August 30, 2007

The Mecklenburg County Women's Commission and Domestic Violence Advocacy Council ( DVAC) invites the public to participate in a march on the Square in Uptown Charlotte. This march is in response to a domestic violence murder/suicide that took place in south Charlotte yesterday. The marches are designed to broaden the public’s awareness that there is help available for those in domestic violence relationships. This is not a memorial.

The Mecklenburg County and Domestic Violence Advocacy Council () invites the public to participate in a march on the Square in Uptown Charlotte. This march is in response to a domestic violence murder/suicide that took place in south Charlotte yesterday. The marches are designed to broaden the public’s awareness that there is help available for those in domestic violence relationships. This is not a memorial.

The march will be held:
· Thursday, September 6
· 12:15 – 1 p.m.
· On the Square at Trade and Tryon Streets, Charlotte

Free parking is available at the Hal Marshall County Services Center, 700 North Tryon Street or the Seventh Street Station parking garage. A free trolley runs the length of Tryon Street every seven minutes. The organizers highly recommend that all participants bring water for themselves due to our recent high temperatures.

This is the sixth domestic violence related homicide for 2007 in Mecklenburg County matching the total for all of 2006. According to the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, there have been 40 other domestic violence related homicides in North Carolina for 2007.  The latest statistics are attached.

The Domestic Violence Advocacy Council organizes awareness marches every Thursday following a death in Mecklenburg County in which domestic violence is believed to have played a role. The council includes representatives from the 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, Victim Assistance, businesses and the interfaith community.

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.

For more information on the Domestic Violence Advocacy Council, visit the Web site http://dvac.charmeck.org  or call 704-432-1568.