My son has become increasingly violent towards myself and my husband (his step-father). He hasn't hit me yet but he has shoved my husband once and hit him in the back of the neck once. Both times my husband reported it to the police. They took the reports over the phone. Last Sunday, he attacked my husband by putting his hands around his throat and shoving him into the wall and ended on the floor of the bathroom where my husband rolled into a ball to protect himself. My 12 year old daughter was horrified. My son ran off. The police came but told my husband that even if my son cut him open, they couldn't do anything because the juvenile detention center is too full and budget cuts prevent them from doing anything except for murders and extreme violence. I was under the impression, that if someone abuses someone else in front of someone 14years or younger in the State of Oregon it fell under the Measure 11 law which would make it a felony. What can we do to make the police enforce the laws? Can we kick him out of our house? We are afraid of him, he steals from us and others (breaks into cars) and drinks and uses drugs. What can we do? Melinda

-- Anonymous, July 31, 2003