News from Operation Care

Okay, so who are those purple people around town? Have you seen them? October is nationally recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. During October, purple is the color of the day. Purple people - purple ribbons.

35 life-sized purple silhouettes of women, children, and men have been placed at various locations throughout Amador County. Operation Care staff and volunteers have prepared the display, featuring statistics and stories contributed by advocates, clients, and survivors who have dealt with domestic violence. This display was developed as a take-off of the national "Silent Witness Exhibits" to raise awareness about the impact of domestic violence in our community.

"In order to spark some interest, when the silhouettes were originally placed last week, they each had a generic placard with the words WHO AM I," explained Tammie Crabtree, Program Manager for Operation Care. " This week, the statistics and stories of real people and real situations are revealed". The stories serve to show that domestic violence does not discriminate, and it affects the entire community. One out of four adult women are victims of domestic violence at some point in their lifetimes; men can be victims as well. Domestic violence affects people of all ages, racial groups, cultures, religions, sexual orientations, educational backgrounds, and income levels. Crabtree continues, "We wanted to make an impact, and we also wanted people to know that if they are, or have been the victim of domestic violence, they are not alone, and help is available."

Each silhouette has a different, real life story or situation. Some contain statistics about domestic violence. One woman's silhouette says:

"I am . . .

A mother of two
I drove across country to get away from my fianc�
I stayed when he hit me
And found strength to leave when he hit my kids
I am . . .
A loving mother"

Look for all 35 purple people throughout the county and read their stories. Then, on the 15th of this month, they will be gathered and placed together in a compelling display at Petkovich Park on the corner of Broadway and Water Streets in Jackson. On the 24th, the exhibit will move to Sutter Amador Hospital during their Health Festival and throughout the weekend. The individual stories and statistics are also posted on Operation Care's web site at www.operationcare.org/purple.htm.

In addition to the purple silhouettes, purple ribbons and posters declaring "Peace Begins at Home" will be distributed around Amador County by Operation Care. Baskets filled with purple ribbons to wear or to attach to your car antenna will also be placed at many local merchants and business offices. The purple ribbon is a unifying symbol of courage, survival, honor, and dedication to ending domestic violence.

"We have promoted the purple ribbon campaign for the past few years", said Lynn Shield, Executive Director of Operation Care. "This year, we added the silent witness exhibit to build on the message that there is no place for domestic violence in the homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, or schools of our citizens. We encourage everyone to show support for healthy family relationships by reading the messages on the silhouettes, and by wearing a purple ribbon or tying a purple ribbon to their car antenna during this month of awareness."

Shield adds that domestic violence is the use or threat of using physical, emotional, verbal, or sexual abuse with the intent of controlling someone by instilling fear and using intimidation. There are several types of abuse:

Physical Abuse: Verbal threats of violence, pushing, shoving, hitting, slapping, punching, pinching, biting, kicking, holding down, pinning against a wall, chocking, throwing objects, breaking objects, punching walls, driving recklessly to scare, blocking exits and using weapons.
Emotional/Verbal Abuse: Name calling, threats, criticizing, yelling, humiliating, isolation, economic abuse (controlling finances, preventing victim from working), threatening to hurt children or pets, stalking.
Sexual Abuse: Unwanted touching, sexual name calling, false accusations of sexual infidelity, forced sex, unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, HIV transmission.
Where to go for Help:
If you or someone you know needs help, dial 911 or call the 24-hour crisis line at 209-223-2600. Operation Care provides safe shelter for women, men, and children, as well as counseling, support services, crisis intervention, and education. For more information, to make a contribution, to volunteer your services, or to obtain purple ribbons for your group, office, or organization, please call 209-223-2897.

Related web sites:
Operation Care: http://www.operationcare.org
California Partnership to End Domestic Violence: http://www.cpedv.org
Domestic Violence Awareness Month Home Page: http://dvam.vawnet.org/
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence: http://www.ncadv.org