Crime victims' families, community come together in memorial walk

Colette LeFebvre/Daily Mail Above, Marty Abernathy of Nevada holds her sign up before walking with the Crime Victims' Walk. The sign was one of many awareness and advocacy signs that were used by participants during the walk, conducted on April 25.

Nevada Daily Mail

"My heart so aches

What did I do?

Participants in the 26th Annual Crime Victims' Walk grab their signs. The walk began at 6 p.m., starting on Ash Street and ending at the Vernon County Courthouse with state officials and local officials as well as families and advocates present. They began the solemn march on Ash Street, holding the signs that proclaimed the reason they were all there.

It doesn't make sense,

What I experienced from you.

I though you were my friend,

Someone I could trust.

I was forever changed

My heart's about to bust.

You say that you are sorry.

Do you really feel shame?

My life is forever changed

And I shall NEVER be the same."

-- Excerpts from a poem in honor of crime victims, by Martha Sanders

The day was a gray, windy, rainy day -- much like its always been on the day of the Crime Victims walk, said participants.

The darkness of the day mirrored the solemnity and grief that many who participated felt, families of crime victims and survivors of a crime came together in Nevada. It was not a celebration. It was a memorial, a day to make the community of Nevada and Vernon County, aware of the great impact crime has, right here in the city of Nevada and Vernon County.

The walk began at 6 p.m., with state officials and local officials as well as families and advocates present. They began the solemn march on Ash Street, holding signs that proclaimed the reason they were all there. The traffic escort was provided by the Nevada Police department, Vernon County Sheriff's office, Vernon County Ambulance and the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The flashing yellow, red and blue lights told the citizens of Nevada that something different was coming down Ash Street -- a parcel of people, some crying, others walking arm-in-arm to the courthouse where the "speak out" was to begin.

The Vernon County commissioners held a banner and were followed by candidate for state representative Tim Wells, a Democrat, and Vernon County Sheriff Ron Peckman.

They were united in purpose, but each had a story to remember, a loved one to honor. One participant, Sheryl Shepherd of Nevada, said, "We had a family member who was a victim of a domestic crime. It's beneficial for people in the public who need to be aware of crime. I'm an ER nurse and we see lots of this."

Martha Sander, executive director of the Council for Families in Crisis, Nevada, opened the event, which was one of the many programs occurring across the nation the week of April 23-29, National Crime Victim's Rights Week.

The night's program was titled, "Victims Rights: Strength in Unity," and was a comprehensive effort sponsored by the Vernon County Domestic Violence Task Force.

Sander announced that she and the task force are appreciative of those who were there because they took a stand against violence. After the colors were presented by a local boy scout troop and the national anthem was sung, Bill Platt presented the invocation and left the crowd with fateful words, the notion that someday wrongs committed against them will be made right.

State Representative Barney Fisher, R-125th District, who was unable to attend, wrote a letter assuring the crowd that he and other legislators are working on newer and tougher laws, briefly mentioning Jessica's Law, also known as HB 1698, setting tougher penalties on sexual offenses such as child molestation and tightening rules relating to those convicted of sex crimes.

After Fisher's letter was presented, Peckman spoke to the group about statistics, to help people to understand the impact crime has on everyone in the nation.

Sander reminded the group that it was the 26th anniversary of National Crime Week, noting that everyone present that night were touched by crime in some way. Then came a memorial tribute featuring a sign bearing the names of victims who were, as Fran Southern stated, on "a roll call that no one would answer."

Sanders spoke for the task force and others as she said, "We are sorry that a crime was perpetrated against you, we thank you for your courage and patience with our ignorance..."

Then the "speak out" took place. Mothers who would no longer have a cup of coffee with their daughters and haven't had for some time, daughters who are haunted for ever, grandmothers who celebrate birthdays at graveyards, and women who were victims of spousal abuse told of their experiences in honor of victims in their own lives and in the community.

This is what the night was filled with -- it was a night filled with a dull aching, a need to advocate for others, because in some way these events will have a ripple effect upon the community and beyond.

As the speeches died away, members proceeded out to the gray, misty night, trudging around the courthouse, each shielding a candle's fragile flame against the wind as they spoke again, this time sending the message in their silence to the community.