Violence Prevention Conference Coverage

The Milwaukee office of Violence Prevention hosted the third annual “Love Without Violence” conference, a three-day conference with a variety of speakers and organizations hosted on Zoom to speak out against domestic violence and avoidance of it. 

Only a week before the conference, Major Harris, a 3-year old boy, and his mother, Mallory Muenzenberger, were found dead. Muenzenberger was found dead in the backyard in a home around N. 37th street on Oct. 14, according to the Milwaukee Police department. An amber alert went out in search of her son on Oct. 16, two days after his mother was found. Harris was found in an alley on Oct. 21, near 35th and Rohr Avenue in Milwaukee. Violent crime has risen in Milwaukee, according to city.milwaukee.gov, including domestic violence. According to local advocates in 2020 by an article by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, two out of five homicides are related to domestic violence in Milwaukee. 

The conference consisted of several participating organizations from the city of Milwaukee. Many were from a variety of different cultural backgrounds. 

“It’s very timely considering the challenges that we face,” said Mariana Rodriguez from the Latina Resource Center during the opening of the conference. “In our community regarding the homicides and increase of violence and domestic violence in our city.” Rodriguez said the conference isn’t just about finding peace within love, but bringing a community together in a way that promotes peace. Rodriguez said that the Latina Resource Center has been in the Milwaukee community for about 20 years, and they serve all, and their doors are open to anyone who needs their support and resources. 

“When it comes to combating this whole epidemic of domestic violence, I think we need to get deeper into the love,” said Samantha Collier, chairperson of the Milwaukee commission of domestic violence and sexual assault. “It’s without violence. It’s the power of us coming together in space that makes healing okay for all people.”

The speaker for day one was Dr. Marica Tipton with Project Ujima. A social services organization in Milwaukee. She presented on breaking the silence on domestic violence, and how to avoid partners that show signs of potential domestic violence in early stages of relationships. She also discusses the effects domestic violence has on children. Tipton talked about how children who grow up near domestic violence can grow up to be abused, or even become an abuser. She said that a lot of times children who grow up in domestic abuse situations learn to normalize dangerous and toxic behavior. They do not see anything abnormal with it. When they grow up, they can unintentionally seek relationships that resemble the toxicness they grew up in, explained Tipton. 

“I have a 17 year old son,” said Tipton during her presentation. “I have been talking to him about relationships since kindergarten because it is so important. That is one of the greatest decisions you make in your life, is who you are going to be in a relationship.” 

After Tipton’s presentation, the hosts of exPOSED the podcast, LarVerne Badger and Natalie Hayden, asked Tipton questions about the importance of talking about relationships to kids at a young age and the importance of having those conversations. exPOSED the podcast is about two women who discuss life after abuse.

Badger asked Tipton how the topics Tipton discussed may be applied to teenage dating for young people who are unsure. 

“We as adults can identify some of these things right away, but we still struggle and that’s why we’re here,” said Badger. “How do we transition that to teenagers?” 

She said that parents should start talking about relationships with their children when they are young, and that by the time they are teenagers it is too late to begin having conversations about serious topics like relationships. She said that they need to learn their own values at a young age, so they know what to look for in people they are interested in forming any kind of relationship with, before it is too late. 

“At that point, they could be falling in love with somebody very toxic and very unhealthy,” said Tipton. “Then you’ll have a whole other battle on your hands.” 

The conference listed a wide range of resources for anyone going through a domestic violence situation, or anyone who needs resources the different organizations provide. All three days of the conference can be watched on Facebook.

Screenshot of Love Without Violence Conference featuring exPOSED the Podcast and Dr. Marica Tipton from Facebook Live