November 13, 2003

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE MEMORIAL MARCH:
ADVOCACY COUNCIL INVITES CITIZENS TO MARCH SILENTLY

Charlotte, NC - Tuesday, November 18, 2003, men and women from Mecklenburg County will march in memory of a woman who lost her life on November 12 due to domestic violence.  The march will take place from 5:15 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. on the square at Trade and Tryon Streets in Charlotte.  Participants are encouraged to wear black.

This will be the sixth march this year memorializing a murder victim due to domestic violence in Mecklenburg County.  Anna Margaret Johnson Knight, 52, was burned with acid by her estranged husband on August 2; she remained in the N.C. Jaycee Burn Center until her death on November 12.  Her estranged husband remains in Mecklenburg County jail without bond. 

This is the 52nd domestic violence murder of the year in North Carolina, according to the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCCADV).  There were 73 murders in the state last year with six of those taking place in Mecklenburg County.  This is the eighth domestic violence related murder in Mecklenburg County this year. 

The memorial march is organized by the Domestic Violence Advocacy Council, which includes representatives from: Mecklenburg County Women's Commission, Department of Social Services, Sheriff's Office, Shelter for Battered Women, Women First, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department-Domestic Violence Unit, Community Link, Victim Assistance, United Way and others. 

The Domestic Violence Advocacy Council will continue to organize these marches every Tuesday following a domestic violence-related murder in Mecklenburg County.  They will take place at the same time and location. 

Free parking for the march is available at the Hal Marshall County Services Center at 700 North Tryon Street or the 7th Street Station parking garage.  A free trolley runs the length of Tryon Street every seven minutes.

For more information on the effects of domestic violence in our community, call the Mecklenburg County Women's Commission at (704) 336-3210 or the Shelter for Battered Women 24-hour hotline at (704) 332-2513.