Judge Lee Wilson, who now presides over General Sessions Criminal Court Division 10 specializing in family violence cases, said he heard a “light” docket that morning of about 150 cases. He expects to hear at least 200 cases a day as the result of rising numbers of local criminal cases related to domestic violence.
Deborah M. Clubb, executive director of Memphis Area Women’s Council, participated in the public event held in the courtroom. She said the new court is a vital part of a coordinated community response to the DV problem, and urged other court judges and clerks to do what they can to make a successful pursuit of justice in family violence cases.
>>read on
08.04.2009 - The Commercial Appeal : Mayor announces crime victims advisory panel
08.04.2009 - The Commercial Appeal : Shelby County Commission selects Kevin Reed to battle domestic violence
01.13.2009 - WMCTV: Commissioners spar over role of incoming judge
10.6.2008 - The Daily News: Family Safety Center Seeks Home
10.2.2008 -
WREG-TV Memphis: Leaders Declare Domestic Violence a Public Safety Emergency
WMC-TV Memphis: Authorities look for ways to decrease domestic violence
10.1.2008 - The following press release has been distributed throughout the community
Domestic crime spike brings public emergency declaration and community response campaign
MEMPHIS, TN — Domestic violence today was labeled an urgent crisis
in Memphis and Shelby County — a broadening issue that is a growing cause of crime and requires an immediate, sustained and comprehensive community response.
Mayor A C Wharton was joined by Shelby County District Attorney General Bill Gibbons and activists representing several nonprofit organizations in a press conference held during a two-hour event at The Urban Child Institute. Activities included the unveiling of a new awareness campaign and a virtual tour showing the services to be provided by a new not-for-profit agency, the Family Safety Center, which will help families victimized by violence at home.
The awareness campaign — “Raising Families. Erasing Violence. A community response to domestic crime” — includes printed materials explaining what people can do to recognize domestic violence, where to find resources, how to help victims, and ways to become involved in the issue.
A website providing information about domestic violence and directing users to proven community and national resources was launched simultaneously. The website’s address is
www.erasedomesticcrime.com. Additional resources to assist local families are available at
www.stopdvinmemphis.org.
"We hear a lot of rhetoric about family values these days,” said Mayor Wharton in explaining the need to declare a community health and safety emergency.
“For many of us, the concept of being part of a family evokes images of safety and security,” he added. “But the tragic reality is that family violence has reached epidemic proportions. All too often those closest to us — our own family members — are the ones who hurt us the most.”
Bill Gibbons, Shelby County District Attorney, said, “As of the end of September, there have been 32 domestic-related homicides reported in Memphis and Shelby County this year. For the same period in 2007, there were 18 such homicides reported.
“We’ve added an additional prosecutor to our Domestic Violence Prosecution Unit to help handle the increasing caseload of domestic-related homicides,” Gibbons added, “but we cannot prosecute our way out of this epidemic. We must come together as a community to address the underlying causes of domestic abuse and help solve this crisis.”
Wharton agreed, saying, “The issues are not new, but the staggering rise in domestic crime — whether it is homicide, child sexual abuse, rape or aggravated assault — demands that we no longer sit idly by just talking about family values, but that we finally recreate those values and stop the violence, once and for all."
The community campaign is the result of a collaboration among seven organizations: the Memphis Area Women’s Council, Memphis Area Legal Services Inc., the Memphis and Shelby County Domestic Violence Council,
the Family Safety Center, The University of Tennessee Department of Preventive Medicine, the Shelby County Crime Victims Center, and Operation: Safe Community. Coordinating efforts to ease domestic crime is one of Operation: Safe Community’s 15 strategies.
So far this year, the homicides resulting from domestic situations have included the deaths of 10 children. The numbers outpace such deaths in the past several years and have alarmed community leaders and victims advocates.
Domestic violence has accounted for 34.4 percent of all 2008 aggravated assaults in the city of Memphis. According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, there are thousands of victims of domestic violence in Memphis and Shelby County each year and the number has been climbing. In 2003, records show there were 6,565 victims as the result of domestic crime in the city; in 2007, the number had grown to 19,239.
“Clearly the 32 tragic deaths so far this year — women, children and men — are only part of the story,” said Deborah M. Clubb, executive director of the Memphis Area Women’s Council. “Hundreds of others in our community are injured and damaged by domestic crime, and this includes hundreds of children who live in the midst of violence — see it, hear it, feel it every day.
“New resources and energy from across the community must be brought to action to help victims and to create prevention programs,” she added
The Family Safety Center has been organized to provide more streamlined services in a central location to victims who otherwise often must navigate a fragmented system to find safety and justice. The new agency, currently housed by the Memphis Child Advocacy Center, is securing funding and considering locations.
The campaign to work on family violence is being launched during national Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Frequently Asked Questions
How serious is our local domestic crime problem?
In 2007, more than 60,000 911 emergency calls were made to Memphis police for domestic violence situations. More than 5,000 were referred for prosecution.
As of Sept. 28 this year, 31 homicides were committed in family violence settings, including 10 children and two deaths that were ruled justifiable homicides. That number far outpaces other years --- the highest annual number in the last six years was 27 in all of 2006 and the low was 14 in 2004.
How pervasive is family violence?
In addition to the rise in homicides, other domestic violence crimes are up this year compared to the same time last year. Aggravated assaults are up — to 164 compared to 151 a year ago — and account for 34.4 percent of all aggravated assaults. More than 13,500 domestic violence simple assaults were recorded in 2007. The two most common offenses among local gangs were simple assault and domestic violence assault, together accounting for 35.8 percent of all gang offenses.
Why declare a public safety emergency?
The spike in deaths associated with family violence prompted watchful women's activists and other community leaders to ask Mayor A C Wharton and Dist. Atty. Gen. Bill Gibbons to declare a "public safety emergency" to raise community awareness and rally new volunteers and other resources to address victims' needs and prevention efforts.
How does domestic violence affect the whole community?
Besides the terrible human toll, violence in families cost Tennessee employers at least $10 million a year in paid work time, according to the Tenn. Economic Council on Women.
What is the goal of “Raising Families. Erasing Violence. A community response to domestic crime”?
The new campaign to raise awareness about the plague of domestic crime in our community aims to connect victims and volunteers to resources serving families caught in this violence. It also seeks to rally new resources, skills and energy from across the community — from employers, the faith community, legal and medical professionals, and the general public — to work together to erase domestic crime.
Who do I call in the middle of the night if I, or someone I know, needs help due to domestic violence?
In cases of immediate danger, call 911. For help crafting a safety plan or with immediate needs after escaping abusive, call the YWCA Abused Women’s Services at 901-725-4277 or Shelby County Crime Victim Services at 901-545-4357. For other resources, go to
erasedomesticcrime.com.
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