Springfield Women's Commission schedules Oct. 1 domestic violence awareness program to honor Brenda Lopez

The Springfield Women's Commission said it will hold a Domestic Violence Awareness Month program on Oct. 1 at 11:30 a.m. in City Hall Room 220, featuring brief remarks from the district attorney and the YWCA and an honor for Brenda Lopez, the commission’s first domestic violence awareness coordinator.

The program “will be the recognition of October as domestic violence awareness month,” Chair and City Councilor Katie Reuelch said as the subcommittee planned speakers, invitations and topics at a meeting to finalize the event. Reuelch said the commission invited Libertas Academy students to attend so part of the presentation can be aimed at young people.

The commission agreed to keep individual presentations short — about five minutes for the district attorney and for the YWCA — and to focus the program on practical information for attendees. “I think it would be very important to touch on that,” City Councilor Tracy Whitfield said when asked whether the district attorney should address why some victims hesitate to pursue charges and what happens when charges are dropped.

Planning discussion centered on topics the commission will request the district attorney and community partners to address, including: how the District Attorney’s Office coordinates with police, probation and community organizations; services available to victims and survivors; bystander roles; and the growing role of technology in controlling relationships. Milton Vega suggested a technology focus, saying, “Technology can now also be a controlling device,” citing GPS and location tracking as examples the program should explain to young people.

Organizers also discussed outreach and logistics: the commission will ask the DA’s office and the YWCA to provide speakers and to confirm what they will cover; the City Council office will draft and send invitations this week; and staff were asked to collect contact information for community groups the commission wants to invite. The commission does not have a budget for refreshments, Reuelch said, so the program will be a short, no-host presentation.

Speakers asked the police department’s crime-analysis unit to pull local domestic-violence statistics to provide context at the event. A staff speaker reported, “I ran the numbers and it was 11,000 calls in 1 year,” and the group discussed having detectives or victim‑witness staff available to describe how the department responds; the bureau’s domestic assault unit was said to include about six detectives.

The commission also planned ceremonial elements: a moment of silence rather than an invocation or benediction, distribution of “Break the Silence / Stop the Violence” stickers for attendees, and presentation of a city vest and other recognition items for Lopez. Organizers asked staff to confirm family attendance and to identify a vendor to donate flowers for the presentation.

No formal vote was taken at the planning meeting; participants reached agreement on the program elements and next steps and asked staff to circulate a final agenda and invitation. The commission said it will publish the invitation with a contact for victim-services resources (the YWCA was proposed) and asked that attendees be encouraged to wear purple for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

The event is scheduled for Oct. 1 at 11:30 a.m. in City Hall Room 220; organizers said they will distribute a final program and invitation to speakers and community partners once the district attorney’s office and the YWCA confirm topics and participants.