Following a rise in domestic violence-related murders in Dallas from 10 in 2011 to 26 in 2012, the Newton massacre in mid-December 2012 and two gruesome domestic violence-related murders in the Dallas area to begin 2013, Mayor Rawlings decided that he needed to take a stand against domestic violence. While discussing this issue with representatives of The Family Place and Genesis Women’s Shelter, the Mayor realized this is an epidemic and men are the problem (nationally, 85 percent of all domestic violence acts are committed by males). While discussing this issue with the Dallas Police Department, the Mayor realized that approximately 13,000 domestic violence incidents occur every year in Dallas. On January 14, the Mayor held a press conference to speak out against domestic violence and asked the Dallas Police Department to double its efforts to arrest domestic violence offenders. On February 12, the Mayor held a press conference to announce the launch of an advocacy campaign called Men Against Abuse and a March 23 rally at City Hall Plaza at 10 a.m. Former Dallas Cowboys Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith were in attendance, along with Dallas Police Chief David Brown, several council members and other leaders. Speakers included Casey Cox, the brother of Karen Cox Smith, who was murdered by her estranged husband; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr, who experienced a domestic violence-related death while a member of the Kansas City Chiefs; Bishop Kevin Farrell; business and Hispanic leader Jorge Calderon; and Dallas ISD president Lew Blackburn, who pledged to bring 1,000 students to the rally. The Mayor is targeting 10,000 men to attend the rally. Women are not discouraged from attending.
At the rally, the Mayor is asking men to stand together as men and adopt a no-tolerance approach to domestic violence and agree to the following:
o I will not hit a woman—ever.
o I will condemn abusers and speak out when others refuse to take the issue seriously.
o I will teach my daughters that one time is too many and sons that violence against women is unacceptable.
On March 8, Mayor Rawlings visited New York to speak to the United Nations as a keynote speaker for the global launch of “Ring the bell: One million men. One million promises,” a campaign to end violence against women. The launch was part of the official proceedings of the 57th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women NGO Forum. The Commission’s theme this year focused on the prevention of violence against women and girls and was attended by more than 6,000 people from around the world. A vibrant mixture of United Nations and civil society leaders as well as representatives from business, advertising, entertainment, sports and other industries attended. The launch was live-streamed to an international audience reaching more than a quarter of a million people worldwide. Mayor Rawlings joined a prestigious roster of speakers on the issue, including actor Kevin Bacon, musicians Peter Gabriel and Michael Bolton and many others.
The program and names of speakers at the March 23 rally will be announced at a March 18 press conference. The March 23 rally is expected to be one of the largest of its kind ever organized. In related news, the U.S. House on February 28 gave final approval to the Violence Against Women Act.
The website is www.dallasmenagainstabuse.com
