Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin was joined by US Attorney Peter Neronha and Mayor Angel Taveras today at the annual Victims’ Grove Ceremony to honor individuals and organization that are committed to providing support and resources for victims.
April 10 - 16 2011, marks National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, a time to honor victims and the advocates of victims’ rights. This year’s theme - Reshaping the Future, Honoring the Past - evokes victims’ past struggles and our nation’s duty to help them rebuild stronger lives.
“For victims, reshaping the future means confronting many challenges. After a crime, victims need to know what rights and resources they can count on. They may need funds to bury a loved one or pay medical bills. They deserve information on the criminal justice process, their rights to be present or heard in court, and to be notified about court proceedings and offenders’ whereabouts. In Rhode Island, we are all grateful for the many advocates that dedicate not only resources and time to helping victims of crimes, but also a shoulder to lean on” said Attorney General Kilmartin.
“For victim advocates, reshaping the future - particularly in these financially stressed times - means finding ways to do more with less. It means locating resources for victims who want them and helping new victims. This year’s honorees have found a way to do just that. Whether being a voice for those unable to speak, or listening to those who need to confide, they help rebuild lives shattered by violence and loss,” continued the Attorney General.
The 2011 honorees are the Ocean State Poets and Day One volunteer Melissa Cline:
The Ocean State Poets is a community outreach group of volunteer poets who share poetry and promote poetry reading and writing. For the past six months several members of Ocean State Poets have conducted writing workshops with the Family and Friends of Homicide Victims Support Session at The Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence.
“Ocean State Poets creates and maintains a writing circle at the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence, with the intention of offering a safe space for victims and survivors of crime and violence to share their truths and heal their wounds. At the heart of our work is the idea of giving voice back to those who, through fear, trauma and grief, have had their ability to self-express severely compromised. It is our belief that their stories, songs and poems should, and will be heard,” said Silent Lotus.
Melissa Cline is an advocate with Day One. Melissa goes out on calls to area hospitals to support victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. She shows victims compassion and caring while offering them information, referrals, and safety planning to help them through a critical time in their lives.
“I enjoy knowing that I’m helping someone through a difficult time in their life, letting them know that they are not alone, that there are people out there who are willing to help and point them in the right direction,” said Cline.
The ceremony was coordinated by the Rhode Island Crime Victim Service Providers Steering Committee, a collaboration of victim service providers from the federal, state, and community level.