Story by JOE GIDDENS
Photo by JOSHUA SHAVER
Twenty-seven cases of domestic violence took place on Pima Community College property between 2016 and 2018, with the Downtown Campus making up over half of these incidents, according to Pima College Police’s 2019 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.
Pima’s annual security report was released Sept. 30, the eve of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which was launched in 1981.
“Domestic violence is the most common cause of injury to women and children,” said Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall during an Oct. 1 press conference. “And last year there were more than 15,000 reports to law enforcement.”
About 2,000 residents who are domestic violence victims and are at high risk for serious injury or death have reached out for support services, according to Ed Mercurio-Sakwa, CEO for Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse.
For Mercurio-Sakwa, it’s not just about the statistics affecting Pima County: Domestic violence is a public health and safety issue that affects everyone.
“As a community, we’ve got an important role to play in addressing this issue of domestic violence because this is not, contrary to popular belief, a private matter,” he said.
Emerge is one of Southern Arizona’s largest providers of domestic abuse prevention services. Emerge offers emergency shelter and a 24-hour hotline, housing stability programs and legal services.
LaWall said that a significant number of Pima County homicides that her office prosecutes are related to domestic violence. Injuries also can befall law enforcement responding to these incidents because domestic violence is one of the most dangerous and frequent calls, according to Pima County Sheriff Mark Napier.
To combat the problem, LaWall’s office has taken several steps, such as the creation of a specialized domestic violence court to prosecute offenders. Cases are reviewed by one victim advocate, one prosecutor and one judge with the goal of stopping violent repeat offenders. Those cases are tried by judges and prosecutors who specially are trained in domestic violence.
LaWall’s office also leads the Risk Assessment, Management and Prevention RAMP program. RAMP is a collaboration between Emerge, the Pima County Attorney’s Office, local law enforcement agencies and Tucson Medical Center, which is the only local hospital with a “quiet room” for these victims and other groups. The coalition works to improve response to domestic violence and raising over $1.2 million in grants over the last three years.
“Our safety, our personal health, our health care system and our criminal justice system are at risk when we have as much violence in our community as we currently do,” LaWall said.
Pima County Supervisor Richard Elías believes education as the best way to address these public health issues.
“Take that time to educate,” he said. “Take that time to talk, take that time to tell a story … It needs to be said out loud, and it needs to be said in the name of Viola. My mother suffered tremendously her whole life. … That story needs to be told.”
Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild pointed out domestic violence’s pervasiveness but believes that while every case is different, a common thread uniting these acts is a sense of entitlement.
“It’s a belief that can lead to twisted and violent interactions between humans that probably at one time did love one another,” he said. “We don’t have the right to control other people and they don’t have the right to control us.”
Rothschild pointed out that this feeling crosses across all demographics and socioeconomic statuses, making prevention difficult. Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus echoed the mayor’s sentiments
“It’s a dynamic that happens everywhere throughout our social fabric,” Magnus said. “This isn’t something that goes with a particular zip code.”
On Oct. 22 and 24, all of the Pima Student Life Offices will be taking part in the Clothesline Project. Members of the Pima community will be able to decorate a T-shirt to acknowledge survivors and victims to hang on the clothesline display, according to Pima Police.
