PORT TOWNSEND — More than 100 people — both men and women — tromped in high heels during the third annual “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” event to call attention to the plight of sexual-violence victims.
“The idea behind ‘Walk a Mile in Her Shoes’ is to take a man and put him in women’s shoes to tell him what it might feel like,” said Beulah Kingsolver, Dove House Advocacy Services executive director.
“And I’m guessing that it felt a little different,” she added, speaking at the Northwest Maritime Center after the march ended Wednesday evening.
“A little bit,” shouted a pained male voice.
Many of the marchers — about an equal number of men and women — walked in the gaudy, mostly red shoes for the roughly three-quarter-mile between the ferry dock and the maritime center.
Most shed the uncomfortable shoes as soon as they walked into the reception.
“We want to thank you for bringing light to the violence in our community, as it is something that has been in the dark for a very long time,” Kingsolver said.
Dove House served 95 victims of sexual assault and abuse in 2011, she said.
Nationally, one out of three girls and one out of six boys are sexually assaulted before their sixth birthday, and every two minutes, someone in the nation is raped, Kingsolver said.
“That means that in the half-hour it took us to walk here, 60 people were assaulted,” she said.
“Imagine a world where there is no sexual violence and all children can reach their 18th birthday without being sexually assaulted,” she added.
“We believe that is possible.”
Jefferson County Sheriff Tony Hernandez and Port Townsend Police Chief Conner Daily also addressed the group.
Two Port Townsend police officers, John Bick and Matt Krysinski, participated in the march.
“I’m not here just as a sheriff; I’m here as a father and to make sure that my children don’t become victims,” Hernandez said.
“Tonight, I’m glad the community is here to honor those who have survived and to remember that whatever your socioeconomic status is; whether you are white, black or Hispanic; whether you are male or female or young or old, you can always fall prey to sexual violence and become a victim.”
Said Daily: “When I started in police work 40 years ago, there was nothing like this.
“There were no rules. There were no laws to help the victims of sexual assault and domestic violence,” he added.
“It was something you didn’t talk about, and there was nothing you could offer anybody who was a victim.
“To see this today is very encouraging, and to see how far we’ve come and how far we need to go.”
For more information about Dove House Advocacy Services, phone 360-385-5292 or visit www.dovehousejc.org.
The 24-hour crisis line is 360-385-5291.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
