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Events marking National Domestic Violence Awareness Month continue in San Antonio this October.
Local officials said 33-women, men, and children died locally in 2023 as a result of domestic violence. Figures for 2024 are expected to be released soon.
Bexar County has some of the worst domestic violence rates in the state and country. It's a complex problem driven by a number of socioeconomic issues.
The "Purple Run" kicked off awareness events this past weekend. Purple is the official color of the awareness movement in part because of its historical connection to themes involving hope.
State District Judge Monique Diaz is co-chair of the local Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence that tracks the severity of the problem here. She said local residents can easily get involved this month to draw attention to the often-deadly problem.
"We're running a purple porch campaign in our community that encourages everyone to change the light bulb on their porch to the color purple or to decorate their business or home purple as a sign to their community that this is a safe space to talk about domestic violence."
October 16th is 'Wear Purple Day.'
On October 22, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., all San Antonio Police substations will have crisis advocates and officers on hand to provide resources to anyone concerned about domestic violence.
Resources will also be available at the October 26th Muertos Fest at Hemisfair.
