Where to go when you're concerned about safety

Where can we go?
Where to go to learn how to help when a family member, a teen, neighbor, co-worker, or someone else close to us is struggling in a relationship with signs of abuse with money or technology control or destruction,  physical or sexual reports, or verbally cruelty?

Join Us for Awareness
This week the Somerville Commission for Women will join with the Mayor of Somerville, Chief of Police, elected officials, anti-violence agencies, Somerville Fire and Cataldo, and commissioners to remember all the lives lost and impacted by domestic violence on Wednesday Oct 2 from 6-7:30 pm at the Public Safety Building (220 Washington Street, Union Square).

The Commission for Women's mission includes prevention and raising awareness of violence.  Some key ways the commission raises awareness are the annual Candlelight Vigil, holding events like the upcoming Muslim & Arab Community Panel on Domestic Violence Data, and organizing resources for families to reach out to when they have someone in their family they are worried about or they have a partner or spouse who is abusive.

More events, resources and opportunities to join the effort at www.Facebook.com/SomervilleCommissions
www.somervillema.gov/departments/health/somerville-commissions/women


Online Resources for Our Community
We have different resources for people to use to help identify if they are in an abusive relationship and where to turn for help.  
When you want to learn more, here are a few websites you can check out (and they have phone lines to call, too):

RESPOND
www.respondinc.org/programs-and-services

Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence
www.atask.org/site/our-programs.html

MA Alliance for Portuguese Speakers
www.maps-inc.org/services/domestic-violence-services

The Network/La Red
http://tnlr.org/get-support/hotline

Directory of Anti-Violence Service Providers
www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/AnitViolenceDirectory7-2012.pdf



Phone for Support or Questions
You can also call the agencies for emergency help, answering questions, finding out more information, or learning about signs of abuse.  The below resources often offer in-office appointments too.

RESPOND Hotline 
617-623-5900

SafeLink Hotline 
1-877-785-2020

Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence Helpline
617-338-2355

MA Alliance for Portuguese Speakers
Program info available 617-864-7600

The Network/La Red Hotline
617-742-4911 (voice) or 617-227-4911 (TTY)

We encourage you to reach out for more information and support.  The above support and emergency shelter agencies have a lot of experience, connections, and resources.  Call them, look them up online, make an appointment to visit them.   The list we provided is a place to start. Check out the Directory for more resources.  We are lucky to have many places we can turn to.

Directory of Anti-Violence Service Providers
www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/AnitViolenceDirectory7-2012.pdf

Left on Pearl showing at the Somerville Council on Aging

We have another special screening in our film series, "Movies to Come Out To," for LGBT older adults and allies. LEFT ON PEARL is a documentary-in-progress about the 1971 takeover a building on Harvard campus, which led to the foundation of a women's center. The film highlights this little-known but important piece of local history. Don't miss this unique opportunity to see this film!

From the website leftonpearl.org:

"In 1971 classified ads for employment were still segregated by gender, battered women's shelters did not exist, abortion was illegal, and a married women couldn’t open a bank account without her husband’s permission. LEFT ON PEARL is about the movement that changed all that.

"LEFT ON PEARL is a documentary-in-progress about a little-known but highly significant event in the history of the women's liberation movement, the 1971 takeover and occupation of a Harvard University-owned building by hundreds of Boston area women. The ten-day occupation of 888 Memorial Drive by women demanding a Women’s Center and low income housing for the community in which the building stood, embodied within it many of the hopes, triumphs, conflicts and tensions of Second Wave feminism. One of the few such takeovers by women for women, this action was transformative for the participants, and led directly to the establishment of the longest continuously operating Women's Center in the U.S.

"Through television news from the time, newspaper headlines, found footage, and extensive interviews with participants and eyewitnesses of varied sexual orientations, racial, class and ethnic backgrounds (including both supporters and opponents of the takeover) LEFT ON PEARL  provides a riveting and often humorous look at a fascinating historical moment."

Monday, September 23rd, 5:30 PM

167 Holland St., Somerville, MA

Meal is $6 from Maya Sol Mexican Grill.

RSVP to 617-625-6600 x2300 to reserve your meal and choose chicken or vegetarian.

Click here for the Facebook event.

Sara Farizan at the Somerville Public Library

Next Thursday, the Somerville Public Library main branch is hosting a reading by debut author Sara Farizan. Farizan's book, If You Could Be Mine, is a young adult novel about two girls in love in Iran. Don't miss this opportunity to meet the author of this great book!

Thursday, September 26th

7 PM

79 Highland Ave., Somerville, MA

For more information, check out the Library's page about the event here.