rv-THE CHARLOTTE POST
fjB ^ _“The Voice Of The Blai'k Community”
jjpmne 12, Number SI_ THE CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday, May 21. 1987 Price: 50<
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Black Women Respond iu diqik , __$
See Page 5A
The AACC's Huge Success
See Pmge 9A
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ii V .■} i •- ■-J,.'rttiHUfvt-Arf’jrirJrtrsa'V ju/m#r ? vmt .u
j» By Jatyne Strong
. Fort Managing Editor
"What domaatic violence is all
Mm ** * man trying to control
jHhpousa and using violence to
'jH^^Hk h
iflplie Stafford, Division Direc
jt of the Shelter for Battered
Hpien, offered this statement aa
introduction to the ways the
HU ter helps women and chil
.•!*» who are the victims of do
MPQtic violence. It is a statement
Hkt succinctly clarifies the rea
fff behind spouse abuse. It is also
jH) first reality women who are
Bng victimised must accept be
rth they may begin to get help.
Currently, in Charlotte
Mscklsnburg there are several
WfencieB where domestic vio
lence victims and, in one case,
abusers can receive help. There—
W the Shelter for Battered Wom
rts, the Women's Commission,
tne Victim Assistance
Misdemeanor Unit, and the
Adam program for men who
£use their spouses.
As the name implies, the Shel
r for Battered Women, in its ut
most capacity, serves as a haven
for women who feel they must
Isave their homes because of do
mestic violence. It is a temporary
haven, yfaamn with or without
children are allowed to #tay a
maximum of three weeks. But,
the Shelter offers a respite
1tan the violence that haa driven
the women there, it la, additional
ly, a place where they learn they
are not aloaepin their predica
ment, support is forthcoming, and
"than are ways to correct the prob
lem. I
Women Need To
Maintain Control
As was mentioned earlier,
Stafford says domestic violence
is usually a man's way of main
taining control over his family.
"The biggest need a female vic
tim has is to learn to maintain
control over her own life," relates
Stafford. "That's why, at the shel
ter, we don't make decisions for
the women. What we do is relate
to them what resources are avail
; able and what we know about do
mestic violence."
The Shelter is located in a very
safe place with round-the-clock
security. There are seven bed
rooms in the shelter and one bed
room accommodates a woman
’ ? . .. •1 ——:—.— • •
Isn't This A Crime? Photo By David IWnbn
Hundreds of Women in Charlotte-Mecklenburg are victims of abuse. But it doesn't have to be.
Several agencies are available to help women end the violence in their homes.
and her children. There is a day...
room for adults and a playroom
for children, a communal kitch
en and several baths. Two full
time counselors are on duty each
day from 9 o.m. until 7 p.m. and
a night manager with counseling
experience takes over in the even
ings. There is also a support
group for school-age children.
"I believe our residents appre
..~ciflte being around other women
who've been battered and other
people who really understand,"
reveals Stafford. "One of the con
sequences of domestic violence is
that these women have been iso
lated."
Through counseling, women at
the Shelter learn one of the most
important lessons concerning do
mestic violence. Explains Staf
ford, "The woman is not respon
sible for the violence. The man is
responsible for his own behavior.
But if she wants it to stop, she has
to take the responsibility to stop it.
Women have been taught by soci
ety if someone is mean to them
that by being nice that can make
it better. That doesn't work. At the
shelter we try to help her do some
thing more effective."
Ways To Stop Abuse
In a handbook given to women
at the Shelter, the ways to deal
wnth domestic violence are dis
cussed including information on
involving the police and the
courts. A new program called the
Victim Assistance-Misdemeanor
Unit, has proven to be especially
helpful to victims of domestic vio
lence.
Annette Morris, Project Coor
dinator of the Misdemeanor Unit,
says although the Unit works with
victims of all types of misde
meanor crimes, the majority of
individuals who come through the
unit are victims of spouse abuse.
Based on that fact, Morris has de
duced that domestic violence is a
"very significant problem in
Charlotte."
ine Unit helps domestic vio
lence victims in several ways
from giving advice over the tele
phone to photographing visible in
juries for evidence in court. But
its most helpful aspect is the court
room knowledge and support it
provides for victims.
"We talk with victims and
counsel them with regards to their
situation. They are asked how
they want to handle the situation
and we inform them as to what
their options are." says Morris.
"The majority of women we see
have already sworn out a warrant
for the abuser. But if they are try
ing to de<^de whether to swear out
a warrant, we will give them ad
vice on how to swear out the war
rant. However, we do not pressure
them to do so."
When the situation calls for it,
the Unit provides information
about court and courtroom proce
dures, helping the individual to
prepare for the court experience.
Also, professional counselors
from the Unit serve as court advo
cates for victims, going with the
victims into the courtroom to be
supportive. Located on the second
floor of the Mecklenburg County
Courthouse, down the hall from
Misdemeanor Court, the Unit is
in a strategic and convenient
place to offer assistance to domes
tic violence victims.
Help For The Abusers
While the majority of agencies
which deal with domestic vio
lence offer assistance to the fe
male victims there is one agency
in Charlotte that aids the usual
perpetrator of the violence. The
Adams program is an agency that
counsels men who are spouse
abusers.
Jim Johnson, who heads up the
Adam program, claims the pro
gram has three main objectives:
"First," he lists, "we teach the
men what they have done is a
crime and they have to take re
sponsibility for their own behav
ior. Secondly, they are taught to
identify clues to their behavior.
And third, they are taught they
can begin to change their attitude.
No one has any right to have pow
er over or control another human
being."
Men in the Adam program go
through a type of group therapy
with two leaders. Most of the men
in the Adam program have been
convicted and sentenced and
their participation in the program
is a condition of their probation.
Johnson, who relates that
"domestic violence is an im
mense and complicated commu
nity problem," cites the number of
men treated at the Adam program
as: 132 in 1984; 172 in 1985 and 200
in 1986.
However, it has been charted
that when male abusers go
through such a program as Adam,
there follows less incidence of vi
olence in the home.
Liaison For
Domestic Violence
Recently, the U'rdisenV Com- »
mission of Chnrlotte
Mecklenburg gained a new posi
tion to its staff as a result of a re
port of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Domestic Violence Task Force
released in 1986. The Women’s
Commission serves as a resource
center for women in this county
promoting programs especially
for the needs of women. It was re
sponsible for helping establish the
Shelter for Battered Women and
this past January the position of a
Domestic Violence Liaison was
created.
Faye Skidmore, Director of the
Women’s Commission, says the
Commission spearheaded the
first community awareness sur
vey on domestic violence. "The
response was overwhelming,"
she recalls. "It was found that do
mestic violence is an issue and
from that the Task Force was or
See END CYCLE On Page 4A
Public Meeting On Low Income
Neighborhood Grants Program
, Representatives oi neignoor
bood organizations in low income
areas in the Metrolina region can
ham how to apply for fends from
a $60,000 grante program at a
public meeting on Tuesday, May
26. The meeting will be held at the
Afro-American Cultural Center,
401 N. Myers Street, Charlotte, at
7:30 pm.
8poneored by the foundation
The Carolines and the Charles
art Mott Foundation, the
borhood Grants Program
s mini-grants for neighbor
projects including beautifica
crime prevention, youth pro
—J -“-imunity leadership
PAQK «
EDITORI/yLS 2A
LIFESTYLES 9A
CHURCH NGWfij 10A j
ENTEfAmmmpnt IB
SPORTf
LAoomcuo
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development. During the past
three years the Neighborhood
Grants Program has awarded ap
proximately $150,000 to Charlotte
area neighborhoods.
At the May meeting informa
tion about guidelines for mini
gran te will be explained and a
workshop on how to prepare a
grant proposal will also be held.
Representatives of neighborhood
organisations which have re- .
ceived grants in the past will be
recognized and will be available to
talk with new applicants.
Further information about the
meeting and the Neighborhood
Grants Program can be obtained
by calling Dr. William J. McCoy at
607-2307 at the Urban Institute at
die University of North Carolina
at Charlotte.
The purpose of the Neighbor
hood Grants Program is to en
courage and support low income
neighborhood* in developing, end
organisations to address neighbor
hood concerns.
The Foundation For The Caroli
nes is one of eight community
foundations in the United States
participating in the Neighborhood
Grants Program organized by the
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
of Flint, Michigan. The Mott Foun
dation provides $35,000 for the lo
cal program which is matched by
$21,000 through the Foundation
For The Carolinas.
The Mott Foundation is a pri
vate foundation with assets of
more than $600 million. The Mott
Foundation awards approximate
ly $2$ million in annual grants for
programs fostering community
self-improvement through educa
tion, citizen involvement, commu
nity leadership and development
processes.
The Foundation For The Caroli
nas, a community foundation
serving North and South Carolina,
has assets of approximately $35
million and makes annual grants
of $4 million for a wide variety of
charitable purposes.
On Monday, May 18th at tha McDonald's ground
breaking ceremony far the new McDonald's Best
Western Hotel, Mr. John F. McDonald, owner or
McDonald's Cafeteria, and his wife Eunice greet
•d the Crowd that attended this historic event.
Guest panelist Mayor Gantt, Councilman Charlie
Dannelly and Ray Gooding observed along with
other guest panel members.
Monument Dedicated To North
Tha walcoma, that tha North
Carolina, vstarana hava dasarvad
and hava loqg awaitsd for is final*
ly going to ba a rsality. On tha
waakand of May 22 through May
24, tha North Carolina Viatnam
Vataran Manorial Committaa has
announsad that thay will dadicats
• bronte monument entitled "After
the Tire Tight." Chairman John
Baputo said, "This monument la
going to be the focal point for the
North Carolina Vietnam experi
ence.”
Thie monument will be dedicat
ed to the 206,000 North Carotin
iana who oervod in Viatnam, to tha
1,661 KIA'a from North Carolina,
to tha 26,000 WIA'a and laaat we
aver forget to tha 61 MlA'a and
POWa, who hava mill, altar 12
yearn, not been returned to us.
The North Carolina Vietnam
Veterans Memorial Committee
has planned a complete and full
Vietnam Veterans weekend. The
weekend will commence on Fri
day, May 22, with the laying of a
wreath by. the Lt. Governor at Ra
leigh National Cemetery, a POW/
MIA candlelight flag raising cere
mony will also be on Friday. On
Saturday, before the 2 p.m. dedi
cation of the monument, military
•tatic displays, along with helicop
ter and fixed wing aircraft flyo
vers, will be provided by active
duty and reserve elements from
See Monument On Page BA