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Senate Poised to Renew Violence Against Women Act
Senators tussled Thursday over whether Indian authorities should be able to prosecute non-Indians in domestic abuse cases.
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Clinton Municipal Court is an Angel
Victims of domestic violence have a strong resource in the Clinton Municipal Court.
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Crime
Byram Police: A Model for Domestic-Abuse Response?
Byram Police Chief Luke Thompson acknowledges that the typical method of responding to a domestic call fails both the victims and the community at large.
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7th Annual JFP Chick Ball July 9, 2011—Save the Date!
The JFP Chick Ball committee is busy collecting sponsors and silent-auction donations, as well as reaching out for more volunteers and committee members. (This year, we're starting a "rooster" support …
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Domestic Violence
Domestic Violence: From #WhyIStayed to #HowILeft
After the video surfaced of Ray Rice's assault of his now-wife, Janay, and people on the Internet started asking questions that sounded an awful lot like victim-blaming, an author named …
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2010 JFP Chick Ball to Create Domestic Abuse Legal Fund, Honor ‘Hero' Attorneys
The 6th Annual JFP Chick Ball will build awareness about domestic-abuse victims' struggle in the state's legal system, and recognize attorneys who are helping them navigate a system stacked against …
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Hero of the Year: Butterflies by Grace Defined by Faith
Butterflies by Grace Defined by Faith began as a way to encourage people to put an end to domestic violence. Eva Jones started the group to encourage people to talk …
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Domestic Violence
Domestic Violence Coalition: State Needs to Support Victims
More than a dozen domestic violence activists gathered at the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence headquarters on May 11 in response to the failure of SB 2418, the 'divorce bill' …
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City & County
Teaching Men a Thing or Two About Domestic Violence
When discussing domestic violence in our politically correct culture, it's common for people to use gender-neutral terms in describing victims and abusers. But the data confirm that women are by …
Story
Ben Ellard
Last week Ben Ellard assisted a victim through the court system so she could get a protective order against her abusive husband. The woman's spouse had prevented her from having …
Story
Please Help
In a wonderful act of synchronicity, the Jackson Free Press, the Center for Violence Prevention and its director, Sandy Middleton (story), all found one another back in 2004. Under Middleton's …
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10th JFP Chick Ball to Honor Decade of 'Chicks We Love,' Local Heroes, Combatting Violence
By Donna LaddThe Jackson Free Press and the Center for Violence Prevention are proud to announce the 10th Annual JFP Chick Ball on Saturday, July 19, 2014, at the Arts Center of Mississippi in downtown Jackson at 201 E. Pascagoula St. This year's special JFP Chick Ball is moving to the Arts Center for this year's special gala, which will celebrate a decade of preventing domestic abuse, protecting families, and empowering women to lift themselves and their families up after experiencing abuse.
This year, at 8 p.m. the JFP Chick Ball will honor three heroes who embody the event's motto of "prevent, protect, empower": Abuse survivor Sarah Reynolds, state Sen. Sally Doty, who helped create the state Office Against Interpersonal Violence, and the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers Training Academy, for their work against sex trafficking in the state. The JFP is also honoring a decade of Chicks We Love at the event.
Past JFP Chick Ball events, all at Hal & Mal's in Jackson, have resulted in the purchase of a new mini-van for client transportation, the launch of the Batterer's Intervention Program, and legal assistance for victims. Proceeds from the 2013 Chick Ball were used in addressing an emerging issue in our area—human trafficking, which is also known as modern-day slavery.
This year's JFP Chick Ball is honoring and supporting all the work of the Center for Violence Prevention and its efforts to save and improve lives of families in central Mississippi. "Domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking occurrences continue to rise in the Central Mississippi area, as we are hearing almost daily about another woman or child whose life has been negatively impacted by it," Sandy Middleton, executive director of the Center for Violence Prevention in Pearl, says. "These interpersonal crimes cross all social-economic, racial and cultural boundaries, meaning they can affect any of us or our children."
JFP Editor-in-Chief Donna Ladd launched the event a decade as a way to give Jackson-area adults of all ages and income brackets a way to help fight the abuse epidemic, which strikes all communities. She also wanted it to be fun, creative and a celebration of female performers.
"The Chick Ball has always cost $5 to get in. I purposefully designed it to welcome all who want to come. And chicks must be prominent in all performances! That, of course, means it's a very popular event for our arm candy as well; men are some of our best donors, supporters and dancers!"
The JFP Chick Ball has become a fashion fete as well, with all kinds of dress welcome—from jeans to bling. The Diva of Bling (her) and Best Arm Candy (him) take home prizes from local businesses every year.
The event's silent auction is one of a kind, with hundreds of gifts, pieces of art and gift certificates from local businesses and artists donated each year. The JFP is accepting auction donations through Thursday, July 17 (at 125 S. Congress St., #1324), during normal business hours.
"One of …
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Crime
Hinds DA Facing Different Kind of Trial for Alleged Abuse, Stalking in Rankin County
In the last year, Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith has avoided a conviction in two trials for hindering prosecution in Hinds County that would have forced him from …
Story
Mini-Grants Available to Abused Women
Heather Spencer's legacy lives on to protect Mississippi women who are the victims of domestic violence. Spencer's family and friends organized the non-profit Heather's T.R.E.E. shortly after George Bell III …
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How to Be a Stand-Up Guy Against Domestic Violence
Since March, a group of about 10 men from various walks of life have been meeting once a month around the Jackson area. The men represent a spectrum of experiences …
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The Empowerment of Sil Lai Abrams
Empowerment specialist and domestic-violence awareness activist Sil Lai Abrams, author of the book "No More Drama: Nine Simple Steps of Transforming a Breakdown Into a Breakthrough," expresses a desire to …
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Barbour's Shameful Pardons
We first heard that then-Gov. Haley Barbour had pardoned another wife-killer Saturday night on WLBT after the Saints game. From there, the news snowballed, with another wife-killer added to the …
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Come Out Against Violence
This Saturday, the Jackson Free Press will sponsor the 8th annual Chick Ball in its ongoing effort to stop domestic violence and sexual abuse.
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Prevent, Protect, EMPOWER Hero: Sarah Reynolds
Sarah Reynolds doesn't fit the stereotype that many people associate with domestic-violence victims.
