Behind the Screens: Domestic Violence and Technology Symposium

Kristelyn Berry is a tireless advocate for ending gender-based violence. She has worked at national and statewide organizations addressing domestic and sexual violence. During her tenure at the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA), Kristelyn developed tools and trainings on the intersection of technology and sexual violence to CA Rape Crisis Centers, and was a coordinator on the Cyber Abuse Project, which addresses sexual violence on secondary and college campuses. Prior to CALCASA, Kristelyn worked at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) providing assistance on technology safety to survivors and advocates of domestic violence.

Christopher Brown is a Corporal with the Long Beach State University Police Department and has over 15 years of total law enforcement experience. His current assignment is as the Special Victims Detective where he investigates domestic/dating violence, stalking, and sexual assault cases. The California Peace Officer Standard and Training (POST) commission has recognized Detective Brown as an expert investigator in cases related to Sexual Assault which includes the use of technology in investigations. He has also worked with CALCASA and NNEDV to create content discussing technology-based evidentiary issues in domestic violence and sexual assault cases.

Imelda Buncab has worked on issues of gender-based violence for over 20 years in providing direct services, training, advocacy, capacity building, and leadership. Her work includes women of color leadership in the violence against women field, intersection of technology and violence against women, and human trafficking. She served on CA Attorney General Kamala Harris, Cyber Exploitation Working Group and co-chaired the Prevention and Education subcommittee. Imelda is a Co-Founding Member of the National Organization of Asians and Pacific Islanders Ending Sexual Violence (NAPIESV) and is a board member of the Maria Suarez Foundation, a Los Angeles based anti-trafficking organization.

Mary Hyepock is a graduate student at California State University Long Beach, studying to earn her Masters in communication. Her interests include feminist studies and the law, specifically looking at tensions that arise in instances of domestic violence. Mary recently worked on a project studying the advancements in technology and their impacts on victims of domestic violence. This project examined the relationship between tracking devices, property rights, and spousal disputes, particularly looking at tracking devices (GPS) attached to joint properties and the conflict between privacy and property laws.

Alyce LaViolette began working with survivors of intimate partner violence in 1978 at WomenShelter in Long Beach. In 1979, she founded one of the first perpetrators' programs in the country (Alternatives to Violence). She speaks nationally and internationally on topics regarding assessment, prevention, parenting, and clinical work with both victims and perpetrators of domestic violence. Alyce is one of Sage Publications' best-selling authors and has co-authored "It Could Happen to Anyone:  Why Battered Women Stay" currently in its third edition. Alyce provides expert witness testimony in criminal, family, civil and federal court cases. She has received numerous awards for her work, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Statewide California Coalition on Battered Women and the Humanitarian Award from Peace Over Violence.

Addison Rose Vincent (they/them) is a 26-year-old transfeminine genderqueer feminist currently living in Los Angeles. Born in Canada and raised in Michigan, Addison is the Risk Reduction Counselor at Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team (APAIT) serving clients living with HIV who seek cognitive behavior support. Addison has previously been in the roles of Lead Advocate for LGBTQIA+ survivors of violence at Strength United, and the Manager of Programs at The TransLatin@ Coalition. With a passion for LGBTQIA+ justice and advocacy, Addison understands on personal and professional levels that ending domestic and intracommunity violence is essential for queer and trans liberation.

Paula Savage Cohen is a Senior Attorney at Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA), her employer since 1995. She coordinates LAFLA’s Long Beach courthouse-based Domestic Violence Clinic where she and her colleagues provide free counsel and representation for family law clients, focusing on domestic violence, child custody and abduction issues. She also represents immigrant clients with VAWA and U Visa-based petitions, serving victims of domestic violence and violent crime. During the summer of 2018, Paula served as Adjunct Faculty, UCI School of Law, teaching an online class to rising 2L students working in summer placements with legal services organizations.

Curtis Yee has been a Sergeant with the Long Beach Police Department for over 24 years. He has worked a variety of assignments including patrol, bike patrol,  forgery/fraud, identity theft, sex crimes, and domestic violence. He is currently assigned as the Domestic Violence Sergeant. The unit is staffed with eight detectives and one clerk typist. The unit investigates all domestic violence related crimes. Curtis has been with the DV unit for 10 years. He is a California Peace Officer Standards and Training certified instructor and teaches the domestic violence course at the Long Beach Police Academy.