PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Around 30 people from the community participated in a walk on Friday to honor domestic violence survivors and victims and to raise awareness of the impact such violence has on people.
The Hope and Justice Project hosted its annual Walk It Up Presque Isle event on Oct. 11 with a nearly one-mile walk from the Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library, down Second and Main streets and back at the library. People donned Hope and Justice Project-themed T-shirts and purple balloons to symbolize Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
After the walk Tammy Albert, director of prevention, education and training for the Hope and Justice Project, read the names of the eight individuals in Maine who have lost their lives to domestic violence this year. She thanked those in attendance, which included community members and law enforcement, for doing their part to make the community aware of why the Hope and Justice Project exists.
“Domestic violence awareness goes beyond a purple ribbon or a powerful speech. It’s about the ability to change peoples’ minds about the root causes of domestic violence,” Albert said.
Mariya Pelletier (left), Hailey Fitzmaurice, and Melissa Taveras walk down Second Street in Presque Isle during Hope and Justice Project’s annual Walk It Up Presque Isle on Friday.
(Staff photo/Melissa Lizotte)
The Hope and Justice Project is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. In 2018 the organization provided 4,000 overnight stays for more than 100 individuals in emergency shelters in central, northern and southern Aroostook County, in addition to more than 3,000 hours of advocacy to shelter residents.
They also give regular trainings to law enforcement officials and businesses, host school-based education programs and provide legal advocacy and support groups for survivors.
According to the Hope and Justice Project’s website, some of the signs of an abusive relationship might include a person constantly putting down their partner — often in front of others — criticizing their choices, hitting or threatening to hit them, excluding them from financial decisions and/or controlling where they go or who they see.
Shawn Cunningham, known in the community as a morning anchor for WAGM-TV, shared her deeply personal story of domestic violence that she endured while living in Florida 18 years ago. She said that her then-boyfriend “snuck under” her radar soon after she moved into a nearby apartment.
One day in conversation she learned that he had been watching her walk to and from the grocery store and the TV station where she worked, due to not having a driver’s license. He offered her a ride whenever she needed one. Soon they began dating and after moving in together Cunningham began to see the true nature of her boyfriend’s personality.
The Hope and Justice Project displayed this quilt made by survivors of domestic violence during the annual Walk It Up Presque Isle event on Friday.
(Staff photo/Melissa Lizotte)
The situation became worse after the TV station for which Cunningham worked closed.
“He would hit me; he said, ‘I’m the only thing you have here. If you go back to New York you’re a failure,’” said Cunningham, who is originally from New York. “I felt that he was right. I felt a sense of shame. I didn’t want to admit how badly things had gone.”
The violence escalated one night when Cunningham’s then-boyfriend demanded that she get into his truck.
“He said, ‘I’m going to drive you out to the Everglades and I’m going to kill you,’” Cunningham said.
Cunningham begged him to go back inside, but the situation grew worse later that night. He stabbed her in the leg, which resulted in the police becoming involved and arresting him. Cunningham was taken to a nearby shelter for women, who helped her get a protection-from-abuse order and enough money for a plane ride back to New York.
Over the past several decades, Cunningham had to learn how to love herself again and to give herself a “fresh start” in life. She has since found work that she loves as a TV anchor, married and began raising her now 6-year-old son Aaron James Jr., named after his father A.J. Cloukey.
Though she still does not like to think back to those darker times, she has shared her story in hopes of making a difference for others.
“I’m not ashamed to talk about what I went through anymore,” she said.
Walk It Up Presque Isle brought others in the community together to share in their hope for a better future for domestic violence survivors.
Katherine Palmer of Washburn brought her grandsons Thaddeus, 6, and Zeke, 9, along for the walk to teach them about the importance of kindness. They have participated in Walk It Up Presque Isle for the past four years.
“I hope they grow up to be men of integrity who never raise their hand to anyone,” Palmer said.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call 866-834-4357, TRS 800-787-3224. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.
