Vigil, walk in downtown Columbus calls attention to domestic violence

Wearing purple shirts and bracelets, more than 120 people took part in a walk and vigil in downtown Columbus Tuesday to call attention to domestic violence.

Men, women and children marched from Country's Barbecue on Broadway to the Government Center plaza on 10th Street as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Last year, 3,441 family violence cases were reported to law enforcement in Muscogee County, but there are probably four times that many victims, said Lindsey Reis, executive director of Hope Harbour, a shelter for domestic abuse victims. The event also was aimed at educating the public about domestic violence and providing resources to victims.

"They are not alone and sometimes that phone call may be the hardest step you take," Reis said. "We've got different people and organizations that will walk you through the process. Love should never hurt."

For 17 years, Vernita Thomas Harris has remembered details about the day her family was called in 1998 when her sister, Jennifer Thomas, was killed by her boyfriend. Harris, who works at Columbus Technical College, was guest speaker for the event. She was a single mother at the time of the tragedy, but she raised her sister's baby daughter.

"There was no thought in my mind that I would take care of my family," Harris said. "That is what families do and that's the way I was

raised. We get up and we rebound. I try to make sure that the people know what she went through and what my family goes through so that it can be something for somebody else to take away from it. I want it to be not just a tragedy, but something somebody else can use."

Thomas, 25, was also the mother of an older boy and girl. Harris said her sister will never have a career, never marry or never see her children graduate from high school. "He not only took my sister's life, he took a portion of their lives, which can never be returned," she said.

Before her sister's death, Harris said the family had no clue and saw no signs that she may have been in an abusive relationship. "When you don't come from domestic violence or an abusive home, you never imagine it could be your family," she said. "It could be someone you love. When I got the call, I literally hit the floor."

To oppose the release of her sister's killer, Harris said her family has appeared before the parole board twice since 2010. Looking back, Harris said her sister never should have been alone. She wondered if Thomas was protecting her, or whether she was embarrassed. Anyone who may be in an abusive relationship should tell someone, she said. "Let somebody help you."

Harris said many victims don't recognize domestic violence. "It doesn't have to be physical, it can be verbal, it can be mental," she said. "Things happen in a relationship that lead up to the physical. A lot of times we don't recognize it."

Reis said Hope Harbour shelter now has 35 women, though it only has room for 33. And there is still a need to help stop domestic violence, which shows no discrimination against its victims. "You can be young or old, rich or poor, male or female, educated or uneducated," she said. "It touches everybody."

Zachary Farrow, the Columbus father of 19-year-old Mariah Farrow, and Mirah's aunt Bobbie Dobbins were among the walkers. The teen was in an abusive relationship before she was shot to death Sept. 14 in Phenix City.

Mariah would have wanted him to help others in an abusive relationship, Zachary Farrow told the walkers.

"Ladies and men, don't be scared," he said. "If you're in a situation like that, get out of it."

This story was originally published October 13, 2015 at 11:05 PM with the headline "Vigil, walk in downtown Columbus calls attention to domestic violence ."