BCC’s first Annual Domestic Violence Awareness Walk
Braving rainy weather, some 75 members of the Bronx Community College community marched across campus to the sounds of drums and chanting in BCC’s first Annual Domestic Violence Awareness Walk on Thursday, October 11. The demonstration was intended to draw attention to an issue that is a central focus of the College’s Department of Public Safety, which organized the event.
On hand were local elected leaders and officials, whose presence highlighting the importance of domestic violence prevention to the borough. They included Bronx Deputy Borough President Marricka Scott-McFadden, State Senator Gustavo Rivera, New York State Assemblyman Victor Pichardo and New York City Council Member Fernando Cabrera.
“This walk is taking place today because we are raising the level of awareness and saying ‘Enough is enough,’” said Council Member Cabrera in the lobby of Meister Hall before the walk began. “We are going to stand together as a community and will not tolerate any type of domestic violence.”
His thoughts were echoed by Senator Rivera. “This is not a private problem, this is not a personal problem — this is a societal problem,” the senator insisted. “This is an issue for us all, and that is why we come out and bring attention to it and let victims know there are services available.”
The walk was followed by a Women’s Self Defense Demonstration conducted by Public Safety Specialist Alexandria Torres, who is in charge of the Domestic Violence Unit of Public Safety. BCC’s Public Safety officers talk to hundreds of students every year and often accompanied victims to their local precincts to report the crimes committed against them, thus becoming involved in cases in the Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn and even Yonkers.
The Domestic Violence Awareness Walk will now become a yearly call to action.