A report released yesterday showed that 18 people died last year in incidents of domestic violence, including 12 killed by an intimate partner. The number of deaths is up from 14 in 2020 and continues a long-running upward trend.
Local authorities and the head of the local nonprofit Hubbard House, which works with survivors, met yesterday to mark the start of Domestic Violence Awareness Month and encourage anyone being abused to get help.
“You do not have to do this alone. You can find safety, and we can help,” Hubbard House CEO Gail Patin said. The organization has a confidential 24-7 hotline at 904-354-3114 (or by text at 904-210-3698).
In one of the most recent incidents, a Jacksonville sheriff’s officer was arrested last week for allegedly punching his girlfriend and grabbing her by the throat. The officer, Deke Brucker, also is accused of taking away the woman’s phone so she could not call 911.
Beginning today, supporters of domestic violence survivors will place 6,156 purple flags outside the Duval County Courthouse — one for each person who requested protection from abuse in the county last year.
(Jacksonville Today)