The walk started around noon at Northwest Arena and moved toward City Hall with a police escort. The walk included Hope, the Jamestown Police Department’s comfort dog. The crowd then gathered inside the lobby of City Hall where various speakers addressed the crowd, including domestic violence officer Emma Ward; Elizabeth Bracey, Project Crossroads program manager; speakers from the Mental Health Association; and the Rev. Benjamin Gerring.

“By your participation and being here today you are helping us convey our message that domestic violence will not be tolerated within our community,” Ward said.

Bracey informed those gathered that the initial “Day of Unity” was observed in October 1981by the National Coalition Against Violence.

“The attempt was to connect battered women advocates across the nation who were working to end violence against women and their children,” she said. “A wide range of activities were conducted and still are through local, state and national levels.

P-J photo by Katrina Fuller

As officer Ward stated, this is our 24th annual Walk Against Domestic Violence and our 19th annual Unity Day. This important day is a time to remember all the women, men and children who have died as a result of domestic violence, those that survived and those who are still living in the midst of domestic violence, and to bring everyone together to work at ending domestic violence in our community.”

Bracey asked the crowd to take a moment of silence to remember those who perished due to domestic violence as well as those still suffering through it. Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist then addressed those gathered and offered a proclamation regarding the event and declaring October as “Domestic Violence Awareness Month” in the city.

“One of the really unique parts about being mayor here in the city of Jamestown is every month, I get the statistics of what our police department and what our fire department has dealt with,” Sundquist said. “Every month, I continue to see issues of domestic violence rise. They continue to rise and continue to show the need for programs, for assistance and support to help all of the members of our community end this violent cycle.”

Earlier in the day he said had declared October as “Manufacturing Month” in the city but said domestic violence is a cause that also deserves recognition for a different reason.

“This is something so much closer, so much more in-depth than being able to say we really want people to get to work, and really want people to help manufacturing,” he said. “Here, we want people just to survive — we want people to live their lives, want people to have a healthy home, and a community to go to,” he said. “That’s what we all walk for, and that is what we bring remembrance to on each of these days.”

Friday’s event was sponsored by the Chautauqua County Coalition Against Domestic Violence and included participants from Project Crossroads, The Salvation Army Anew Center and others. Similar walks took place in Mayville and Dunkirk.