Domestic violence awareness ceremony

Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Project Clothesline was a part of Monday's Domestic Violence Awareness Ceremony. Each of the T-shirts has been decorated by a victim or by a surviving family member. This year, the number of victims and shirts grew by five. The list of 30 victims includes three men along with two unborn children who died in utero. Johannes Brann/Daily Mail

jbrann.ndm@gmail.com

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and local recognition occurred on the courthouse lawn on Monday.

Martha Sander, chair of Vernon County's Council on Families in Crisis and Moss House, emceed the gathering for the 20 people on hand.

"In this country, 1 in 5 women have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner and on a typical day, 72 percent of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner; 94 percent of the victims of these crimes are female," said Sander.

Serving as a background behind Sander was a clothesline of white T-shirts, each of which had been decorated by a victim or by a surviving family member.

"Around the year 2000, we began participating in the national Remember My Name effort," said Sander. "Each year we read and remember the names of all who have been victims of domestic violence and are part of this county, whether they lived here or their family does."

This year, the list of people being remembered grew by five. The list included three men as well as women along with two unborn children who died in utero.

Attendees were invited to tell about either being a victim of abuse or about a loved one who died due to domestic violence.

At Monday's Domestic Violence Awareness Cermony on the courthouse lawn, Martha Sander, chair of Vernon County's Council on Families holds the microphone as Bonnie Hines, who had just read the names of three who died due to domestic violence, launches baloons in their memory. Some 20 people were on hand including former Nevada police chief, Graham Burnley and wife Janet along with Vernon County Prosecutor, Brandy McInroy and Victim Advocate, Peggy Schenker, who are next in line as part of the Remember My Name project. Johannes Brann/Daily Mail

Belinda Chadd, Bonnie Hines and Carla Witte each spoke about their sister, Tasha Norris, who was killed by her partner when she was age 24, on July 9, 2009.

"My sister had two children at the time, one age 2, the other, 9 months, and they will never know just how wonderful their mom was," said Chadd.

"It's easy to become bitter and hard," said Hines. "We can't undo what was done but what those who are touched by domestic violence have to do is channel their anger and loss into helping others."

"My sister is right," began Witte. "It was jealousy and hatred and sickness that killed our sister but we are so determined to bring something good out of it that we have dedicated our lives to listening and helping and fighting for others who are victims themselves."

Following the comments, attendees were invited to take a balloon and one at a time, come up to the microphone, read the name tethered to the balloon and release it. There were 28 balloons with the purple ones being for survivors and the white ones for those who had been killed by domestic violence.

"It's easy to label someone as a victim and think that is enough, but it's not," said Sander. "For each one of these is more than just a name. She or he is a person, a friend, a family member and someone with connections to hundreds of other people. Honoring and remembering them also lifts up those in our shelter today and I hope it empowers all of you in the days ahead, to care and help and fight for them."

The Council on Families in Crisis was founded in 1994 and its governing board consists of representatives of 11 state, area and local agencies. Moss House, a shelter for women and their children, is open 24 hours a day and located at 415 N. Main St. in Nevada and may be contacted at 417-667-7171.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: