Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem, the child's father, confessed to throwing the baby off the bridge on Feb. 16. Authorities are saying that he took the baby from her grandmother and fled her home to throw the baby off the bridge. At the time of the alleged incident, the child's mother was in court seeking a restraining order against the father. He has pled not guilty to murder and other charges.

This case was obviously disturbing to me when I heard about it. What's more disturbing is that this is not the only recent case in New Jersey where a child's life has been put in danger by those who were expected to protect her. Last month, a 7-year-old girl was gang-raped, as her 15-year old step sister sold her into prostitution.

I've seen domestic violence and tragedy like this up close on several occasions. These incidents are painful to witness, and they should be taken seriously. While I do not claim to be an authority on how to manage these situations, here are some quick thoughts:

1) If you are in an abusive or threatening relationship, take it seriously: People die from domestic violence every day, and we can all be affected by it. The threats may seem harmless, but it's hard to tell who is serious and who is not until it is too late. You might be better off taking all threats seriously and reacting accordingly.

2) If you are being threatened, tell the authorities and your family immediately: Don't suffer alone. Someone else is out there who can help you. Documenting threats with police and getting a restraining order can support your case later on down the road. Also, there may be older adults in your family who can give you good advice.

3) Avoid the abuser at all costs: Love makes us do irrational things, but in the event that either you or your children are in danger, you should remove yourself from that situation and stay away from the person who is threatening you. Even simple conversations can turn deadly in those situations.

4) If you see child or spousal abuse taking place in your neighborhood, report it to the police: When I was in college, a guy in my dorm was beating his 16-year-old girlfriend, and she left a trail of blood every time she left his room. Although I might be called a "snitch" for telling police what was going on, I don't regret a thing. The girl and her boyfriend were very angry at me for telling the police what I knew, but I simply told them that if she were my daughter, sister or mother, I'd want someone to tell the police. The point is that it takes a village to protect our children and each other, so we all have some responsibility to be helpful to those in need. Domestic violence and child abuse are serious problems, and we should not tolerate this in our community.

To see more on the case, watch this:





Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the author of the new book, 'Black American Money.' To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here.