Help Break the Cycle of Abuse for Tyler, My Best Friend

Hi! My name is Sullivan Sweeney, better known by my former name "Piper Sweeney" for my video essays about false allegations, reactive abuse, impossible beauty standards, and other grim topics. Those who have been keeping up with me on Youtube, Tiktok, and/or Instagram may know that I've had quite the eventful year, eventful being an understatement. After enduring homelessness, multiple sexual assaults, and an online hate mob, I was left intensely suicidal and was hospitalized. I felt the rug had been pulled out from under me and I would never be able to rebuild. This was changed when I met my best friend and first love, Tyler. He saw that I was a bundle of nerves and, even though he barely knew me, he continuously checked up on me and hung out with me as I waited for the medication to build up in my system. He saved my life, and he's the reason I'm able to create content today.

Unfortunately, Tyler is currently entrapped by his abuser, his ex-boyfriend whom I will call Duke. Tyler tried countless times to peacefully leave, but Duke has gone through extreme measures to keep Tyler under his sphere of influence. Duke is an older, larger man, and he's the one with the house, the job, the car, and all the money. He has made several false reports to the police that have led to Tyler being entrapped and falsely convicted. To bail him out, I took out a same day loan of $2,300, not including interest. I also earned a peer support certificate to assist him with his recovery. Unfortunately, he took a plea deal for house arrest, and was forced to stay with the very abuser that falsely accused him to begin with. During this time, Duke continued to beat Tyler. After serving the unjust sentence, Tyler tried desperately to leave. One of Tyler's attempts to flee the relationship ended with him attempting to take his own life. While he was in the hospital, and inaccessible to his abuser, I began to see Duke around town as I went about my routine, such as my wee-hour morning jog and my commute to and from work. In fear and need of help, I went to the police with my evidence that the injuries I sustained during my own dissociative amnesia were caused by Duke. However, the officer treated me like the villain, coming up with a ridiculous theory I had given myself those injuries and was trying to falsely implicate Duke to save Tyler. In other words, he implied that there was, indeed, a crime, but did it in a way he could claim there was nothing he could do. The police did less than nothing, no matter how often I came to them, once even in tears.

A moderate-severe head injury in the form of a large hematoma with blunt force laceration, from which I continue to suffer from short-term memory and concentration issues, as well as headaches to this day, sustained after Duke found me in bed with Tyler, apparently all my fault:

A black eye that Duke insists was from a doorknob:

When I told the officer of Duke's ridiculous explanation for my black eye, he said, "What's that supposed to mean to me?" I told him, "Men punch more people than doorknobs do." The officer stared at me and said nothing. I suppose he knew I was right and was desperate to avoid paperwork. He refused to so much as listen to my full story, as if I was not an assault survivor, but a waste of his time. While devastated, I wasn't surprised. There was no conviction when my cousin was murdered, despite witness testimony, so why would my case be any different? The officer's advice to me was to move away, as if I had not thought of that.

On December 30, 2024, Duke tried to seize Tyler's phone to monitor his text messages and prevent him from calling for help, a recurring fight Tyler had to endure. To get control of his phone, Duke kicked Tyler in the head repeatedly. When Tyler fought back in self-defense, Duke called the police and played the victim. Tyler, the real victim, was arrested and sent to jail based on Duke's false statements. Duke, however, was left at large, despite my efforts to warn local and state law enforcement that Duke was using the police as a tool to to entrap and control Tyler and keep him in a cycle of abuse. This is a waste of police resources and a gross warping of what the police are supposed to do, which is serve and protect. Granted, Duke has claimed to be "friends with every cop in [town]," and while I doubt this, I wouldn't be surprised if there were an inside guy.

While Tyler has been given a restraining order against Duke, the fight is not over. He has still been charged with 4th degree domestic violence, and is still in jail for the crime of self-defense. I am unable to properly assist him, as I am still in debt from the last round of fighting Duke's false allegations.

Right now, Tyler is in jail because of these false accusations. And while a part of me feels he is safer in jail than with his abuser, his safety is still at risk every day he spends enmeshed with violent offenders. Tyler needs a safe, healing environment. Instead, he is being held behind bars, putting him at risk of sustaining further trauma and injury. This is all because Duke is angry that Tyler responded more positively to my love and affection than to his power and control.

The silver-lining is that Tyler has people in his life who love him, like his mother and his silly little bestie. I started an open-ended fundraiser with no specific goal. If we only earn $100, at least he can get the toiletries he needs to make jail more livable for the time being. If we get $2,500, we can pay the unjustly high bail set for his release despite lack of evidence of his guilt. If we garner ample support, we can pay down an apartment when he's released and build a safe home where he doesn't have to worry about being attacked or belittled. If we get enough for a lawyer, we can pursue justice for our trauma and injuries, such as my current inability to finish my master's degree because of what was done to my head.

However, I'm not going to stop there. Helping Tyler is merely a goalpost in my journey to advocate for survivors. We also need to change the system that allows abusers to consistently get away with these atrocities within our communities. I will continue to use my youtube channel, Sullivan Sweeney, to advocate those who have been let down by the system, and to brainstorm ways we can eliminate current barriers that regularly prevent domestic violence survivors from finding safety.

Thank you all so much for your time. If you are unable to make even a small donation during these times, I understand and hope your struggle improves with time. If the most you can do is share this campaign with your friends, thank you, for you are doing your best and giving us the world. If you are able to donate, thank you so much for building the backbone of Tyler's journey toward safety and recovery. Hopefully, in the future, we can make it to where no one has to suffer these systemic pains again. Until then, we will keep fighting. ∎