Elizabeth Freeman Center Launches Rise Together for Safety and Justice iberkshires.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from iberkshires.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
PITTSFIELD â Jahaira DeAlto Balenciaga spent just a few short years in Pittsfield, but she didnât need long to make her impact in the community.
âWhen she showed up into a room, you knew that she was there,â Kelan OâBrien, a friend of DeAltoâs and an organizer for Berkshire Pride, said at a Saturday evening vigil for DeAlto, 42, who died last Sunday in a violent attack at her Boston apartment.
âShe was loud in the best type of way, she loved unconditionally, she welcomed everybody into her chosen family, into her community and we can see that here tonight,â OâBrien said to more than 100 people who gathered in Pittsfieldâs Pontoosuc Park.
PITTSFIELD â The Elizabeth Freeman Center will reformulate its annual âWalk a Mile in Her Shoesâ event, citing feedback it received that the event reinforced gender stereotypes and did not more fully include the LGBTQ+ community.
The campaign, which takes place each September, will be replaced by a new event, according to a letter to the community from Executive Director Janis Broderick and board President Marie Paradise.
âFor the past ten years Elizabeth Freeman Center participated in an international campaign called âWalk a Mile in Her Shoes.â In the Berkshires, this event occurred every third Thursday of September and grew each year,â the letter said.
PITTSFIELD â The Elizabeth Freeman Center will reformulate its annual âWalk a Mile in Her Shoesâ event, citing feedback it received that the event reinforced gender stereotypes and did not more fully include the LGBTQ+ community.
The campaign, which takes place each September, will be replaced by a new event, according to a letter to the community from Executive Director Janis Broderick and board President Marie Paradise.
âFor the past ten years Elizabeth Freeman Center participated in an international campaign called âWalk a Mile in Her Shoes.â In the Berkshires, this event occurred every third Thursday of September and grew each year,â the letter said.
While the Pittsfield Police Department saw fewer calls related to domestic violence and sexual assault than in the previous year, observers donât necessarily see that as a good thing.
Many believe that the pandemic has worsened risks for violence and made it more difficult for survivors to report. They say underreporting, exacerbated by pandemic conditions, could offer a more accurate explanation for the trend than a drop in violence.
Due to travel and gathering restrictions, survivors may have fewer opportunities to report violence without perpetratorsâ knowledge, and they may fear backlash if perpetrators find out they are making a report.