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Home My WebLink AboutResolutions - 2007.08.30 - 28377REPORT (MISC. #07182) August 30, 2007 BY: General Government Committee, Christine Long, Chairperson IN RE: MR #07182 - BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS — SUPPORT FOR SILENT WITNESS CEREMONY To the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen: The General Government Committee, having reviewed Miscellaneous Resolution #07182 on August 30, 2007, reports with a recommendation that the resolution be adopted. Chairperson, on behalf of the General Government Committee, I move acceptance of the foregoing report. GENERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE N\ALL L- ' u'r General Government Committee Vote: Motion carried on a roll call vote with Hatchett, Crawford and Gregory absent. Miscellaneous Resolution # 07182 BY: Commissioners Helaine Zack, District #22, David Woodward, District #18 and David W. Potts, District #20, Marcia Gershenson, District #17 RE: Board of Commissioners — Support for Silent Witness Ceremony TO: Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen: WHEREAS the Silent Witness Program began in 1990, by a group of women from Minneapolis, Minnesota, who were tired of seeing their friends and families being devastated by domestic violence and decided to address the issue of domestic violence murders in their community; and WHEREAS the group felt an urgency to do something that would speak out against the escalating domestic violence in their state and to commemorate the lives of the 26 women whose lives were lost in 1990, as a result of domestic violence; and WHEREAS the group created 26 free-standing, life-sized red wooden silhouettes, each one wearing a breastplate shield bearing the name of each woman who once lived, worked, had neighbors, friends, family, children — whose life ended violently at the hands of a husband, ex-husband, partner, or acquaintance that year in Minnesota; and WHEREAS a twenty-seventh figure was added to represent those uncounted women whose murders went unsolved or were erroneously ruled accidental. The organizers called the figures the Silent Witnesses; and WHEREAS the mission of the Silent Witness National Initiative is to "promote peace, healing and responsibility in adult relationships in order to eliminate domestic murders in the United States by the year 2010"; and WHEREAS the goals of the Silent Witness Program include: REMEMBERING — to honor the women who were murdered by domestic violence; AWARENESS — to raise awareness worldwide of the extent of domestic violence; ADVOCACY — to connect people with successful programs for ending the violence; DATA COLLECTION and STATISTICS — to show how and when the program is successful; and WHEREAS the Silent Witness Program has made a powerful national and global impact on domestic violence homicides; and WHEREAS the Silent Witness Program is in all fifty states in America, as well as, twenty other countries. The domestic violence homicide rates in the United States have decreased more than 25% in the last several years; and WHEREAS the Michigan State Police Uniform Crime Report indicates that there were 54,258 reported victims and 30 reported murders related to domestic violence in Michigan reported in 2004; and WHEREAS locally, Beaumont Hospitals, which is a sponsor and partner of the Silent Witness ceremony, has established a hospital-based response to domestic violence; and WHEREAS Beaumont Hospitals, as part of its initiative, developed a universal plan within the hospital for the assessment, identification and implementation of domestic violence intervention strategies by increasing employee, physician and community awareness and developing and implementing education programs about abuse for employees, physicians, volunteers and the community; and WHEREAS Beaumont Hospitals has partnered with the Oakland County Coordinating Council Against Domestic Violence to provide protocols and train healthcare providers and religious leaders, along with, providing abuse assessments translated into ten languages, and providing the community with printed materials and resources; and Commissioner David Woodward District #18 ComnAssioner David W. Potts DistrictV20 Commissioner Marcia Gershenson District #17 Commissioner District # Commissioner District # /jn ommissio District # WHEREAS Beaumont Hospitals has supported HAVEN and Turning Point Shelters by donating cell phones, food, household supplies and sponsoring a victim bedroom at HAVEN; and WHEREAS Troy Beaumont Hospital's hospital-based domestic violence program was selected as on the "best practices" programs featured at the national Silent Witness Conference in May 2004; and WHEREAS Troy Beaumont Hospital is hosting the Silent Witness ceremony on September 20, 2007. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners hereby supports the Silent Witness Ceremony being held on September 20, 2007 and sponsored by Beaumont Hospitals. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners does hereby commend the work of the Silent Witness Program and the Beaumont Hospitals for their leadership. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners does hereby join in expressing our support for efforts to increase public awareness of domestic violence, as we unite with advocates and officials, to provide compassionate leadership that encourages action and sound policies that promote peace, healing and responsibility in adult relationships in order to eliminate domestic violence and its negative impact on our children, women, their families and our communities. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oakland County Commissioners requests that information regarding the Silent Witness Program be posted on the county website during the month of September 2007, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oakland County Commissioners recommends that Silent Witness figures be displayed in the Courthouse lobbies. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oakland County Clerk is requested to forward copies of this adopted resolution to Beaumont Hospitals, HAVEN, Turning Point Shelter and the Silent Witness progiam. Chairperson, we move the adoption of the foregoing Resolution. Commissionera District # Commissioner District # Cortimissioner District # 40114" Commissioner District # /dr - Commissioner District # sioner ömmi Distri ckrJL orhm&ioner District # ComMissioner District # ommissionee, District # Commissioner District # Commission Distric District # 3 CommisWer District #ki Commissioner District # f Commissioner District # Commissioner District # Commissioner District #11 Commisioner District #14+ la, Commissioner District # Resolution #07182 August 2, 2007 The Chairperson referred the resolution to the General Government Committee. There were no objections. Ruth*jbliilisM, County Clerk ji4Adiao11,0•40, Resolution #07182 August 30, 2007 Moved by Gosselin supported by Woodward the resolutions (with fiscal notes attached) on the Consent Agenda be adopted (with accompanying reports being accepted). AYES: Burns, Coleman, Coulter, Crawford, Douglas, Gershenson, Gingell, Gosselin, Gregory, Greimel, Hatchett, Jacobsen, KowaII, Long, Middleton, Nash, Potter, Potts, Rogers, Scott, Spector, Suarez, Woodward, Zack, Bullard. (25) NAYS: None. (0) A sufficient majority having voted in favor, the resolutions (with fiscal notes attached) on the Consent Agenda were adopted (with accompanying reports being accepted). Ills wr REWIRE CUM DECINE ACM STATE OF MICHIGAN) COUNTY OF OAKLAND) I, Ruth Johnson, Clerk of the County of Oakland, do hereby certify that the foregoing resolution is a true and accurate copy of a resolution adopted by the Oakland County Board of Commissioners on August 30, 2007, with the original record thereof now remaining in my office. In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the County of Oakland at Pontiac, Michigan this 30th day of August, 2007.