The names of nearly 60 domestic violence victims were read aloud during a solemn vigil Monday night in Grand Rapids, as the community came together to honor lives lost and call for action against domestic violence.
The Domestic Violence Action Network of Kent County hosted the memorial event, which stretched from the Eberhard Center on Grand Valley State University’s campus to the Blue Bridge. Participants walked silently between the two locations as part of the tribute.
The vigil served both as a moment to memorialize those who have died and as a call to action for the community to address domestic violence as a widespread issue.
“1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic violence at some point in their lives,” said Micah Johnston, the director of the Domestic Violence Action Network of Kent County (DVAN)…