In October of 1995, three people entered our home in a rural town in southern B.C. They threatened to kill me and proceeded to attack myself and my partner. They were armed with sticks and a tire iron. The two Asian males grabbed me and held me down while the Caucasian male raised the tire iron and said, "You're fucking dead." He struck me on the head. My partner stepped in and stopped the second blow and was struck himself in the chest and back of the head.

We struggled with the three in the kitchen of our home for a few minutes before we backed them into the living room. We struggled some more and then I grabbed a knife out of the butcher block around the corner. This made them move out the front door which they had broken down.

Outside our home it continued with the three throwing wine bottles, sticks, rocks, blocks of cement through every window of our home except the bedroom window. All this continued with death threats and the three saying, "We'll be back." They all ran up the alley and that was the last we saw of them that night.

All this happened in a matter of minutes but the effects will last a lifetime for both of us. They went to court, and three were acquitted due to the fact that there was lack of police evidence. The police handled the case from the first as a break and enter and not like a hate crime, like we were trying to tell them.

The lasting effects and responsibilities are overwhelming, from police statements, court proceedings, retaining a qualified lawyer, dealing with reporters and community at home, and dealing with the long waits for legal procedures, such as court and victim assistance, which in the end, really does not do enough for you.

The physical and mental toll has an ongoing effect. We suffer from medical disabilities as a result of the crime, as well as having to live with the mental aspects, such as: agoraphobia, paranoid episodes, fear and anger. We now live with weapons in our house and go to, what others describe as, extremes to lock our home. We have to rely on medical prescriptions of anti-depressants and sleeping aids.

The financial toll is in the extreme. After the assault we were both put on disability. Now on a fixed income, we are expected to pursue civil litigation, where every lawyer you speak to is asking for $150 - $250 per hour and a $10,000 retainer. We have been forced to sell our vehicle and pawn personal belongings to afford to pay lawyers and ongoing bills, because victims assistance does not aid you in any way.

We are waiting for our civil case to come to court. It has been filed with the nearby Supreme Court. As it can take up to two years to get a court date, the anticipation and wait continue to take their toll on us, mentally and financially.