San Bernardino County District Attorney Office hosts annual High Desert Crime Victims' Memorial in Victorville
San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson’s office will host the second annual High Desert Crime Victims' Memorial at Victor Valley College.
The memorial will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. on April 26 at the VVC Performing Arts Center at 18422 Bear Valley Road in Victorville. The event is part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week runs from April 23 to 29.
“The only common thing among crime victims is that none of them chose to be a victim,” said DA Anderson. “There is no wrong way to feel as a victim of crime. Their experiences and emotions can never be easily explained and remain difficult to understand and describe. That is why our office creates an environment where victims can be heard, believed, and supported. “
The program will include remarks from DA Anderson, Bureau of Victim Services Chief Flerida Alarcón, and survivors Melissa Grace and Alicia Seales.
Performances will include the singing of “Amazing Grace" by SBC Sheriff's Deputy Justin Bacon and the “Star Spangled Banner” and "Hope Waits" by the VVC Singers.
Department of Justice
Within the Office of Justice Programs, the Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime leads communities across the country in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
President Ronald Reagan 1981 proclaimed the inaugural National Crime Victims’ Rights Week to bring greater sensitivity to the needs and rights of victims of crime.
The Office of Justice Programs provides innovative leadership to federal, state, local, and tribal justice systems by disseminating state-of-the-art knowledge and practices across America and providing grants for implementing these crime-fighting strategies.
Because most of the crime control and prevention responsibility falls to law enforcement officers in states, cities, and neighborhoods, the federal government can be effective in these areas only to the extent that it can enter into partnerships with these officers.
For additional ideas on how to support all victims of crime, visit the Office for Victims of Crimes website at ovc.ojp.gov.
Attorney General Bonta
On Thursday, Attorney General Bonta sent a message to the U.S. Supreme Court that domestic abusers should not have access to guns.
Bonta joins a multi-state coalition in filing an amicus brief calling on the court to reverse the lower court’s decision in U.S. v. Rahimi.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision in U.S. v. Rahimi held that the federal prohibition on possession of firearms by an individual subject to a domestic violence restraining order violates the Second Amendment.
The coalition seeks to preserve laws prohibiting subjects of domestic violence restraining orders from possessing a firearm and argues that the court’s reasoning would undermine efforts by states and the federal government to protect victims of domestic abuse and to keep guns out of the hands of individuals who present a danger to public safety.
“This decision flies in the face of our stark reality: firearms are used to commit more than half of all intimate partner homicides in the United States," said AG Bonta. "Californians should know that restraining orders, including Domestic Violence Restraining Orders, can be used to prohibit dangerous people from possessing firearms in California. These orders are an essential tool that remain available to victims of domestic abuse. I urge Californians who are in danger to utilize these life-saving tools.”
Bonta’s office said California laws allow victims of domestic abuse to seek a protective order that includes a prohibition on the possession of firearms.
Across the nation, 45 states and the District of Columbia have laws that require or allow limitations on the ability of those under a domestic violence restraining order to access firearms.
While the court in Rahimi specifically noted that its decision did not address the validity of such protective orders, the court's reasoning threatens to undermine those public safety efforts.
The amicus brief is part of AG Bonta's sustained effort to protect the public from gun violence. Recently, the AG launched a first-in-the-nation Office of Gun Violence Prevention, took legal action against ghost gun retailers, advocated for and defended common sense gun laws, worked on the ground to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals, and announced Senate Bill 2, to strengthen California's existing concealed carry weapon laws.
California’s AB 1594, sponsored by AG Bonta and signed into law in July 2022, creates a pathway for Californians who have been harmed by gun violence to hold the appropriate parties accountable, including gun manufacturers and distributors. AB 1594 goes into effect in California on July 1, 2023.
AG Bonta also provided grants to local law enforcement to support activities related to seizing weapons from individuals prohibited from possessing them, called on credit card companies to do their part to end illegal gun trafficking and mass shootings, and promoted the use of the state’s red flag laws to remove weapons from individuals who pose a danger to themselves or others.
In filing the amicus brief, AG Bonta joins the attorneys general of Arizona, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, North Carolina, Oregon, Michigan, Washington, Illinois, and the District of Columbia.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: San Bernardino County District Attorney Office hosts annual High Desert Crime Victims' Memorial in Victorville
