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 people of all races, sexual orientations and identities, spiritual beliefs, ages, educational backgrounds and economic conditions; and one out every three women in Minnesota will experience domestic violence in her 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 2020, according to the Violence Free Minnesota Homicide Report, at least twenty women and one man in Minnesota were killed by a current or former intimate partner and almost half were killed with firearms; and
WHEREAS at least nine more Minnesotans who were friends, family or bystanders lost their lives during a domestic violence incident; and
WHEREAS of the nine, three of those who lost their lives were children; and
WHEREAS 16 minor children lost their mothers due to domestic violence, and
WHEREAS the City of Saint Paul’s recognition as a national leader in ensuring all victims and
their children are safe and dangerous perpetrators are held accountable for their violence is demonstrated by our history as being home of the very first domestic violence shelter in the nation, birthplace of the Saint Paul Blueprint for Safety which focuses on victim safety and accountability for people’s violent behaviors while providing opportunities for change, the creation of Bridges to Safety which is a collaborative government and community-governed Victim Service Center and a multidisciplined justice system model to prevent the use of firearms to harm victims and curtail the d...
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