Amador County – The Sutter Creek City Council approved a display Monday that will place about 125 Purple People at the Sutter Creek Gateway park at the corners of Highway 49 and Old Highway 49 starting later this month, in preparation for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Tammie Crabtree, interim executive director of Operation Care said the 125 purple silhouettes, and another 25 to be placed in shop owners’ storefront windows around the county, will signify 50 percent of the total of about 300 domestic violence victims who were served by Operation Care in 2009-2010. She said “it’s a pretty big, pretty significant number.”

She said that is all they could afford, but the life-sized purple wooden silhouettes will show about half of all of the victims of domestic violence and abuse in Amador County in that time.

Operation Care’s office, at 619 New York Ranch Road in Jackson, will also have a 3-D exhibit, Oct. 3-14. The walk-through exhibit called the “Cycle of Violence” allows visitors to walk through the three phases of domestic violence, called the “honeymoon phase, tension phase and explosion phase,” Crabtree said.

Also for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, they will give out 200 T-shirts with the slogan: “Peace begins at home.” They will give out 100 shirts at each high school, and have another 100 shirts for which they will ask donations if people would like to buy them.

The shop owners which will have the Purple People Campaign silhouettes have not been determined, but the Sutter Creek Gateway Park was selected because in years past, the domestic violence education and awareness campaign has run into vandalism. The silhouettes were placed in parks around the county in the past, and outside businesses.

This year, they will put 125 of the silhouettes “in one location so it gets more traffic” to dissuade such problems. The Purple People should be safe inside storefronts too.

Crabtree said Kam Merzlak of Merzlak Signs is making a banner with the Purple People website, so people can learn about the program. He also made the silhouettes, which uses a few stories from the past from actual cases of domestic violence from victims Operation Care has helped.

The campaign will also have baskets with ribbons go to about 25 law enforcement and other service agencies, where people can pick up ribbons and show their support. Amador High’s S-Club will help distribute the baskets Sept. 29-30.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.