Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
MR. MAXWELL GOES TO WASHINGTON
Downingtown Mayor Josh Maxwell attended recent White House summit to end sexual violence
Downingtown Mayor Josh Maxwell went to the White House to continue pledging “it’s on us.”
Vice President Joe Biden, along with the “It’s On Us” campaign, hosted a summit on Jan. 5 at the White House to discuss how 200 non-profits, elected officials and activists can work together to end sexual violence in their communities and in the country.
The national It’s On Us campaign began in 2014 by President Barack Obama and Biden. It has a mission to raise awareness to help put an end to sexual assault on college campuses.
“Hold your universities responsible,” Biden said. “They have a moral obligation to step up.”
Biden said he was raised by a gentleman, and the cardinal sin for a man was raising a hand to a woman. He said his dad taught him
“I believe that is up to men to take up the challenge of ending sexual and domestic violence.” — Downingtown Mayor Josh Maxwell
to not hurt a woman physically or mentally, and to stop someone from hurting a woman.
The It’s On Us campaign encourages people to not be a bystander and to educate others. Biden said the start of the program including training at police departments to improve how the officers handled physical domestic investigations and how to interview victims.
Maxwell, along with the seven-member borough council and Downingtown Police Department administrators, have worked with several organizations to learn how to handle such investigations and to help the victim. During a recent forum, Downingtown Police Chief Howard Holland said more resources have been provided to police since he began as a patrolman in 1997.
The format of the summit last week included small discussion groups by the attendees. Maxwell said this allowed stakeholders and activist to brainstorm together and offer ideas on how “we can best work together to end gender-based violence in our communities.”
“I was able to share what we are already doing in Chester County, by working together with law enforcement, non-profits and elected officials with the White House,” Maxwell said. “My pledge at the summit was to recruit 10 other mayors to pass the law we passed in Chester County so that more officers know exactly what resources are available to survivors when the officer arrives at the call.”
Biden said they realized the need to include men in the movement. He said for example that at a college party where a woman is intoxicated, that men need to speak out to prevent a man from taking advantage of her.
“Silence – you’re an accessory,” Biden said. Maxwell agreed. “I believe that is up to men to take up the challenge of ending sexual and domestic violence,” Maxwell said. “Unwanted physical and sexual contact is a crime and should be treated as such by everyone.”
Maxwell partnered in October 2016 with the Chester County Women and Girls Fund, the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County and the Crime Victims Center of Chester County to launch a coordinated campaign in Chester County to end gender-based violence. The first meeting included a pledge from five Chester County mayors and Anthony Giaimo, the president of the Chester County Police Chiefs to require all police officers to be trained on the resources available to sexual and domestic violence survivors through the Domestic Violence Center’s lethality program. Several students from Chester County universities also attended.
While his 8-year term is nearing its end, Biden said he “will devote the rest of my life to fighting violence against women.” He encouraged the attendees that their work can continue as individuals, whether or not president-elect Donald Trump’s administration continues the program. The swearing-in ceremony for Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence will occur on Jan. 20.
The summit also featured speakers from major league baseball, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), elected officials, students from dozens of universities, nonprofit leaders and survivors.
Visit Daily Local News staff writer Ginger Rae Dunbar’s blog about journalism and volunteering as a firefighter at FirefighterGinger.blogspot.com.