CLEARLAKE— October 2023 was officially declared as Awareness Month for both domestic violence and breast cancer. The proclamations were presented during the City Council Regular Meeting on Thursday evening, at the Clearlake City Hall Council Chambers.
“In the past 12 months, the Victim Witness Division of the District Attorney’s Office has served 406 victims of domestic violence and the office has prosecuted 397 of those cases as felonies and misdemeanors as acts of domestic violence. Lake Family Resource Center responded to 989 crisis line calls, served victims and additionally sheltered 147 domestic violence victims and their children for a total of 5,200 bed nights,” said Councilman Russ Cremer. “It is crucially important to hold perpetrators responsible for assault and to prevent domestic violence at every opportunity. Family violence is a community problem. Stopping the cycle requires not only the strength and courage of survivors but also the support and involvement of all members of the community.”
The Domestic Violence Program Specialist at Lake Family Resource Center, Camille Astorga, said that, along with the other services with the shelter, “we offer help with the restraining orders and also do court accompaniment. What you would do is call our office, fill out some paperwork and we would come with you and attend with you. We can’t speak on your behalf because we’re not attorneys, but we can give you that support if it’s needed. Give us a call and we’ll do that core accompaniment. We also do domestic violence counseling for individuals who have had past domestic violence in their childhood and have not healed. We also have therapy sessions as well that we can refer you to see a therapist. With our shelter, even though it’s for men, women and children, we also have our shelters for the LGBTQ community as well. We want them to be invited to know that the doors are open for them.”
She also specifically addressed the male community: “I know that you guys are out there, and we’re here for you. Part of the stigma is that domestic violence doesn’t include men, and it does. If you find that you’re being financially abused, where they’re taking all your money away; if you find that you’re being controlled with your time, you have to be accounted for, because your abuser wants to know where you’re at, doing tracking, that’s also another abusive trait along with hitting you, putting you down, calling you names, being in control of your friends… If you’re finding that is going on and you want to call our shelter, please give us a call at 1-888-485-7733. It is a 24/7 phone number. You’ll get an advocate at any time. We’re there for you.”
Russ Cremer then also recognized October as a month to share information about breast cancer and breast cancer awareness. “While considerable progress has been made in the fight against breast cancer, it still remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of death among women in the United States. The first is heart disease. Each year, it is estimated that more than 220,000 women in the country will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die as a result of the disease. During this month, we reaffirm our commitment to support breast cancer research and to educate all citizens about the risk factors, detection and treatment,” he declared.
The Clearlake City Council meets at 6 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays of each month at the Clearlake City Hall Council Chambers, located at 14050 Olympic Drive, Clearlake. Agendas are available prior to the meetings according to the Brown Act. Minutes are available following approval and can be found online at R
