Domestic Violence Aid for a Therapist & Activist

One in 3 children will be sexually abused or assaulted before age 18.

I was one of them. That's why I am here.

My name is Devon Rose Davis, and I am a clinical social worker in private practice. I spent over 15 years in agency social work before getting my clinical MSW from USC and starting private practice. I have devoted my life to helping people stay alive, and live with and heal from physical, emotional, and sexual abuse in childhood and young adult life. I am also a trans woman, and activist and have lead national activism work that has changed laws in multiple states and safeguarded a lot of people.

You can see a preview of a 48 Hours episode I was part of as the lead organizer of The Justice For Nikki Taskforce, following the murder of 17 year old Nikki Kuhnhausen, here.

(My grama Fern, and myself age 4)

I began this work because I too, was one of the kids who was torturously abused in childhood. I was lucky to have a safe person in my grandmother, when I would get to see her. There was no intervention and there was no one who came to save me. Those experiences led me down the path I took to use my own story to help other people. In the process, the 'why me' question was answered: to make me a healer for other people. I have been walking the path of my life's purpose for many years.

There was a day the earth stood still in February of 2024 for me. I was sailing along with my work with 30 clients, loving my life, and knowing I was doing what I was out here to do. I discovered that someone from my past who had recently reappeared was in possession of a large amount of child pornography. I was nearly killed in the process of that discovery. I went to the police the next day with the computer in hand, ligature marks on my neck and a partially dislocated knee, and I filed a police report. It would take months for law enforcement to take any action.

Domestic violence, retaliation, and a lack of law enforcement engagement early on prevented my access to help. I subsequently have experienced 2 head injuries, a broken wrist, a broken foot, a partially dislocated knee, a torn meniscus, and detached cartilage in my right knee. I was forced to cease therapy practice in February. I began referring clients in March, and closed my practice in April. I haven't worked since and am still suffering from latent effects of many of these injuries.

I tried many times to get distance from this person, and was ultimately trapped. By June of 2024, I had experienced even more horrific domestic violence, lost housing, lost access to all my tech, experienced relentless tech hacking from my personal information being posted into the dark web, and lost my car. There have been 3 separate attempts made to kill me by this person since I made the initial discovery.

I have been staying at domestic violence shelters, friends' couches, and the occasional hotel since, trying to find safety. I have been found by this person I turned in, everywhere that I have gone. I was driven bankrupt.

Law Enforcement became actively involved in August and September and began taking action. Only after I hired a former law enforcement officer turned DV investigator to interview witnesses, investigate what had happened and generate an independent report corroborating that what I was reporting was true and accurate.

I filed for and was granted a stalking order and a restraining order against the perpetrator, and DVERT (Domestic Violence Enhanced Response Team) with Portland Police Bureau took the case to investigate and bring charges to the District Attorney's office. Those charges are still pending months later.

I was additionally enrolled in the Department of Justice's Address Confidentiality Program, which will allow me to change my name, social security number, and be unsearchable in any database online. I have been instructed by my contact with Corporate Apple for my business, cyber security companies and by DV service specialists that this will be the only way to find complete safety and get my life back. I have not yet been able to take those steps to do so, because I am not in the United States at this point.

Lastly, on January 1st, 2025, my dad, whom I had just found and met for the first time in 2021, died. I learned of this while being out of the country, and am needing to get back to the US as soon as possible to be with my half-sisters and be present for my dad's memorial.

Today

(January 6th, 2025)

I am staying in a spare room at a healing center owned by colleagues, in a rural area of a foreign country. Taking the drastic step to flee the US has allowed me to finally get off the radar, and find some safety. I am destitute, eating a single meal a day most days. I am not actively in fear of being killed anymore.

I am out of all financial resources. I am desperately trying to source enough funds to return to the US and rebuild my life in a new city. I also am desperately in need of medical care, as being out of the country is not allowing me access to the orthopedic surgeon to repair the damage to my right knee and left wrist.

I have spent my life helping others heal. I turned in someone to law enforcement who I knew and cared for at the time, because above all else, I am a healer and no passes are given when it comes to child pornography.

The cost to my life of turning in someone who has committed crimes against children, while worth it to me ethically and morally, has decimated me, my business and the lives of many clients who counted on me. I have been questioned by many people as to the 'why' of this fight, at the cost of my own life. The answer is simple, I don't get to be a safe person for clients, while turning a blind eye to sexual abuse of other children.

I am pleading for help to regain stability, find a way back to my work in helping people heal and survive, and to get out of this cycle of survival I am stuck in.

If you have the ability to donate, please do. I am very grateful for the consideration!