Grizzlies say 'NO MORE'
on public buses; Mayor
Strickland reaffirms Exec. Order
Memphis Grizzlies star players are featured on the backs and interior walls of 20 MATA buses as the
Memphis Says NO MORE campaign to end domestic violence and sexual assault extends throughout Memphis neighborhoods through the remainder of the year.
Four players - Tony Allen, Mike Conley, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph - are shown saying "NO MORE It's Not My Problem" - each on five buses. Randolph also appears on overhead signs inside the 20 buses.
The bus signs were announced at a press conference where Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, who took office in January, signed a new executive order reaffirming his adamant commitment to continue the city's efforts.
Members of the Memphis Sexual Assault Kit Taskforce with a Memphis Area Transit Authority bus bearing the
Memphis Says NO MORE message. From left, Dewanna Lofton, SAKT coordinator; Maria Fuhrmann, special assistant to the city mayor; Deborah Clubb, MSNM coordinator and exective director of the Memphis Area Women's Council; Memphis Police Department Deputy Director Mike Ryall; TBI forensic scientist Donna Nelson; MPD Sgt. Ouita Knowlton; Anna Whalley, administrator, Rape Crisis Center; Hayley Price, MAWC intern; Shelby County Asst. Dist. Atty. Eric Christensen.
The bus signs also guide viewers to
www.memphissaysnomore.com where local help for victims/survivors is found along with other campaign materials and videos.
The
Memphis Says NO MORE campaign launched a year ago and is a project of the Memphis Sexual Assault Kit Taskforce with generous funding from a local foundation. Coordinated by the Memphis Area Women's Council, the campaign engages local leaders and survivors in posters, television ads, radio spots and personal narratives with messages meant to change behavior and attitudes about these crimes and to guide victims/survivors to help they need and deserve. Messages are aimed particularly at ending victim blaming and encouraging bystanders to step in to prevent violence and offer aid.
Just as the national
NO MORE campaign partners with the NFL,
Memphis Says NO MORE is partnering with the local NBA team to raise awareness that we all can play a role in preventing domestic and sexual violence in our community. Grizzlies players were joined in support of the campaign by General Manager Chris Wallace and former Head Coach Dave Joerger, each with his own poster and message.
The Grizzlies join other local well-known figures supporting the Memphis Says NO MORE campaign, including Congressman Steve Cohen; Mayor Jim Strickland; former Mayor AC Wharton, Jr.; WMCTV-5 Anchor Kontji Anthony, and Beverly Robertson, former director of the National Civil Rights Museum.
The Sexual Assault Kit Taskforce, appointed by Mayor AC Wharton with members from multiple state, county and city offices as well as community advocates, continues steps begun in 2014 to steadily move untested rape kits to DNA labs, assure investigation and prosecution of resulting cases and provide adequate skilled advocacy and counseling services for victims. With the
Memphis Says NO MORE campaign, the taskforce and community partners and volunteers address the need for awareness and prevention.
Volunteers distribute campaign materials and raise awareness at public events, schools and other settings. Posters, campaign t-shirts and palm cards listing resources and website links are available for public distribution. For more information or to join the Corps, go to the MSNM
website or contact Deborah Clubb at
The Memphis Fire Department, Memphis Police Department, Methodist Hospitals, the Navy base, University of Memphis and LeMoyne-Owen College, Poplar Plaza, Concorde Career College, White Station High School, Bridges USA, Alliance for the Homeless, the Vet Center, the Family Safety Center, numerous churches and City Hall -- all have posters, wristbands bearing the website, and the palm-size card of crucial phone numbers and guidance for victims/survivors.
Help that list grow: Take materials to festivals, your employer, coffee shops, restaurants, clubs and place of worship. Call 901-378-3866
to arrange your supply.
Memphis Says NO MORE gets national exposure
The national
NO MORE team has posted news from
Memphis Says NO MORE on its website with photos from the Grizzlies game-night in April and the MATA press conference in June.
Rachel Hass from the national
NO MORE team said, "Thanks again for all your efforts. We're lucky to have such a wonderful partner. We are developing case studies soon and would love to feature your efforts!"
New Judicial Commissioner named
Shayla Purifoy, attorney for Memphis Area Legal Services, has been appointed to be a judicial commissioner for Shelby County by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners.
Shayla, a longtime volunteer, partner and adviser for the Women's Council, was chosen from among six candidates to succeed a retiring commissioner.
She worked hard to communicate her interest and qualifications to the county commissioners, including letters of support from Memphis Police Director Mike Rallings and Deputy Director Mike Ryall. Her supporters -- a diverse group, many dressed in purple -- attended the vote.
Deborah Clubb, on behalf of the Women's Council board and all women across the county, spoke to the commissioners about the importance of their choice:
"This person needs to be able and willing to listen, to hear and discern what is happening -- when police talk, when attorneys talk and when confused and frightened citizens talk. Shayla Purifoy is an ideal nominee for this work...She is well-acquainted with the devastating dynamics of intimate partner violence -- and she understands the technicalities of warrants and police procedure that the judicial commissioners facilitate."
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Deborah Clubb with Shayla Purifoy
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