Title
Declaring October Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Body
WHEREAS, the City Council of Saint Paul, Minnesota recognizes that living free from domestic violence is a fundamental human right; and
WHEREAS, domestic violence affects women, children and men of all races, sexual orientations and identities, spiritual beliefs, ages, educational backgrounds and economic conditions; and one out every three females in Minnesota will experience domestic violence in their lifetime; and
WHEREAS, domestic violence involves physical, sexual, psychological and economic abuse, intimidation and isolation; and
WHEREAS, domestic violence is a pattern of power and abuse used by a person to control and oppress another; and that all forms and systems of oppression must be eliminated; and
WHEREAS, in 2021, at least twenty women in Minnesota were killed by a current or former intimate partner; and more than half were killed with firearms; and
WHEREAS, at least six more Minnesotans who were friends, family or bystanders lost their lives during a domestic violence incident; and
WHEREAS, twenty-eight minor children in Minnesota lost their mothers in this past year due to domestic violence; and
WHEREAS, twelve of those children were present at the time of the murder or discovery of her body; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul; from being home of the very first domestic violence shelter in the nation and groundbreaking culturally specific programming, being the birthplace of the national Blueprint for Safety which focuses on victim safety, accountability and providing opportunities for real change, to the creation of Bridges to Safety, a collaboratively run government and community-based Victim Service Center, and a multidisciplined justice system model to prevent the use of firearms in domestic crimes and curtail their dangerous use throughout our community; is recognized as a national leader in ensuring all victims and their children are safe and perpetrators of domestic violence are held accountable for their violence; and
WHEREAS, we as a community, from our first responders, community-based domestic violence programs, justice system workers, medical providers, educators, government systems, faith communities, businesses and community leaders and members, pay tribute to the lives and the courage of the victims we whose lives we value and will continue to serve, and the life changing impact we have found in working together to end domestic violence, now therefore be it
RESOLVED that the Saint Paul City Council declares October 2022 to be Domestic Violence Awareness Month.