Patriot Songs (G Bell) (@gbellnasa)

On 5 June, 1986, 24-year-old model Marla Hanson met her landlord Steven Roth outside a Manhattan bar to collect an $850 security deposit he owed her. She had also previously rejected his romantic advances. As they walked, two men suddenly attacked her. One held her head while the other slashed her face with razor blades, carving deep wounds across her cheeks in an S-shaped pattern. Roth stood by and watched. The attack required over 150 stitches and left permanent scars that ended her modeling career. It was soon discovered that Roth had hired the two men, Darren Norman and Steven Bowman, to carry out the attack. All three were convicted and sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison. But Hanson's ordeal wasn't over. During the trial of Norman and Bowman, defence attorney Alton Maddox subjected her to a brutal cross-examination, calling her a woman who "preyed on men" and "that lying bitch." He suggested she had "racial hangups" and falsely identified her Black attackers. Hanson later said the courtroom experience was worse than the physical attack itself. She publicly criticised the criminal justice system for allowing victims to be humiliated on the witness stand. She later became a victims' advocate and screenwriter and she also helps other slashing victims recover from their trauma. Marla’s story is a call for change. Stand with victims, fight for justice, and ensure their voices are heard. https://ifeg.info/2025/12/30/marla-hanson-a-survivors-journey-from-attack-to-advocacy/