With 797 chronic domestic violence complaints logged in The Bronx from July 2020 to December 2021, the Office of Bronx District Attorney, Darcel Clark, hosted its “5^th Annual 5K Run/Walk/Roll to End Domestic Violence” on Saturday, Oct. 15, to mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October. The free event was co-sponsored by the NY Yankees and the Office of Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, in partnership with the NYC Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, BronxCare Health System, and the Bronx Women’s Bar Association.

 

Commencing at 161st Street and Grand Concourse, it was an emotional day for many participants. Two survivors of domestic violence who are now safe but still remember the pain of the abuse they suffered, shared their stories on the day with those gathered.

 

Speaking through a translator, “Erica” gave a testimonial, telling attendees, “After struggling for 10 years in a domestic abuse relationship, I finally received the help I needed to leave. You might ask yourself, ‘How could I stay for so long?’ You must understand it was all I knew.” As she struggled to maintain her composure, Erica recalled growing up with a father who beat both mother and child.

 

She continued, “I went to the 42nd Precinct and I told them everything. If it wasn’t for the detectives there, I would have never known that yes, it’s possible for your partner to rape you.” Erica said of the Bronx District Attorney’s office, “They helped me to receive all the help I could use… They were the light in this dark tunnel that I had been walking in.”

 

Another victim recalled, “The American dream turned into a nightmare. After a couple of weeks everything bothered him. He would hit me over anything, with whatever he had in his hands.” As the woman finished and broke down sobbing, a camera woman for a local television network was observed lowering her camera and wiping tears from her eyes. After the speeches, the large crowd walked, jogged, and ran up and down the closed off Grand Concourse.

 

The two women said Evelyn Trinidad, a clinical therapist, had also helped them a lot in getting the support they needed to overcome what they had endured. Women, men, children and even some dogs participated in the event, and everyone who finished the course received a medal and swag bag.

 

Ahead of the event, Clark said, “Some 500 people have registered to take part. Two courageous survivors will share their empowering stories, and hopefully inspire people who find themselves in a domestic violence situation to seek help, and those who are witness to someone being victimized to assist in preventing a tragic incident. I thank our co-sponsors and partners for helping to make this event possible.”

 

Bronx District Attorney, Darcel Clark and Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, join hundreds of participants for the 5th Annual 5K Run/Walk/Roll to End Domestic Violence on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022 at East 161st Street outside Bronx County Courthouse. Video by David Greene.

She added, “Assistant District Attorneys in my domestic violence bureau are committed to helping victims. Currently, they are handling more than 1,300 cases. Our crime victims assistance bureau holds therapy sessions and provides additional support. This event will highlight all the resources available for DV victims. I look forward to showing solidarity with survivors.”

 

The event started at 9:30 a.m. and the run/walk/roll began and ended at East 161^st Street, between the Grand Concourse and Walton Avenue. Participants were encouraged to wear purple — the color of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

 

Joined on the day of the event by ranking NYPD officials, as well as representatives from the Bronx District Attorney’s Domestic Violence Bureau, it’s Victims Assistance Bureau and its Community Affairs Bureau, Clark told the crowd, “My office is committed to eradicate domestic violence by prosecuting those who commit these horrible, horrible crimes.” She added that her office was currently handling over 1,300 active cases of domestic violence.

 

Clark continued, “We’re here not only to prosecute those who cause these crimes, but more importantly, and most importantly, we’re here for the victims and those survivors of domestic violence.” The district attorney pointed out that her office assists with providing therapy, advocacy, and other resources, like assisting with housing for survivors who need to leave their abusers. Clark added, “The Bronx will rise beyond domestic and gender-based violence, right? We are beyond the statistics that are often used to define who we are. We are survivors of our circumstance. We are resilient and we are tough.”

For every success story there are still some victims who fall through the cracks of bureaucracy while dealing with the system, or abusers who manipulate the law to their advantage. One such victim, who requested we not disclose her identity, told Norwood News, “When domestic violence takes place in your heart from a person you love, you die inside. You’re not the same anymore, you don’t trust anybody anymore, and people want you to get over it.”

 

The woman added, “We need stiffer laws in place where if you hurt someone and you abuse someone….at least six months or a year for them to be in jail.” Recalling the abuse from her cheating husband, the woman added, “It got even worse in the end, because when I found out what was happening and he tried to kill me in my house, he had a gun in my house, and he tried to kill me. The cops came, they took him to jail, and the next day they let him out.”

 

A number of other public awareness events were also held throughout the City in October, including the lighting of municipal buildings in purple. New York City Mayor Eric Adams addressed the plague of domestic violence earlier in the month, saying, “Everyone deserves to be safe in their relationships and live a life free of domestic and gender-based violence. I urge all New Yorkers to join me during Domestic Violence Awareness Month to help spread awareness and to let survivors know they are never alone. Let’s spread help and hope together.”

 

The 22nd Annual Bride’s March was held at the end of September, where many participants wore wedding dresses in honor of Gladys Ricart, who was murdered on her wedding day by a former boyfriend. On Oct. 18, the NYPD’s Transit District 11 held its 3rd Annual Breast Cancer and Domestic Violence Awareness and Health Fair, and Gibson also hosted a domestic violence workshop on Oct. 18, that was attended by faith-based leaders in the local community.

 

Earlier this month, on Oct. 5, Gibson also announced the relaunch of the Domestic Violence Advisory Council, after being awarded a $1 million grant from the Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women. The council will work to combat the high rates of domestic violence seen in The Bronx. NYPD figures reveal that from 2015 through 2020, 8 out of the top 15 community boards with the highest rates of domestic violence homicides, citywide, were in The Bronx.

 

In several recent, suspected incidents of domestic violence, Albanian actor, Florind Belliu, 35, and his wife, Omela Shehi, 21, perished on Aug. 6, as the two exited the window of their 5th floor apartment on Cruger Avenue.

As reported, on Aug. 13, a 31-year-old man died from a gunshot wound to the head, after allegedly shooting a 31-year-old woman in the foot inside a Marion Avenue home in Bedford Park. On Sept. 9, a man and a woman were found dead in the 5th-floor hallway of Pelham Parkway Houses.

 

On July 14, as reported, Monica Akua was killed in an apparent domestic violence incident at Tracey Towers in the Jerome Park section of The Bronx.

 

Advocates who work with victims of domestic violence note that abusers are not always male. As reported, a woman was charged with assaulting her husband in Van Cortlandt Village on Oct. 17, though the circumstances surrounding the incident are as yet unknown.

 

Police were also called to an apartment at 616 East 139th Street on Oct. 6, and discovered Amadou Diallo, 33, of Valentine Avenue, unresponsive with bruising around his neck. He died a short time later. Police later charged Tonichelle Harvey, 30, of East 139th Street with murder and manslaughter. The NY Daily News reported reported that police said during questioning, Harvey confessed to fighting and strangling her boyfriend, Diallo, and alleged he choked her as well.

 

As reported, on Tuesday, Oct. 18, New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a package of legislation that, among other measures, aims to strengthen protections for survivors of domestic violence and gender-based violence by ensuring guns are seized from abusive partners and protecting the confidentiality of survivors.

New York State’s Domestic and Sexual Violence Hotline provides free, confidential support 24/7 and is available in most languages. Call (800) 942-6906, text (844) 997-2121 or chat at @opdv.ny.gov. Individuals also can visit www.ovs.ny.gov/connect to find a victim assistance program in their community.

 

The Office of Victim Services funds and supports more than 200 programs that provide direct services for victims and survivors of crime and their families, including therapy, support groups, case management, civil legal assistance, accompaniment to court, and transportation, among other assistance.

Local services for those affected by domestic or gender-based violence are also available in The Bronx. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic or gender-based violence, call 311 and ask to be connected to a NYC Family Justice Center or walk-in Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call the NYC 24/7 Domestic Violence Hotline on 1-800-621-4673, or visit the NYC Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence for more information.

 

If you are in immediate danger, if you can, dial 911.

 

A person arrested and charged with a crime is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

 

*Sile Moloney contributed to this story.