’s Organization, Advisory board member of The Beginning Over Foundation and a Board of director for Women’s Legal Resource Foundation. Ms. Moore has become the “go-to person” for issues pertaining to domestic abuse, stalking, privacy protection, identity theft and credit collections as well as the new phenomenon, cyberstalking.

Ms. Moore is also a writer and consultant on these subjects, contributing to articles for The New York Times, Glamour Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, About.com, The Sacramento Bee, Via Magazine, Feminist Weekly, and Women's eNews.

She has written specifically on the subject of cyberstalking and domestic abuse for The Jewish Women’s International, After the Trauma, Witness Justice, Women & Crime Ink, Reflections from Women and for several peace officer training manuals. She has contributed in national journals regarding victim advocacy, the justice system, completed chapters in text books, and provided for training and education materials for victim advocates.

Moore maintains a blog Alexis A. Moore and is the Abusive Relationships Examiner in Sacramento