Missoula Woman Battered Beyond Recognition – When Will We Learn? [OPINION]

After seeing this photo, the first thing you may say is that "there is always two sides to every story." Still, beating a woman beyond recognition is wildly unacceptable regardless of who is right or wrong.

Kelsey Rowland once had a bright, shining face that lit up any room she entered. I've come to know this beautiful young lady over the course of my DJ career as she is a proud supporter of my local dance parties. Now, her bruised and lacerated face will be a constant reminder of what may have happened the night someone decided to use her as his own personal punching bag.

I do not currently know all the facts but regardless of the details, the fact is, a woman was punched by a man. That's all I need to know.

I get it. Girls can make a man angry. They have ways of getting under a man's skin. Believe me, I've been on the receiving end of a woman's scorn many times myself. But the thought has never crossed my mind to lay hands on her. I don't care how wrong they are in the dispute! I just... walk... away. Let it simmer awhile, then come back to resolve the situation. Isn't that how any fight should be solved? At least that's what my parents taught me.

This entire situation sickens me to the core. Hasn't this town learned its lesson on how to treat a woman? Haven't we been listening to the leading stories on the local news enough to realize that Missoula no longer stands for violence against women? Sexual or domestic, it's all pain. Moments such as this permanently scar our providers of future generations, both inside and out.

An open letter to the alleged attacker,

Welcome to Missoula, Montana. A town that simply does not tolerate these types of actions.

Even if this story is in any way fabricated, which I highly doubt (but then again, we have had people cry wolf before), I still will not rest until all women in Missoula feel comfortable walking our streets.

Let's be 100% clear, I'm not against you necessarily. I'm against the all-too-familiar situation. I'm certain you are not alone, there are many more like you. Some Montana "men" are taking their frustrations out on women all around our community as I write this, while most women live in fear, afraid to speak out.

Let your alleged situation be a shining example of how a town will forever stand in support against violence towards a girl. Missoula will always cradle the women in fear. All an abused girl may need is to hear a story such as this to muster up the strength to speak out to their friends, their family, or maybe even just a local DJ with enough power to put their story out for all to see.