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Aransas County proclaims April Sexual Assault Awareness Month; 'Los Zapatos Rojos' installation and training planned
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Summary
The Commissioners Court unanimously approved a proclamation designating April 2026 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and heard a presentation on a community 'There For You' program, survivor care bags, responder training on April 23 and a planned Los Zapatos Rojos red‑shoe public art installation at the courthouse plaza April 15–26.
Patricia, a local survivor‑support organizer, told the court that Aransas County’s "There For You" project provides survivor care bags, training and community awareness tied to Sexual Assault Awareness Month. She outlined plans to distribute care bags via emergency responders, run responder and SART (sexual assault response team) training and to display the Los Zapatos Rojos (red shoes) installation at the Courthouse Celebration Plaza from April 15–26.
“Our goals for the There For You project…are community awareness, training and education,” Patricia said, describing care bags sewn by local quilters and placed on ambulances and in police and sheriff vehicles so responders can hand them directly to survivors.
Patricia asked residents to "see something, say something" and promoted a universal hand signal — a thumb tucked into the palm with fingers folded — that agencies are distributing to help people silently signal they need help. A presenter and law‑enforcement officer described a recent case in which motorists and officers interpreted the signal and safely removed a young person from a vehicle.
The proclamation read for the court cites Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 and highlights a coordinated response by Aransas County Medical Services Inc. (ACMSI), the Aransas County Sheriff’s Office and The Purple Door, and listed local events including a SAR training session on 04/23/2026 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and a wear‑teal kickoff on 04/07/2026.
The court voted to adopt the proclamation recognizing April 2026 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and encouraged citizens to visit the Los Zapatos Rojos display.
