Agenda - Council Work Session - 05/22/2018

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PROPOSAL FOR THE PURPLE LIGHTS INITIATIVE (PURPLE LIGHTS INITIATIVE) FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Submitted by Mary Sheie, Terri Refshaw, & Cathy Green, Rachel Circle, Zion Anoka March 7, 2018 (Note: We use the terms domestic violence and domestic abuse interchangeably.) (For questions about this proposal, please contact Mary Sheie, cell 612.910.9475, land 763.422.9802 or email sheiemhelenagmail.com Mary is a resident of Anoka, Cathy of St. Francis, and Terri, the City of Ramsey. All three are also involved in various other Domestic Violence Awareness groups and initiatives locally and in the state. PREMISE We propose that The City of Ramsey light its public buildings and spaces purple, the signatory hue for domestic violence, in October 2018. The purpose is to highlight/draw attention to the issue of domestic abuse and join a "conversation" about it that is already going on both statewide and nationally. From that conversation will flow more local education and awareness about this critical issue. As an initial starting point, the front facade of the Municipal Building in Ramsey which houses City government offices and the police department on Sunwood Drive in Ramsey could be lit with purple flood lights, and trees outside the building could be strung with purple bulbs. Expansion in future years could include purple flood lights other public spaces in Ramsey. The PURPLE LIGHTS INITIATIVE creates a win -win situation: Residents will get important information about domestic violence, a crime that too often claims the lives of its victims, and the city will get positive public relations for its willingness to shine light (literally and figuratively) on this issue that thrives when people refuse to talk about it. PARTNERS Primary partners would be the Ramsey City Council and City Manager, and several of the local and state domestic violence awareness groups that have been working on this including the Rachel Circle at Zion Lutheran Church in Anoka, The Domestic/Sexual Violence Coalition of Anoka County, Alexandra House and the Isaiah Domestic Violence Task Force (part of the Minnesota ISAIAH faith in Democracy group). TIMEFRAME October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. We propose that the purple lights and accompanying publicity happen during that entire month. Our local efforts will be amplified by the additional attention this issue gets during October from professional advocacy groups and organizations across the country. There could, in addition, be publicity in September (highlighting what will be happening and why) and in November (discussing the impact of and public reaction to the PURPLE LIGHTS INITIATIVE). TAG LINES (options) We welcome your input on these options. (1) Option one is a tag line that focuses solely on the issue of domestic abuse, such as: • Breaking the Silence This is a common tag line associated with domestic violence because abuse flourishes in silence and when people refuse to talk about it. Abusers count on everyone's unwillingness to bring this ugly reality into the open. • Domestic Violence: A Public Issue This phrase highlights the community impact of domestic violence, which has enormous public costs to taxpayer citizens in terms of public health, public safety, the legal/justice system, workplace impact, social service networks and, most critically, the welfare of our children.