October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Candlelight Vigil Oct. 3, at 6 p.m., City Hall

The Cambridge Police Department (CPD) today announced that it will be leading and participating along with other City departments in a number of initiatives throughout October as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Events:

Domestic Violence Candlelight Vigil
Wednesday, Oct. 3, 6 p.m.
Cambridge City Hall
795 Massachusetts Avenue

The annual vigil will commemorate the Massachusetts women, men, and children who lost their lives to domestic violence since last October. This event is one of three signature Domestic Violence Awareness Month events hosted in the City of Cambridge.

The Cambridge Police Department’s Domestic Violence Unit will be hosting “Support for Survivors: A Domestic Violence Awareness Month Event” on Wednesday, October 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the City of Cambridge’s Senior Center (located at 806 Massachusetts Avenue). This first-time event will feature a speaking presentation from a survivor of domestic violence, who will bravely share her story. Additionally, the event will include an interactive session that will give participants an opportunity to get to know a number of community resources, who specialize in supporting survivors of domestic violence, including: the Riverside Community Care/Guidance Center, Emerge, Transition House, Somerville Cambridge Elder Services, Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, Community Legal Aid and Counseling Center, Cambridge Senior Center, the City of Cambridge’s Domestic Violence and Gender-Based Violence Prevention Initiative, and more.

CPD will also be involved in the Transition House and the City of Cambridge Domestic & Gender-Based Violence Prevention Initiative’s annual Domestic Violence Training on Tuesday, October 23 from 8:30-4:30 p.m. This training will cover the dynamics of abuse, working with survivors and tips for responding to disclosures. Space is limited for this free training and interested participants are encouraged to RSVP to kblue@transitionhouse.org by October 12^th.

Display of Purple
Aside from these events, the Cambridge Police Department’s Command Staff will be wearing new purple badges throughout the course of October, while purple ribbon pins will be made available for the remainder of the department. Furthermore, a new purple ribbon flag will be displayed on the building, while the lights on the outside of the building will flash purple throughout the course of the month.

On Thursday, October 18, non-sworn employees of the Cambridge Police will be encouraged to wear purple on Purple Thursday to honor victims and supports survivors of domestic violence. Photos will be posted on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #PurpleThursday.

Social Media
The Cambridge Police Department will also post 31 days of domestic violence-related social media content on its Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages. These posts will include links to places where people can find resources, statistics, background on how the Cambridge Police helps survivors and is supporting Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and more.

“The impact domestic violence has on survivors, our children and our community as a whole is immeasurable and we are committed to improving our efforts to prevent domestic violence, respond to the needs of survivors and hold offenders accountable,” said Commissioner Branville G. Bard., Jr. “Through these types of events and initiatives, we hope to increase awareness and the understanding that there is help available and no one has to live in fear.”

Domestic Violence Awareness Month evolved from an initial “Day of Unity” held in October 1981 when a dedicated group of advocates from around the country joined together to officially recognize the work to end domestic violence.

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