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
WHEREAS domestic violence involves physical, sexual, psychological and economic abuse, intimidation and isolation; and
WHEREAS domestic violence is a pattern of abuse used by a person to control and oppress another, and one in four women are beaten or raped by a partner during adulthood; and
WHEREAS in 2017, at least twenty-four Minnesotans lost their lives as a result of domestic violence; and
WHEREAS only one in every five domestic violence victims ever seek services and in the past ten years an estimated 80% of the women murdered in Minnesota died due to domestic violence; and
WHEREAS the City of Saint Paul, from being home to the first domestic violence shelter in the nation to the creation of The Blueprint for Safety and establishment of Bridges to Safety Victim Service Center, is recognized as a national leader in ensuring all victims and their children are safe and dangerous perpetrators 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, must continue our unified groundbreaking work, and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Saint Paul City Council declares October 2018 to be Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and
FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that - in partnership with the St. Paul Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, - purple flags will be hung in Council Chambers during the month of October, to honor domestic violence victims and the countless c...
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