The Facts

GOOD FACT

The Old Town Poets are returning to the Creole Gallery at 1218 Turner Street in Old Town on Wednesday, September 12, at 7:30pm.

Coordinator Ruelaine Stokes invites participants to sign up ahead and at the event to read one poem. The evening will be

"a real celebration of life, poetry, music, community, and the beautiful, spirit-filled gallery that Robert Busby created as a home for artists and the arts."

BAD FACTS

Check out the facts about violence against women in Michigan! Provided by The Michigan Resource Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence .

• Since the age of 16, "38% of women have experienced physical violence by a man" and "40% of women have experienced some form of sexual violence, ranging from unwanted touching to forcible rape." (See the fact sheet Violence Against Women in Michigan.)


• "One out of five, twenty one percent, of Michigan women with current partners reported sustaining some type of violence in that relationship." (See the fact sheet Prevalence of Domestic Violence.)


• "Based on Michigan data from 1999–2000, about four of every ten females (39%) seen in selected emergency departments (EDs) for injuries related to assault were there because of intimate partner violence against women(IPVAW)."


• "From 1999–2001, a total of 316 violent deaths connected to intimate partner relationships were registered in the Michigan Intimate Partner Homicide Surveillance System." (See the fact sheet titled Intimate Partner Violence in Michigan.)

ACTION AFTER FACT

Information is most useful as informed action. Please consider what step next to take. Here are some ideas:

Urge local and state government officials to STOP THE VIOLENCE against women in Michigan.

Invite neighbors to SPEAK OUT at Lansing City Hall on October 1.

Support nonprofits working with survivors of violence, like EVE Inc. (Oct. 1 SPEAK OUT partner).

Write letters to editors, like Rina Risper (OCT. 1 SPEAK OUT partner) of The New Citizens Press.