By Dennis Peacock
Another Take Back the Night event has come and gone in Clearwater.
Changes that Heal put on a community barbecue for Take Back the Night at Dutch Lake beach on Thursday evening, Sept. 14.
Those great ladies who are all part of it made their speeches. This is a necessary thing – keep hammering the message. It will get through eventually.
There were several speakers but one young woman was impressive. She had been subject to recent domestic violence and she laid it right on the line.
This is what is really needed. Those who suffer the abuse have the courage to deal with it – and Changes that Heal is a good place to start.
Other speakers included Clearwater town council member Ken Kjenstad.
Speaking on behalf of Mayor John Harwood, he urged those present to continue the fight, as it is far from over.
“Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up,” Kjenstad said.
Melody Romeo, the Victims Services manager for the North Thompson Valley, spoke about how she works with the RCMP to help end violence.
Clearwater seniors programs coordinator Lynne Frizzle talked about elder abuse, how to recognize it, and how to empower seniors to deal with it.
Take Back the Night events now take place in 30 countries around the world, said Lorena Traub, one of the organizers of the local event. Small efforts can prove very valuable, she said. Back in “the good old days,” it was generally accepted that the threat of violence, if not violence itself, was an accepted way for men to assert their God-given right to dominate their families.
Thankfully, domestic violence is now a criminal activity, thanks in part to events such as Changes that Heal and Take Back the Night.
Changes That Heal is an action group in Clearwater dedicated to making gender-based violence a thing of the past.
Take Back the Night is both an international event and non-profit organization with the mission of ending sexual, relationship, and domestic violence in all forms.
