County holds candlelight vigil to raise awareness to domestic violence”Today another woman died. … A life like yours or mine, …not far from where you live,” read Gloria Mickens Executive Director of Domestic Violence Services of Fayette County. While the opening remarks at Monday’s candlelight vigil were from a poem by Carol Geneya Kaplan, the message was one that touches Fayette County daily.
Standing on the steps of the Fayette County Courthouse, Terri Davis, a local advocate with the Welfare Office, helped pass out awards, thanking those working to help eliminate domestic violence while fliers circulated in the crowd looking for information on her sister’s attacker. State police charged Charles “Mitch” Smith, 36, of Uniontown with a number of offenses after he allegedly broke into the East Main Street home of Brittany Winfrey, 25, and repeatedly hit her with a baseball bat around 10:30 p.m. Friday. According to police reports, he also struck Debra Drone, 33, of Akron, Ohio, a 9-year-old and a 6-year-old during the assault before he fled the scene.
Days after the incident that began with broken windows in Davis’ home nearly two weeks ago, she braved tears as her sister Bethany’s fight to break free of abuse was retold. As a result of the assault, Winfrey suffered a number of injuries, including a broken foot, broken arm and broken wrist.
Despite their work, the police have been unable to find Smith. “So, tonight we are taking our appeal to the folks on the street, so that another woman, another life doesn’t have to be lost,” said Mickens.
Another speaker who came forward to encourage women to “use your voice and ask for help” to end domestic violence was Chantla Stokes. On Feb. 4, 2001, she lost her sister, Joslyn Mickens, to abuse. But the victim that still suffers is her daughter, said Stokes.
“Eyes and ears shut behind closed doors that you think don’t hear, do hear. Not only does staying destroy your sense of self but teaches that child the way to love and be loved is by violence,” she said.
In order to bring focus on the growing domestic violence problem, the Fayette County commissioners issued a proclamation officially naming October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The proclamation read that the nighttime vigil was being held to honor those that are survivors, those that struggle and those that died on account of domestic violence.
Judge Ralph Warman handed out a form of rough education after accepting his award. When the county first began recording the number of cases of domestic abuse in 1996, there were an estimated 260 cases, last year, he said, there were more than 530 recorded cases.
“I’d like to think what we do has some small effect, but the issue of domestic violence is a difficult problem to deal with,” Warman said, noting that no solution is perfect and some still do end up hurt despite the best efforts of all involved.
County Commissioner Sean Cavanaugh encouraged those in such situations to reach out to authorities from the police to the district attorney’s office because “there is always a way out.”