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District Wide Policy on Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking

THE AFRO — January marks the 15th annual National Stalking Awareness Month.

Published

6 years ago

January 20, 2019

By George Kevin Jordan

January marks the 15th annual National Stalking Awareness Month, but D.C.has been ahead of the pack with a District wide policy on Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking released at the beginning of the year.

“With this policy, we are talking another step to ensure that D.C. Government is a place where all employees feel supported and safe,” Mayor Bowser said in a statement. “By implementing this policy and being more intentional with our guidelines and resources, we can better work together to assist and support victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.”

According to information from the Stalking Prevention Awareness and Resource Center, (SPARC) an average of 6-7.5 million people are stalked nationally each year. About 1 in 8 employed stalking victims lose time from work as a result of their victimization and more than half lose 5 days of work or more, the data showed.

Though SPARC representatives would not comment on legislation and policy in D.C., they provided this statement:

“Stalking is a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that causes fear. Many stalking victims experience being followed, approached and/or threatened – including through technology. Stalking is a terrifying and psychologically harmful crime in its own right as well as a predictor of serious violence: in 85% of cases where an intimate partner (i.e., boyfriend or spouse) attempted to murder his partner, stalking preceded the attack.”

D.C.’s policy unpacked workplace-specific signs of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking, and provides victims with protections against employer discrimination or retaliation. The plan also called for a workplace safety plan, designating agency points of contact for victims, and mandates confidentiality and other protections, according to the Mayor’s office.

The policy was crafted with the help of the D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence (DCCADV), a local organization.

“They sent a draft on what they were working on and we provided some feedback,” said Dawn Dalton, Policy Director for DCCADV. “We feel it’s a good policy.”

Late last year, the DCCADV released the “Surviving DC: A Domestic Violence Report” , detailing the organizations assessment of how a District agency “responds to domestic violence regarding staff who experience domestic violence and survivors who seek services from their agencies.”

The report was a survey of 23 agencies and only two, the Metropolitan Police Department and the Child & Family Services Agencies, received a passing grade.

The survey helped to solidify stark realities about domestic violence and its impact on survivors.

“One of the things we know here in D.C. is that there aren’t enough Domestic Violence services whether it be shelters or long term housing to meet the demand of survivors,” Dalton said.

Luckily the Mayor’s office had already been working on a policy for the District.

“All in all its (the policy) a positive and great step forward for the District to make,” Dalton said.

Other organization heads agree.

“Mayor Bowser’s District-wide Workplace Policy is a groundbreaking initiative that can serve as an example for other states, policymakers, and workplaces to adopt a practice that will not only keep D.C. employees safe, but provide a mechanism for preventing domestic violence,” said L.Y. Marlow Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Saving Promise. “By protecting employees, creating workplace safety, support plans and policies, and offering increased training for D.C. government employees, the District is that much closer to ultimately ending domestic violence.”

According to data from the DCCADV, nearly one-third of unaccompanied homeless women in D.C. indicate that violence is the cause of their current homelessness or housing instability, and 63% of unaccompanied homeless women with past experiences of violence and trauma report at least one act of violence against them during their current period of homelessness or housing instability.

About 50% of D.C. women have experienced psychological aggression perpetrated by an intimate partner in their lifetime, according to the report. Also about 39% of women living D.C. have experienced sexual violence, physical violence and/or stalking perpetrated by an intimate partner.

The D.C. Metro police received 35,909 domestic violence-related calls for service in 2017, according to the DCCADV’s data. This is a decrease from a year ago but an increase since 2013.

On a national level a person is a victim of domestic violence or assault every 20 minutes in this country, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, impacting about 10 million women and men.

Victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking can reach out to the D.C. Victim Hotline at 1-844-4HELPDC (1-844-443-5732) or contact them via chat at www.dcvictim.org. If anyone is in immediate or imminent danger please dial 911.

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

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Oakland Post: Week of December 18 – 24, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of December 18 – 24, 2024

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21 hours ago

December 20, 2024

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City of Oakland Celebrates Reopening of Main Library

“Libraries are such critical facilities for all Oaklanders, whether it’s children coming to story-time, adults reading the newspapers or borrowing the latest novels, and people engaging with a range of services and programs that the library hosts,” said Council President and District 2 Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas. “Such library services and programs are only possible when the facility’s electricity, heating, roof, and lighting are fixed and running efficiently. I’m proud to join this re-opening of our Main Public Library.”

Published

3 days ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Left to Right- Jamie Turbak, Director of Library Services, LaTonda Simmons, Assistant City Administrator, Nikki Bas, President Oakland City Council, Shen Thao, Mayor of Oakland, Carroll Fife, Oakland City Councilmember District 3, Harold Duffey, Assistant City Administrator, Sean Maher, Projects Coordinator. Photo by Kevin Hicks.

The branch had been closed since May for critical infrastructure upgrades

Special to the Post

The City of Oakland leadership and community partners gathered to celebrate the reopening of the Main Library after completion of critical infrastructure upgrades to enhance the library’s facilities and provide a better experience for patrons.

Renovations include new roof installation, skylight repair, critical electrical system upgrades, new boiler control system installation, auditorium heating and cooling system installation, and improvements to lighting, flooring and ceilings throughout the building.

“This is truly something to celebrate, the reopening of our wonderful Main Library! I congratulate the staff and our partners for this important project to make the Main Library a more comfortable place for everyone for years to come, said Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. “Thank you to Oakland voters and the California State Library for making these crucial improvements possible.”

“Public libraries are a wonderful resource for our residents, offering a safe space for learning and being,” said District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife. “It is critical to improve and modernize our libraries so more members of our community can utilize and enjoy them. I’m excited that the necessary renovations to the Main Library have been completed successfully and thank everyone involved, particularly the City team, who helped secured the necessary grant funds for this work.”

“I am proud of the City staff and project partners who kept this important project on schedule and under budget,” said Assistant City Administrator G. Harold Duffey. “The library is an incredibly important resource for our community members, and this project is an investment into the library’s future.”

“December 2nd was a momentous occasion for Oakland Public Library as we proudly reopened the doors of the Main Library following extensive infrastructure repairs,” said Director of Library Services Jamie Turbak. “Closing the Main Library for six months was no easy decision, as it serves as the central hub for our library system and is truly the heart of Oakland. Yet, this renovation was essential, representing more than just physical upgrades—it reflects our ongoing commitment to creating a safe, welcoming space for everyone.”

The City Administrator Jestin Johnson also attended the press conference and signalled his support for the completion of the record-setting completion of the renovations. Gay Plair Cobb, a newly appointed Library Commissioner said the Library represents the soul and brains of our community.

The Oakland Public Library secured funding for these crititcal repairs through a variety of sources. The California State Library’s Building Forward Library Facilities Improvement Program awarded the Main Branch $4.2 million. To comply with the grant terms, the City of Oakland provided matching funds through Measures KK, as approved by the Oakland City Council in October 2023.

The Main Library will host an Open House to celebrate the reopening on February 22, 2025, 10 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

About the Oakland Public Library

The Oakland Public Library is a part of the City of Oakland in California and has been in existence since 1878. Locations include 16 neighborhood branches, a Main Library, a Second Start Adult Literacy Program, the Oakland Tool Lending Library, and the African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO). The Oakland Public Library empowers all people to explore, connect, and grow. Oaklandlibrary.org

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Biden’s Legacy Secured with Record-Setting Black Judicial Appointments

His record surpasses previous efforts by his predecessors. President Jimmy Carter appointed 37 Black judges, including seven Black women. In stark contrast, Donald Trump’s first term resulted in only two Black women appointed out of 234 lifetime judicial nominations. The White House said Biden’s efforts show a broader commitment to racial equity and justice.

Published

3 days ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

iStockphoto.

By Stacy M. Brown
WI Senior Writer

President Joe Biden’s commitment to diversifying the federal judiciary has culminated in a historic achievement: appointing 40 Black women to lifetime judgeships, the most of any president in U.S. history.

Biden has appointed 62 Black judges, cementing his presidency as one focused on promoting equity and representation on the federal bench.

The White House said Biden’s efforts show a broader commitment to racial equity and justice.

Meanwhile, Trump has vowed to dismantle key civil rights protections, including the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

“Having the Black woman’s experience on the federal bench is extremely important because there is a different kind of voice that can come from the Black female from the bench,” Delores Jones-Brown, professor emeritus at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told reporters.

Lena Zwarensteyn of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights told reporters that these district court judges are often the first and sometimes the final arbiters in cases affecting healthcare access, education equity, fair hiring practices, and voting rights.

“Those decisions are often the very final decisions because very few cases actually get heard by the U.S. Supreme Court,” Zwarensteyn explained.

Biden’s nomination of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court further reflects his commitment to judicial diversity. Jackson became the first Black woman to serve on the nation’s highest court.

Patrick McNeil, spokesperson for the Leadership Conference, pointed out that over half of Biden’s Black female judicial appointees have backgrounds as civil rights attorneys and public defenders, experience advocates consider essential for a balanced judiciary.

Meanwhile, Congress remains divided over the expansion of federal judgeships. Legislation to add 66 new judgeships—approved unanimously by the Senate in August—stalled in the GOP-controlled House until after the election. House Republicans proposed distributing the new judgeships over the next decade, giving three administrations a say in appointments. President Biden, however, signaled he would veto the bill if it reached his desk.

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., argued the delay was a strategic move to benefit Trump’s potential return to office. “Donald Trump has made clear that he intends to expand the power of the presidency and giving him 25 new judges to appoint gives him one more tool at his disposal,” Nadler said.