Domestic Violence
Dear Editor: Is there domestic violence in Sitka? For an agency that has worked for decades in this field, the notion that domestic or interpersonal violence do not exist in our beautiful Sitka is absurd.
Still, a survey conducted and carefully evaluated by SAFV’s prevention staff among male local citizens revealed that most men have heard about this kind of violence, but don’t think it is an issue in Sitka. How come?
The results of this survey revealed that Sitka men, on a scale between Completely Unaware and Activist, rank on the second from bottom segment called Resistance and Denial.
In order to set the record straight SAFV staff spent the last six months analyzing what is right in front of our eyes, publicly available to everyone, published daily in the Sitka Sentinel. We checked every entry under Police Blotter, where every incoming call to the police station is documented, and Sitka Police, where enforcement consequences following any of the calls are recorded. We marked and tallied up all incidents of violence between intimate partners or persons living or having lived together at some time.
The result: between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2018, Sitkans reported 45 cases of domestic violence, four stalking incidents, three cases of child abuse, and one cyber-stalking to the Sitka Police Department. In the same time frame, officers took action in 35 cases of domestic violence, arresting and charging perpetrators for committing a crime. There was a significant difference in monthly numbers, between 15 DV calls and 13 charges in January and three calls and three charges in June.
It is important to mention that we did not only look at situations where one intimate partner, family member, current or former roommate physically assaulted another, but included other forms of interpersonal violence like emotional, verbal, and economic abuse. According to what SAFV program participants over the years reported, these forms of violence often hurt much more deeply than physical injuries, and often don’t heal at all.
Knowing that approximately one of two women in Sitka experienced domestic or sexual violence, according to a survey conducted in 2012, we are sure a lot more cases of interpersonal violence occurred in Sitka in the first half of 2018.
So, this is our message to all Sitkans: domestic violence exists, and if you read the Police Blotter, you will find it there on a regular basis. If you have any questions on this or would like more information, please don’t hesitate to call Martina at 747-3370. We will continue our analysis, and will present more results in six months.
Martina Kurzer,
Sitkans Against Family Violence
Community Playground
Dear Editor: To everyone who helped make the new playground, THANK YOU! Everything in the playground is my favorite. Thank you! Thank you for all the great toys in there. I love the new playground so much.
Isla June Hackett, age 4
