IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (WZMQ) – In a solemn ceremony held in Dickinson County, a heartfelt tribute was paid to those who lost their lives to domestic violence, marking the commencement of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The dedication blessing was given by Pastor Chad Harrison of First Covenant Protestant Church.
Local Advocates Unite:
Cheryl O’Neil, the Executive Director of Iron Mountain’s Caringhouse, and Lieutenant Jeremy Hauswirth from the Iron Mountain Michigan State Police Post, stood together at the forefront as local advocates, leading the community in remembering the 53 lives tragically lost in Michigan within the past year due to domestic violence.
A Solemn Remembrance:
Community members, prosecutors, law enforcement officers, health department officials, judges, and advocates came together to honor the memories of the 53 lives lost, representing unborn children to senior citizens. Social service and criminal justice advocates not only acknowledged the grim statistics but also focused their efforts on supporting survivors within the community.
Cheryl O’Neil’s Urgent Message to those in need of help:
Cheryl O’Neil passionately declared, “Don’t think you can love your partner through the violence. Without assistance, it’s not going to stop. That partner that’s violent needs help, as well as the survivors living in those homes. If you have children in that home, think of the children and the lasting effects, and the fear that children feel. Our theme this month is every child deserves a happy home.”
Alarming Trends:
As the new fiscal year is just beginning, advocates voiced their concerns about an alarming upward trend of at least 10 percent in domestic violence-related deaths compared to previous years.
Crossing State Lines for Safety:
O’Neil highlighted the importance of cooperation across state lines, saying, “Every year it goes up at a minimum of ten percent. This year, October, this is the beginning of our fiscal year, so we don’t have all the numbers. But we know it has been even greater. One of the concerns has been that there is limited housing availability. I do not want to scare any victim from coming in because there is limited housing, we will work with you to make sure you have a safe home. The shelter is what people think about, but our non-residential services, which means people not living in shelter, is the greatest volume of the people we serve.”
Lieutenant Hauswirth also stressed the importance of a comprehensive approach to investigating domestic assault, involving collaboration with neighboring counties.
“We use this, this opportunity today, to show that investigating domestic assault is a team effort. It’s a comprehensive approach. We have a very good working relationship with both Marinette County, and Florence County law enforcement. And we’ve worked together with them on several cases over the years and have a very good working relationship so that we don’t have cases fall through the cracks,” he stated.
A Beacon of Hope:
O’Neil added that this year, we were lucky and had no reported domestic homicides in our area. There were 2 reported in the Upper Peninsula this year, that she is aware of.
Caringhouse aims to raise awareness and honor outstanding advocates at the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Department on the 17th. Residents are encouraged to honk their horns to break the silence and stand in solidarity. On October 19th, local advocates will don purple in support of spreading awareness for domestic violence victims and survivors, sending a powerful message to the community: “We’re here to support you.”
For more information on the services that Caringhouse provides, visit:
https://www.caringhouseim.com/
Caringhouse Local Crisis Line:
906-774-1112
National Domestic Violence Hotline:
800-799-7233
