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1st 'Love Without Violence' conference held in Milwaukee

Posted at 12:04 PM, Oct 18, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-18 14:39:38-04

MILWAUKEE — Domestic violence survivors, advocates and organizations working in the area of family violence gathered at the Zilber School of Public Health on Friday morning to hold the first "Love Without Violence" conference.

"This conference is dedicated to the precious lives lost to domestic violence," said Karin Tyler of the Office of Violence Prevention.

Attendees heard from speakers and participated in conversations dealing with the "realities of domestic violence." The reality is, it can be difficult to break the cycle for those affected.

"We saw 12,000 clients last year," said Carmen Pitrie, president and CEO of the Sojourner Family Peace Center. "When you have children witnessing, they grow into that legacy. That's why this is so important. We have a responsibility to deal with children's exposure to violence so they don't grow up believing it's normal to live in this level of violence."

Survivors are among the people speaking to help spread knowledge of what to do to be an advocate.

"Can we envision a world without violence?" said Natalie Hayden, a community advocate. "Can we see love where no violence is attached to it?"

Hayden talked about the difficulties people can have leaving an abusive relationship. She says, of course, it's easy to tell someone to leave. However, that decision comes with a number of other problems when leaving someone.

Housing, finances and more can lead to a dependency on a significant other, making it hard to leave.

However, she says she is living proof that it's worth it. "I'm really grateful I made it through so I can share my experience with someone else," Hayden said. "I really chalk that up to myself being inexperienced and not knowing how to figure out those signs. We can pinpoint those signs. There will be love without violence."

The conference also included a dance and spoken-word performance.

If you or someone you know needs help with domestic violence, the City of Milwaukee has a list of available resources here.