Lewiston State Bank commits $6,000 to CAPSA

On Tuesday, January 30, 2018, Lewiston State Bank announced its commitment to sponsor a home in Citizens Against Physical and Sexual Abuse’s Independence Neighborhood.

The neighborhood consists of nine homes, and serves as transitional housing for clients leaving emergency shelter. Residents can stay for up to two years and they pay rent on a sliding scale, based on family size and income levels.

“When your life’s been seemingly shattered, it takes a while to put it back together,” Jill Anderson, CAPSA’s executive director said. “Independence Place provides individuals with both the time and physical space to heal and progress beyond abuse.”

Lewiston State Bank’s donation of $6,000 will provide a year of housing assistance for a family in need, specifically a low-or moderate-income family.

“Schreiber’s, Wasatch Properties, Sports Academy, Riverwoods, and Conservice helped us build the homes in 2015,” said James Boyd, CAPSA’s development director. “But continued funding is needed to assist families living in the neighborhood today. I hope Lewiston State Bank is the first of many organizations to donate and sponsor a home for a family in need.”

Dale Buxton, president of Lewiston State Bank said he chose to sponsor a home for CAPSA because he knows how important it is for individuals to have a loving, happy place to come home to.

“We spend -many hours helping first-time home buyers finance their dream house,” Buxton said. “We see the joy and anticipation in their eyes. We see their hope for a future. We’ve seen how having a place to call yours impacts people. For that reason, we wanted to make transitional housing affordable for CAPSA clients.”

Boyd said there’s no way to fully express the magnitude of the bank’s gift.

“You can’t put a price on safety or security,” Boyd said.

Learn how you can sponsor a home for CAPSA clients by contacting James Boyd at james@capsa.org or (435) 753-2500.

Learn more about mortgages from Lewiston State Bank by contacting the Lewiston State Bank mortgage department at 435-753-1800.

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Logan, Utah Women’s March

On January 20, CAPSA therapist, Vikki Salinas delivered the following speech to a crowd gathered for Logan Utah’s second annual Women’s March.

Hello! My name is Vikki Salinas, and I am a therapist who works at Citizens Against Physical and Sexual Abuse, or, CAPSA. I have worked with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault for more than a decade, but I learned about the Me Too movement, like many of you, just a few months ago. As the movement gained speed on social media, my first thought was what an excellent way to help others know they are not the only ones that have experienced sexual assault or rape. These two short words – me too – carry the weight of a centuries-long struggle to be seen. To be heard. To be understood. The pain of sexual assault and rape can be a burden too great to carry on our own, but these two short words say: “You are not alone in your experience, I hear you.” And women around the world have boldly shared these words and their stories, and with that, they have declared, enough is enough!

The activist Tarana Burke founded the Me Too movement 10 years ago. Before she started the movement Tarana was the program director for Brooklyn-based Girls for Gender Equity, and her main goal was to empower young women of color. In 1997, Tarana found herself sitting across from a 13-year-old girl who was explaining her experience with sexual assault. Tarana was left speechless, not even working up the courage to say the words Me Too. 10 years after that conversation is where the Me Too movement started. Tarana went on to create Just Be Inc., a non-profit organization that helps victims of sexual harassment and sexual assault. Tarana actively sought resources that were not readily available to her 10 years before and committed herself to helping people who had been abused.

Tarana did not intend for the Me Too movement to grow into what it is today, becoming the major social media campaign that it has now become. Tarana envisioned a social movement that takes a bold stance and empowers women and girls to proclaim, “I am not ashamed, I am not alone.”  Me Too is a statement from survivor to survivor that says: “I see you, I hear you, I understand you.”

One thing I know from doing this work: survivors of sexual assault and rape want to be heard. They want to feel validated and safe. They want to know they can talk to someone and not feel pressured to make any one decision. When women are heard, they are empowered to take that next step, or finally close that chapter in their lives that has hurt them so badly. At CAPSA, we provide a safe environment free of judgment where a person can feel heard and know their experience is validated when we tell them “This wasn’t your fault.”

This is an exciting time in the struggle for gender equality. The mountain is steep, and the burden is great, but together we will reach the summit and look out on a world where instead of victims being blamed for what has happened to them or be made to feel ashamed of themselves they are encouraged and supported in their healing journey. Let us keep pressing forward, let us not lose the momentum we are experiencing. Let the Me Too movement not just be but a moment, but a movement. Tell those who are brave enough to share their stories of sexual assault that you hear them. You don’t have to walk in their shoes to feel their pain…you just have to walk beside them and tell them “I see you, I hear you, I understand you. And…I am with you.”

You can view a recording of the speech on YouTube.

Support local representatives

As individuals, there are many ways for us to work toward ending abuse within our communities; we can stop victim blaming. We can intervene if we feel an individual is being pressured into unwanted physical activity or if their significant other is ignoring or mistreating them. We can alert authorities when we hear whispers of abuse, or threats of individuals taking their lives or that of their children if a relationship ends. Another way we can end abuse, however, is to support our local leaders making a difference.

Two Utah politicians are constantly moving forward bills and amendments to further free and empower survivors of abuse. Angela Romero of the Utah House of Representatives and Todd Weiler of the Utah State Senate, are enacting laws that are making a difference.

Previous Laws

In 2015, Romero and Weiler introduced a bill defining what consent means. They proposed consent could not be given if an individual is incapacitated, and consent could not be given if the individual was unable, at the moment, to understand the consequences of their choice. The bill passed, and now these definitions of consent are used in Utah courts.

In 2017, Romero and Weiler introduced Sexual Assault Kit Processing Amendments. The bill required all sexual assault kits, except for those classified as restricted kits, to be tested and obtain DNA profiles. It also mandated that sexual assault kits be completed within a certain amount of time. The Department of Public Safety was given authority to implement a sexual assault kit tracking system, and the Department of Public Safety and the Utah Prosecution Council were required to provide training to law enforcement on how to respond to sexual assault cases. This bill passed and all provisions therein became effective on May 9, 2017.

Also in 2017, Romero and Weiler introduced Campus Advocate Confidentiality Amendments. This bill defined terms and made it clear who was responsible for reporting information in a case of domestic violence or sexual assault in a higher education setting.

Upcoming Bills

In 2018, Romero and Weiler are introducing the Domestic Violence, Dating Violence and Stalking Amendments. This bill proposes a cohabitant can be defined as an individual who, “is or was in a consensual sexual relationship with the other party.” By adding this definition, individuals who were not married or living together, but experienced abuse, can file for protective orders and seek safety within the courts.

The proposed bill also adds many responsibilities to law enforcement officers who are called to an abusive situation. The bill proposes, “A law enforcement officer who responds to an allegation of stalking shall use all reasonable means to protect the victim and prevent further violence including:… confiscating the weapon or weapons involved in the alleged stalking; making arrangements for the victim and any child to obtain emergency housing or shelter; providing protection while the victim removes essential personal effects; arranging, facilitating or providing for the victim and any child to obtain medical treatment; and arranging, facilitating, or providing the victim with immediate and adequate notice of the rights of the victims and of the remedies and services available to victims of stalking.”

The bill also requires victims of stalking be given a list of local shelters and directions on how and where to file a stalking injunction.

This bill will be discussed in the 2018 general legislative session, and a decision will likely be made in March 2018. We encourage each of you to let your representatives know you support Senate Bill 27, and we encourage you to reach out to Representative Romero and Senator Weiler and thank them for their work.

We can make a difference through our policies, laws and political involvement.