‘Ravaging homes.’ Macon advocates honor domestic violence victims, urge people to speak up
In Georgia, 131 domestic violence victims have died in the past year. Eight of those deaths were in Middle Georgia, according to Crisis Line and Safe House.
Local organizations advocating for domestic violence victims gathered in Washington Park Tuesday afternoon as October, known nationally as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, comes to an end. The night was dedicated to supporting survivors of domestic abuse, but also victims who have died as a result of it, with domestic violence being deemed as a “plague that is ravaging homes all across our country,” by Jason Beck, vice president of programs of Rescue Mission of Middle Georgia.
Crisis Line and Safe House and Rescue Mission organized and led the event, with many invitees walking through the grass as they saw the organization’s clothesline and pinwheel projects that honor victims.
The clothesline project is “an opportunity for survivors and their family members and friends to creatively express what has happened in their lives,” said Suzanne Walker, director of programs of Crisis Line and Safe House, with each color representing a different meaning.
Blue and green shirts on the clothesline represent survivors of child sexual abuse; yellow and brown shirts represent survivors of domestic violence; pink, orange and red represent survivors of sexual assault and rape; gray shirts represent survivors of emotional abuse; black shirts represent those who were victims of political violence; purple shirts represent those attacked for their sexual orientation; and white shirts represent those who have died as a result of violence, Walker said.
Postcards were scattered among the shirts that also detail the meanings behind their abuse.
The purple pinwheels placed in front of the shirts represented each domestic violence death in Georgia in the past 10 years. The red pinwheels represented the deaths that have occurred in Middle Georgia, which includes eight deaths from the past year, according to Walker.
Rebecca Grist, Bibb County’s solicitor general, spoke about how most domestic violence cases go through her office and, as she primarily handles misdemeanor cases, there are many opportunities for grace. When she receives a case and the alleged abuser doesn’t have a criminal history, she offers to dismiss the case once the alleged abuser takes counseling, as well as the victim and their children if they need it.
“There is definitely a cycle of violence and it is generational,” said Grist. “But I also know some ... through therapy, through counseling, through work, through love, break that cycle of violence.”
As the solicitor general’s office collaborates with Crisis Line and Safe House, Grist said they do everything they can to minimize the long-term damage of abuse on children. Research shows that adverse childhood experiences have a huge, long-term effect on the child’s well-being as they reach adulthood.
Toward the end of the event, every invitee lit candles in remembrance of victims who have died as a result of domestic violence, in support of victims struggling to survive their abusive relationships, and for victims to reach out and find help.
Before invitees lit up their candles, a survivor of domestic abuse, after sharing her story, encouraged those who have experienced abuse in their relationships or currently experience abuse to speak out and seek resources, shelter, council and legal support through Crisis Line and Safe House.
“You may have been beaten, twisted and thrown down time after time, but you still got value,” said Vernice Carson, a survivor. “Whatever they took from you, let them have it. You don’t want that back anymore. What God has for you is better than what you lost.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, reach out to Crisis Line and Safe House through their 24/7 hotline at 478-745-9292.
