RESOLUTION NO. RS2016-384

A resolution recognizing October 2016 as Domestic Violence Awareness month.

WHEREAS, domestic violence impacts countless Nashville residents, including children and adults, without regard to age, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or economic status; and

WHEREAS, nationally 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have been victims of physical violence by an intimate partner within their lifetime; and

WHEREAS, nationally 1 in 7 women and 1 in 18 men have been stalked by an intimate partner during their lifetime to the point in which they felt fearful or believed that they or someone close to them would be harmed or killed; and

WHEREAS, nationally 1 in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence each year; and

WHEREAS, nationally 72% of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner; and

WHEREAS, nationally 57% of mass shootings are related to domestic violence; and

WHEREAS, the presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the chance that a woman will be murdered by 500%; and

WHEREAS, although domestic violence is one of the most chronically underreported crimes, domestic violence constitutes 47% of all reported crimes against a person in Nashville-Davidson County; and

WHEREAS, Nashville’s Emergency Communications Center (ECC) received 27,731 (911) calls coded as domestic incidents in 2015; and

WHEREAS, 6,542 domestic violence defendants with 8,366 criminal charges were prosecuted in General Sessions Court in 2015; and

WHEREAS, 5,406 ex parte orders of protection petitions were filed with the Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk in 2015; and

WHEREAS, because the most dangerous time for a domestic violence victim is when (s)he is leaving the relationship, crisis intervention and advocacy services for safety planning, danger assessment, order of protection assistance, and resource connection are essential; and

WHEREAS, since opening in the Fall of 2014, the Office of Family Safety’s Jean Crowe Advocacy Center has seen a 72% increase in the number of domestic violence victims that utilize the Center’s crisis intervention and advocacy services; and

WHEREAS, Metropolitan Government continues to invest financial and personnel resources in efforts to increase domestic violence victim safety and offender accountability; and

WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper that the Metropolitan Council recognizes October 2016 as Domestic Violence Awareness month and urges all citizens of Nashville to support local efforts to assist victims of these crimes in finding the safety, help and healing they need.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:

Section 1. The Metropolitan Council hereby goes on record as recognizing October 2016 as Domestic Violence Awareness month.

Section 2. The Metropolitan Council is directed to prepare a copy of this Resolution to be presented to the Metropolitan Government Office of Family Safety.

Section 3. This Resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.

Sponsored by: Jeff Syracuse, Jacobia Dowell, Sam Coleman, Scott Davis, Jim Shulman, Anthony Davis, Davette Blalock, Brenda Haywood, Larry Hagar, Jeremy Elrod, Tanaka Vercher, Mina Johnson, Freddie O'Connell, Colby Sledge, Sharon Hurt, Sheri Weiner, Brett Withers, Kathleen Murphy, Nancy VanReece, Nick Leonardo, Angie Henderson, John Cooper, Decosta Hastings, Ed Kindall, Doug Pardue, Mary Carolyn Roberts, Steve Glover, Karen Johnson, Russ Pulley, Michael Freeman, Fabian Bedne, Robert Swope, Erica Gilmore