Hundreds of victims of violent crime from across Alabama are set to gather at the State Capitol in Montgomery this week to urge state lawmakers to expand access to victim compensation funds and to invest in trauma recovery services for survivors.
The event–hosted by Crime Survivors Speak, the largest network of crime victims in the country, and its subdivision Survivors Speak Alabama–will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 24, and feature an array of survivors, family members, legislators and community partners.
“Despite having one of the highest rates of gun violence in the U.S., it’s extremely difficult for Alabama survivors to get help in the wake of violence,” reads a press release issued by Crime Survivors Speak ahead of Tuesday’s event. “Joined by allies in the legislature, survivors will call for the passage of bills to expand access to the state’s victim compensation program, and urge elected leaders to invest in bringing the first Trauma Recovery Center to Alabama.”
According to the organization, the event will begin with a march to the steps of the State Capitol at 11:30 a.m., followed by a rally, press conference and vigil “to honor family members lost to violence and call for change” at noon.
Attendees will call on lawmakers to increase education surrounding Alabama’s victim compensation fund and to extend the victims’ compensation filing deadline. Currently, victims of violent crime in the state have only 72 hours to report a crime and one year to file a claim to cover costs like counseling, funeral expenses and lost wages. Crime Survivors Speak is hoping to give victims more time to file compensation claims by pushing lawmakers to pass House Bill 255 and Senate Bill 192 this session, which would extend the filing window to two years.
Additionally, the organization is calling on lawmakers to invest in a trauma recovery center for the state, an institution which the group says would help victims better access compensation and other resources. The group will also push lawmakers to fund a community-based peer support program for survivors and provide “flexible cash assistance” for victims and families.
Among those in attendance will be Callie Greer and Sheree Kennon, two mothers who lost their sons to gun violence leading them to found MAAVIS (Mothers Against All Violence in Selma) and What About Us, two organizations focused on supporting other women who have lost loved ones to gun violence. The event will also feature Aswad Thomas, national director of Crime Survivors Speak who himself is a survivor of gun violence, and Alabama State Rep. Travis Hendrix, D-District 55.
Several other organizations from around the state will also be involved in Tuesday’s event, including: Selma Center for Nonviolence, Alabama Appleseed, GirlTrek, Montgomery Office of Violence Prevention, Empowering Communities Helping Ourselves, National Healing Collective, Offender Alumni Association, The Fisherman’s Project, Supreme Transitions and Transform Alabama.
