By Brenda Maguire
CORRESPONDENT
NEW BRITAIN — It was on Feb. 14, 2009, when Alvin Notice was told his daughter had been stabbed. Upon arriving at the hospital, he learned that her multiple stab wounds had proven fatal.
He asked to see her body, much of which was still covered in blood.
“That was the most difficult thing I had to do,” Notice said.
The circumstances involving the death of his daughter, Tiana, allegedly at the hands of an ex-boyfriend who’s now standing trial, have led Notice to become an outspoken advocate against domestic violence.
As part of the YWCA’s “Week Without Violence,” Notice Friday spoke to a crowd of about 30 to help raise awareness.
“Domestic violence is that private thing that nobody wants to talk about,” Notice said.
He stressed that domestic violence is about power and control, and not anger, and that it can be physical, sexual and emotional. He said financial considerations also can lead to violence.
Notice is now the co-founder of The Tiana Angelique Notice Foundation, which focuses on raising awareness and educating women on the topic, as well as helping victims prove their case to authorities.
One of the ways the foundation does this is by helping to install security cameras at the homes of victims.
“I usually go to the scene and help install the camera myself,” he said.
Leah Fosse, a prevention and education coordinator at the Prudence Crandall Center in New Britain, works closely with victims.
“To hear him speak about his daughter is so inspirational,” Fosse said. “We can keep on doing intervention, but there has to be someone doing prevention work.”
Notice was taking time away from his daughter’s trial, which started last week, to address the crowd and returned to the New Britain Superior Court proceedings afterward.
“It’s pretty much a time out for me to talk about the good things,” he said.
For more information on the Tiana Angelique Notice Foundation visit http://tiananoticefoundation.org/.
Brenda Pantano 