Display brings awareness to Franklin County

By Staff
Slade Gilmer
A picture on David Hester's desk features the flower-draped casket of a woman whose death was related to domestic violence.
That photograph reads, "She was beaten 150 times, but only got flowers once."
Hester, the co-chairman of the Franklin County Coalition Against Domestic Violence, says the picture is a reminder of the grim possibilities of domestic violence, particularly if the incidents are not reported.
During the last week, the Franklin County District Attorney's office and Russellville Safeplace have shown "purple people"—who represent the people who are in the background and in the shadows that people are not aware are victims of domestic violence—in front of the Russellville police station.
In a 2008 survey conducted by U.S. health officials, one in four women are the victims of domestic violence, a staggeringly high total according to Hester.
"Every 15 seconds, a woman is beaten," Hester said. "Of those, about 4 million require medical or police attention."
Hester says domestic violence is a problem everywhere in every town.
"It doesn't just affect the lower class people," Hester said. "It affects people in all walks of life."
Hester also believes it is up to the people of a community to help prevent domestic violence from spiraling out of control.
"It is the citizen's duty to bring it forward," Hester said. "It doesn't just happen at home. You see people affected by it at the grocery store, at church and all throughout town and you never notice what's going on until you open your eyes."
According to Hester, approximately 4,000 women annually die due to injuries caused by domestic violence.