Buncombe County Goes Purple

October Begins Domestic Violence Prevention Month in Buncombe County.

If you’re downtown in October and the Buncombe County Courthouse looks a little purple, it’s not your imagination. We’ve gone purple for October to draw attention to our community’s efforts toward Domestic Violence Prevention.

Earlier this year, Buncombe County government, with the help of community partners, the courts, law enforcement, and local municipalities, began implementing a comprehensive plan to address the growing problem of domestic violence in our community. With recent incidents in the news, the “eNOugh campaign” that was adopted by the county earlier this year has begun to attract attention across the state as part of efforts to raise community awareness.

Commissioner Holly Jones said that “a big part of the comprehensive plan is to send a clear message that this community does not tolerate domestic violence and sending this message is part of a plan already implemented in High Point, North Carolina, where they have reduced their domestic homicides from 17 to one over a period of four years.”

During October, Buncombe will highlight domestic violence prevention and continue the rollout of the comprehensive plan. Since the plan started, first responders from across the county have been trained in lethality assessment and community leaders have joined the public education campaign to send the message that domestic violence will not be tolerated. There is help for victims and offenders. The success of this initiative can make the community safer for everyone.

If you or someone you know needs help, contact Helpmate at (828) 254-0516 or visit www.helpmateonline.org.