By Akiya Dillon
Las Vegas Review-Journal
LAS VEGAS — In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which is recognized in October, Metro police, community leaders, and activists gathered at a local park to remember 34 lives lost to domestic violence last year. The night’s theme was “help, hope, and healing.”
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The inaugural name-reading ceremony took place on Wednesday at Desert Breeze Park near Spring Mountain Road and Durango Drive. Shortly after 6:00 p.m., officers stood, heads bowed, for prayer. Most wore a purple ribbon fastened to the chest pocket of their uniforms. Victims’ family members, also dressed in lilac and lavender, sobbed in the audience.
Undersheriff Andrew Walsh represented the police department at the event and offered condolences on behalf of the department as the victims’ families face the holiday season.
“This is the time of year when we feel the change in the seasons. For those who have lost a loved one, this time of year brings a sense of pain, a sense of loss,” Walsh said. “Family celebrations always seem different when there’s an empty chair at the table. We stand with you here today and always in solidarity.”
Earlier this year, the Review-Journal reported that, in 2023, murders were down in Metro’s jurisdiction, which includes Las Vegas and parts of Clark County. Still, domestic violence-related killings rose by 38 percent.
Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones and Tobhiyah Green with Green Squared, an electronics recycling program that provides emergency cell phones to people in abusive relationships, also spoke.
“We know that a tree will never replace a family member you are here to mourn,” said Jones. “But we hope this tree will give you peace, shade, and an opportunity to be out here with other family members.”
Green added that planting a tree is like building a support system. Behind her stood a small, newly planted tree ornamented with metal nameplates. Each represented a victim.
“It starts small, but with care and dedication, a tree holds roots. Eventually, it becomes stronger and branches out,” Green said. “It is so critical that we can reach out to the people and the resources available to us in those times of need.”
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