Statement June 2020

Dear Partners,

At the Alliance to End Abuse, we have been filled with many emotions over the last few weeks. Anger, numbness, exhaustion, fatigue, fear, distress and anxiety. We are deeply saddened and upset at the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many others. And, we are also still holding on to hope for change.

We know that we need to respond immediately to the violence that is happening in our community, but we also need to call out and transform the systems and structures in place that are leading to this violence in the first place. We’ve been heartened by the calls to invest in upstream solutions that keep our communities safe. We know that neighborhood connectedness, sense of belonging, and multi-generation supports make people safer. We know that access to early childhood education and whole person, whole family care creates security. We know that increasing economic opportunities, and access to jobs keeps people safe. Investing in these strategies are key to ensuring the safety and well-being of all.

In the last few weeks we have been asked a lot about the Alliance’s work on violence prevention and it’s connection to racial equity. We cannot commit to addressing the root causes of violence, without looking squarely at, and addressing, systemic racism. Racism and oppression is a root cause of violence, and it has perpetuated inequity for centuries in this Country. To address, transform and support communities in healing from structural, historical and systemic trauma (to be doing anti-violence work), we have to be doing anti-racism work. We can’t end one form of violence, without ending all forms of violence. They are deeply interconnected and interrelated. 

In February 2020 The Alliance to End Abuse officially launched Contra Costa County’s Call to Action: Preventing Interpersonal Violence, a guide for coordinated and strategic action to address and prevent interpersonal violence (domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, elder abuse and child abuse). The document is the culmination of countless individuals' work and expertise. By developing a framework that promotes racial equity, expands and strengthens partnerships, fosters economic opportunities and ensures community connectivity, we are better positioned to understand and address the root causes of violence. Furthermore, we are better positioned to see violence prevention as a public health issue. While the Call to Action embeds racial equity work into its goals and strategies, we want to be clear that The Alliance is new to racial equity work (we first held racial equity trainings for our partners in 2019), and we have benefited endlessly from the work so many others, including some of our partner agencies and many Black and Brown communities, have already been doing in our County. 

While we feel it is important to react to this moment, and not remain silent, we think it is just as important to commit to the long term work to invest in violence prevention. That means investing in transforming racist systems, including the ones the Alliance is complicit in. 

We have committed to: 

• Launching the Family Violence Prevention Task Force to move forward and re-engage in Contra Costa County’s Violence Prevention Call to Action

• Hiring consultants and experts to support our partner agencies (both public & private) to address and transform racial inequities & racism in their own agencies with a focus on engaging white individuals and white leadership

• Championing funding and investments in community health and social services

• Re-affirming and lifting up our work around trauma and its impacts on health, with renewed commitment to highlighting the connection to the trauma and racism that our Black and Brown community have experienced and its effects on health

• Championing violence as a public health issue

We are committed to making Contra Costa County a place where violence is not only stopped, but prevented from happening in the first place. We must commit to dismantling the structures, systems and beliefs that keep disparities present in order for this vision to become a reality. We must hold people accountable for long term change. 

If you are interested in moving forward Contra Costa’s Call to Action, and informing the work we are doing going forward, we encourage you to join the Family Violence Prevention Task Force. Please fill out an interest form here. Our first meeting will be July 1st at 1pm via zoom.

In community, The Alliance to End Abuse Team

Due to covid-19:

The Alliance to End Abuse, which is part of the Contra Costa County Employment & Human Services Department (EHSD), remains open during any emergency. To see all EHSD services currently available please click here.

During this time, the Alliance will be coordinating services and marshalling resources to help those affected by COVID-19 in Contra Costa County. The Alliance currently is a part of several County-wide response efforts including the Social Services Rapid Response Team (SSRRT).

Please visit STAND!, Community Violence Solutions or the Contra Costa Family Justice Center.

Create a safety plan here.