A ceremony today in downtown Vancouver will honor victims of homicide.
“Whether it’s a national day, or a vigil or a court hearing, everybody needs to rally around those that were victimized,” said Michelle Bart, president of National Women’s Coalition Against Violence and Exploitation.
The National Day of Remembrance for Homicide Victims is Sept. 25 each year. NWCAVE is marking it a couple of days early with Monday’s ceremony, which will occur during a reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Umpqua Bank community room at 101 E. Sixth St., Vancouver. (The event is free, but an RSVP is required at www.facebook.com/events/761897429249610.)
Bart said the ceremony is an important way to remember all victims of violence. She said that includes the families of homicide victims, especially the children. They are also the victims of a heinous crime, who “deserve to be seen and heard,” Bart said.
She said too often those committing crimes receive support, while the families of victims are left to fend for themselves. One example is the children of women who have been killed by their domestic partners, she said.
IF YOU GO
What: National Day of Remembrance for Homicide Victims ceremony
When: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday
Where: Umpqua Bank community room, 101 E. Sixth St., Vancouver
Cost: Free, but RSVP at www.facebook.com/events/761897429249610
The legal system often doesn’t consider the children as victims of a crime, so they are ineligible for counseling, victim compensation or other support. Bart said it’s left up to agencies like NWCAVE to “fight tooth and nail” to get them the support they need.
The legal system is also a problem for extended family members, such as aunts and uncles or grandparents, who want to care for children left behind, Bart said. A case she’s currently working on involves an aunt who wants to adopt her late sister’s child but can’t because the father, who was committed to a psychiatric facility, won’t sign the necessary documents.
Another issue, Bart said, is that foster and adoptive parents caring for a homicide victim’s child are eligible for state funding, but family members are not. Bart said the agency and the families are working with legislators to make changes to this and other laws in the upcoming legislative session.
