March 3, 2000 

MARCH DECLARED ANTI-VIOLENCE MONTH IN MERCER COUNTY 

      TRENTON – Mercer County Prosecutor Daniel G. Giaquinto and county officials proclaimed March to be Anti-Violence Month during a special ceremony today.

      Events designed to heighten public awareness about the problem of violence and to encourage the overall community as well as youth to participate in solutions are scheduled throughout the month.

      The purpose of the program is to focus public awareness on the overall impact of violence on the community and to develop effective ways to reduce it. All forms of violence are openly addressed including domestic violence, rape, violence against senior citizens, street crime, arson, child abuse, drug-related and alcohol-related violence and crime as well as violence in schools and the workplace, Giaquinto said because, “We would rather prevent crime than prosecute it.”

      Since its inception in 1994, the month-long program has broadened every year to include expanding participation by community-based groups, civic associations, educational groups, clergy and law enforcement agencies.

      For the first time, Trenton’s Magnet Theater Company is participating in what promises to be a highlight of this year’s activities. A 14-year-old student from the Southern New Jersey Academy of Performing Arts in Gloucester County, Kerry Bowers, who is being taught by members of the Magnet Theater, has written a play that students of the academy will perform and Magnet Theater will produce on March 23 at three local schools. Entitled “Strong Enough,” the play’s theme addresses the increasing problem of dating violence.

      Staff members from Womanspace, an organization providing services and shelter for battered women, will be on hand after the performances to answer student questions.

      “To effectively address the problem of violence, it’s vital that the public, community associations, educational groups and law enforcement agencies work together. It is through programs like Anti-Violence Month and our year-around ‘Life is Beautiful Campaign’ that underscores our commitment to reducing violence and maintain an open dialog about this difficult problem,” Giaquinto said.

The following is a summary of planned activities:

·        March 1, 6, 8 and 10, the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office will present a program entitled “Personal Alarm” to senior citizens at various senior centers throughout the county. A key chain alarm will be provided to seniors who attend the program. For more information about this program, call (609) 394-0286.

·        March 2 at 9 a.m., a Read-A-Thon program will be held at the Mercer County Special Services School in Hamilton. Assistant prosecutors and members of the prosecutor’s investigative staff will read materials to students that have an anti-violence theme.

·        March 2, the Trenton Police Department will participate in a Read-A-Thon at Parker School in Trenton.

·        March 3 at 1 p.m., members of the Trenton Police Department will present an anti-violence program to students at St. Mary’s of Assumption School in Trenton.

·        March 6 at 7 p.m., the Trenton Police Department will present a Crime Watch program for residents of Berkeley Square Civic Association on West State Street in Trenton.

·        March 7, 14, 21 and 28 at 6:30 p.m., Prosecutor Giaquinto and staff members will be featured in “Violence Serves No Purpose” shows on WIMG/WZBN with a guest host. Topics will range from the role of the prosecutor’s office within the community to discussions about domestic violence laws and the problems of drugs, arson and child abuse.

·        March 8 at 1:30 p.m., the Trenton Police Department will present a “Personal Safety” program at the Macedonia Senior Citizens Center in Trenton.

·        March 9 and 16, the Ewing Police Department will present an anti-violence program to the employees at the Cenlar Corporate Center.

·        March 14, Ewing Police Department will present a “Personal Safety Program” to employees at Horizon Mercer Healthcare Center.

·        March 14, 16, 28 and 30 at 9 a.m., students from Fisher Middle School, in Ewing, Hedgepeth-Williams Middle School, in Trenton, Crockett Middle School, in Hamilton and Lawrence Middle School will participate in a “Buddy Program” at the prosecutor’s office. Students will spend a day with an assistant prosecutor to experience first-hand how the criminal justice system works.

·        March 15 and 23 at 9 a.m., a program entitled “Project Pride” will be presented to students at Grace Dunn Middle School, in Trenton and the Mercer Junior-Senior Special Services High School. The program, created by the state Department of Corrections, features adult inmates who will discuss with students prison life and the importance of making the right decisions when they are young.

·        March 15 and 29 at 6 p.m., at Anchor House in Trenton, assistant prosecutors will participate in an anti-violence curriculum the organization will provide entitled “Violence Prevention Through Conflict Resolution.”

·        March 22 at 9 a.m., Trenton students from Hedgepeth-Williams Middle School, Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, Dunn Middle School and Holland Middle School, will participate in an Anti-Violence Month volleyball tournament hosted by the staff at Dunn. Lawrence Middle School will play the winning Trenton team at a time to be announced.

·        March 22, the Ewing Police Department will present the “Personal Safety Program” to employees of the Commerce Bank.

·        March 23, beginning at 9:30 a.m., then continuing throughout the day, the Magnet Theater Company will produce “Strong Enough,” at Hedgepeth-Williams Middle School in Trenton, at St. Mary’s of Assumption School in Trenton, and Lawrence Middle School.

·        March 23 at 2 p.m., the Trenton Police Department will present a “Personal Safety” program at the Mercer Friend’s Senior Citizen Center in Trenton.

·        March 27, the Ewing Police Department will present the “Personal Safety/Anti-Violence Program” to members of the public at the township police headquarters.

·        March 30, at 9 a.m., students at Hedgepeth-Williams Middle School in Trenton will host a “Peace Rally” at the school. The rally will have an anti-violence message and is a highlight of the whole month’s program.

·        March 31, the Ewing Police Department will present an Anti-Fraud/Anti-Violence program to senior citizens at the Hollowbrook Senior Citizens Center. 

The following are Anti-Violence Month events without scheduled dates: 

·        Calendar Art Contest. The prosecutor’s office is once again sponsoring a calendar art contest open to elementary school students throughout the county. This year’s theme is “Making Our Schools Violence Free.”  Students should submit entries using slogans and designs to illustrate that theme. The winning design will be printed in a 2000-2001 calendar that will be distributed in September.

·        Safety Life-Line. In recognizing that many victims of domestic violence do not have telephones accessible to them in case of emergency, a cell-phone drive will be conducted by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office. Once the phones have been collected, they will be re-programmed by Bell Atlantic to allow outgoing calls to emergency 911 only. The phones will then be distributed to at-risk victims of domestic violence to provide them a “life-line” to safety.

·        Break-the-Silence – Stop School Violence. This program has two elements, the first geared for students, the second geared for parents and/or teachers. Assistant Prosecutors will be scheduling the program for presentation to students at various schools in the county and to parents and/or teachers at various P.T.A. and P.T.O. organizations. Syndistar Inc. of New Orleans developed the program material, which was designed to enable officials to create a violence-free learning environment.

·        Passage Theater Company. Playwrite William Mastrosimone has written a 40-minute play designed to illustrate the aftermath of school violence. This play is performed by high school students from within Mercer County and has recently been performed at the War Memorial in Trenton. This play is available for presentation upon request to students and adults. Lawrence High School officials have expressed an interest in having the play performed at their auditorium. 

·        Heroes and Ladies. This is a mentoring program for youth in the Hightstown-East Windsor area. Minority law enforcement personnel from the prosecutor’s office will talk to the young people about the requirements to become a law enforcement officer. 

            For additional event information, contact Robert Van Hise, director of the prosecutor’s office Community Outreach Unit, at (609) 989-6313.