Placer County's (Em)Power + Resilience Project launches campaign
Roseville, Calif. – Placer County's (Em)Power + Resilience Project is joining the City of Roseville and City of Rocklin to launch the "This is a sign" campaign with the hopes of expanding awareness of the dangers of domestic violence as well as resources available to survivors in Placer County.
The campaign is partnering with the two cities to utilize their public billboards to present an eye-opening play on the word "sign". While the billboards are a large sign, it is also intended to be seen as a proverbial sign for someone in an abusive relationship to take a pause and reconsider. The colors of the campaign are black and white by design to emphasize the black and white nature of domestic abuse.
Taking action
"Anyone who has been in or knows someone who has been in an abusive relationship knows that it takes that 'ah-hah' moment to encourage a person to take action – no sooner, no later," said domestic violence survivor and (Em)Power +Resilience Project member Anabel Velasquez. "Trauma brain is not linear, and people experiencing abuse tend to live in the gray area of what they are willing to accept, which is extremely dangerous. We hope someone will look up, see this campaign and allow it to serve as a literal and proverbial sign, the ah-ha moment, for them to learn more about the dangers of living in the gray and encourage them to lean on the resources available to help them leave."
Holiday Impact
"This is the sign" campaign will launch at the end of Domestic Violence Awareness Month and run through the start of the holiday season. Reports will show that domestic violence events can increase over the holiday season due to the financial stress, increase of alcohol consumption and the extra time spent at home during the holiday break.
"Domestic violence is one of the most complex issues affecting our society," said Placer County District Attorney's Office Victim Services Supervisor Tamara Musolino. "We recognize that leaving an abusive relationship is difficult in more ways than one and comes at the timing of the survivor and the survivor alone. Unfortunately, DV is also a crime that can escalate quickly and dangerously, which makes education and resources critical.
"This is a sign" is meant to be a way to catch someone's attention in more ways than one and hopefully encourage them to learn more about what can come next. Even if it saves one life, the campaign would be worth it."
Tamara Musolino, Placer DA's office
Billboard Awareness
The City of Roseville billboards can be located at Highway 65 near the Westfield Galleria at Roseville and on the west side of I-80 near Douglas Blvd. The City of Rocklin billboards can be located off of Highway 65 and off I-80 near Sunsplash.
"We all know the first phone call is the hardest, but the most important," said Jenna Gelbuda, Placer County District Attorney/ Stand Up Placer Liaison. "If this campaign feels like a sign to you, it probably is. We encourage anyone who is moved by these billboards to take that first step and make that first call."
The (Em)Power + Resilience Project is a program within the Placer County District Attorney's Office that works alongside victims and survivors of crime and the office's Victim Services Unit to elevate survivor stories to help others and affect change. Learn more at www.placer.ca.gov/ERProject.