An 81-year-old woman from New York City has come forward with allegations of abuse inflicted upon her by her own family.
Margie Allen, an 81-year-old woman, recounted how her nephew and his girlfriend confined her within her own Harlem apartment, leaving her feeling like a prisoner.
Allen said it all started a few years ago when she let the couple move in to assist her with paying bills. Allen stated that she initially believed the girlfriend was a sweet person, but things quickly became ugly.
Allen stated that they stopped paying rent, and the harassment began. Allen stated that the pair installed a barrier to prevent her from using the bathroom or entering the kitchen.
“She was always cursing at me,” Allen claimed of her nephew’s girlfriend.
Allen claimed that the abuse turned violent at one point, prompting the summoning of the police. Apparently, the couple intended to take over her finances and apartment.
Allen gave PIX11 News photos of the squalor inside her apartment. She claimed the corridor was cluttered, and her nephew prevented her from stepping outside.
“He refused to let me leave the apartment and pushed me back. “I was upset and scared,” Allen explained.
To top it all off, Allen claims the nephew attempted to put her in a mental facility, but she was able to seek assistance from Stephanie McGraw, the creator of the group We All Really Matter.
McGraw has also survived domestic violence.
“At her critical point, this family member wanted the apartment, and they went to court and told them she was mentally incapable of taking care of herself and was trying to get her admitted to the psychiatric ward,” according to McGraw.
McGraw and her staff acted fast to assist Allen in navigating the court system, removing the nephew and his girlfriend from the apartment, and obtaining counseling for Allen, among other services.
Allen is finally free and feeling much better. She gives this advice to other seniors who may become victims: “You may believe you can handle it by yourself, but you cannot. You have to find individuals to assist you, just as I did.”
