City supports, honors domestic violence victims

Karen Moessner, executive director of Domestic Violence Intervention Fallon, joined Fallon Mayor Ken Tedford, the DVI Fallon staff and the city of Fallon on Oct. 1 to dye the Maine Street fountain purple in a ceremonial start to Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2024.

Tedford also issued a proclamation which said, in part, “Victims of domestic violence exhibit remarkable strength, courage and resilience, but still face significant barriers in escaping abuse. Domestic Violence Awareness Month is a time to remember and honor all victims, raise awareness to help prevent domestic violence and to recognize and celebrate the work of advocacy networks in Nevada.”

The public is encouraged to wear or display purple on “Purple Thursday” on Oct. 24 and throughout the month to raise awareness and show support for domestic violence survivors.

Carin Gomes, a certified domestic violence and sexual assault advocate, said additional activities include the “Hands Are Not for Hitting” school bus which will visit schools throughout Churchill County during the last week of October. Students will be invited to place a purple paint handprint on the bus after taking a pledge to use their hands for helping and not for hurting.

She also said that a new session of the Domestic Violence Support Group will meet in the DVI offices at 37 S. Maine St., every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. with free child care provided.

A local display of the national “Clothesline Project” at Millennium Park stands as a visual reminder of the real people behind the domestic violence statistics. With designs made by people affected in some way by domestic violence, the color of each shirt hung on the clothesline represents a different kind of violence. For example, yellow represents a survivor of a physical assault and black symbolizes someone who became disabled as the result of an attack.

Gomes said that nationally incidents are on the rise of grandchildren moving in with their grandparents and behaving toward them in an abusive manner. The general public often doesn’t realize that this elder abuse, loosely defined as abuse of a person over 60, is included under the umbrella of domestic violence when it occurs between family members. This can interfere with the elder’s ability to get the help they need to manage or leave the dangerous situation. As with other forms of domestic violence, raising awareness is key.

DVI Fallon programs include a local 24-hour hotline at 775-427-1500 and crisis intervention support, emergency motels, an emergency safe house and assistance with temporary protection order applications.