Domestic Violence in Hollywood, and the Deafening Silence That Goes With It...

Credit: People.com

In the ongoing media melodrama surrounding the abusive relationship between singers Chris Brown and Rihanna, Brown is now facing down two felony counts of charges of assault likely to cause great bodily injury and making criminal threats. If convicted on these charges, Brown is likely seeing possible prison time.

And as the TMZ.com web site notes:

"Even if Rihanna refuses to cooperate with prosecutors, the L.A. County District Attorney may have evidence even more powerful than the gruesome photos. Multiple law enforcement sources tell TMZ, the night of the attack Rihanna told cops she was the victim of escalating violence -- and the perp was Brown.

LAPD cops interviewed Rihanna after the attack and she told them Brown had been violent toward her in the past and that the attacks were getting "more violent" as time went on. The interview is potent evidence if the L.A. County D.A. charges Brown with felony domestic battery..."

In the still-unfolding story, there is something about this sordid affair that doesn't make any sense: Why would a wealthy, successful and a physically admired woman such as Rhianna even tolerate the constant physical abuse that appears to be coming from this relationship.

Even more disturbing is the silence among those in the music industry and the African-American community. All these celebrities will put themselves out there for political causes, for social issues, and so on. Now that there's an issue that touches them personally, members of their own community, and they have nothing to say? These are artists--they're supposed to be skilled at expressing themselves, and they remained silence over all this?

This isn't just silence. It's denial and outright cowardace, plain and simple.

More often than not, women stay in abusive relationships because they may not feel able to escape. They often lack the money and other resources to take care of themselves and their children, have no outside support system, and often have to resources to ensure their own safety. Rhianna has the means to break free of this abusive cycle, but instead, she chooses to stand by her man, abusive as he's alleged to be.

This is clearly a domestic violence issue, and it's now a legal issue because law enforcement agencies are involved.

Rihanna is clearly in an unhealthy, abusive relationship. Perhaps some intervention is needed, be it from her family or her record company. Clearly, she needs professional help. And unless she begins to address her personal issues, she will perhaps continue to experience and to perpetuate the cycle of abuse she's expereinced.

All this brings to mind a disturbing 1962 Phil Spector track he produced on the Crystals: "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)."

Someone should remind Rihanna what happened to Lana Clarkson lest history repeats itself.