Loveland Magazine

LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor

Since 2004

Tag: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

  • Federal Office on Violence Against Women removes funding opportunities from website

    Federal Office on Violence Against Women removes funding opportunities from website

    A bird rests on a statue of Justice at the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia April 7, 2022, in Alexandria, Virginia. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

    This story was originally reported by Jasmine Mithani of The 19th. Meet Jasmine and read more of her reporting on gender, politics and policy.

    The Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) has removed from its website all information on current funding opportunities and directs visitors not to finalize any applications. This adds to the fear of nonprofits that work to help victims of gender-based violence that a major funding source may dry up.

    It is unclear whether this pause is temporary. OVW did not return a request for comment on Friday afternoon.

    Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention took parts of its website down for several days to check for compliance with President Donald Trump’s executive orders.

    Users looking for information about funding from OVW are directed to the homepage, which on Friday showed a message to grantees saying that a funding freeze announced January 27 by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) was not in effect due to a judge’s restraining order. OMB had directed agencies to pause funds pending a review of their compatibility with executive orders related to immigration, “illegal DEI” and “woke gender ideology.”

    The notice of the court order says “agencies may exercise their own authority to pause awards or obligations, provided agencies do so purely based on their own discretion” and in accordance with agreements and not solely due to the rescinded OMB memo or the executive orders.

    An archived version of the OVW funding opportunities webpage from January 24, and viewable on the Internet Archive, shows 10 grants open for applications, with deadlines varying from January to May 2025. The update about withdrawing grant opportunities is dated February 6. Grants previously listed included ones aimed at ending abuse later in life, providing housing for victims of domestic violence and helping local law enforcement stop cybercrimes.

    Websites for other Justice Department offices, including Community Oriented Policing Services and Office of Justice Programs, continue to show available funding opportunities.

    OVW is one of largest funders of programs for survivors of gender-based and domestic violence.

    Many nonprofits that work with victims of domestic or intimate partner violence edited their websites in the wake of the funding freeze, providing static pages with just phone numbers or removing resources for LGBTQ+ people.

  • Loveland manhunt leads to arrest

    Loveland manhunt leads to arrest

    Pictured above is Loveland Police Chief Sean Rahe at a command Center he set up in the Linda Cox Parking lot in Historic Downtown.

    Loveland, Ohio – A manhunt unfolded yesterday from Downtown Loveland into Miami Township that yielded results leading to the arrest of a man wanted on a felony warrant for domestic violence.

    The pursuit started around 6 PM in Loveland when a Loveland officer spotted the suspect, as a passenger vehicle.

    This photo was taken around 8 PM last evening across the road from Miami Riverview Park near to where the suspect was later apprehended.

    Loveland Magazine asked Loveland Police Chief Sean Rahe around 8 PM for an update when the search from Historic Downtown Loveland into Miami Township seemed to be winding down.

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    Rahe told Loveland Magazine today, “We did catch him about 9:20 PM” near Miami Riverview Park. The park is at 587 Branch Hill Loveland Road.

    Police from many jurisdictions assisted: Hamilton Township, Mason, Montgomery, Clermont County Sheriff, and Miami Township. Police canines searched along the Loveland Bike Trail as well as nearby subdivisions and neighborhoods.

    The search centered around the Loveland Bike Trail going South from Historic Downtown Loveland toward Branch Hill.
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    Many police were also stationed on the opposite bank of the river on East Kemper Road.
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    Officers on bikes also assisted.
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    This photo was taken around 8 PM last evening across the road from Miami Riverview Park near to where the suspect was later apprehended.
    According to two eyewitnesses at the Loveland Farmer’s Market, the car sped dangerously into the Linda Cox Parking lot while the market was in session. A market volunteer called 911 because of the dangerous driving and because 4 people ran from the car, through the parking lot, and South into the wooded area.
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  • Brown, colleagues urge administration to help victims and survivors of domestic violence during coronavirus pandemic

    Brown, colleagues urge administration to help victims and survivors of domestic violence during coronavirus pandemic

    Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined 23 of his Senate colleagues in writing a letter expressing concern for the wellbeing of families who face an increased risk of domestic violence during the outbreak of the novel coronavirus and urged the administration to ensure service providers have the flexibility and resources to help victims and survivors of domestic violence. 

    Click image or call 1-800-799-7233 1-800-787-3224 (TTY) -En Español

    “We write to express our concern for the wellbeing of families who face an increased risk of domestic violence during the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). We also ask that the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) ensure that the organizations that help victims and survivors of domestic violence have the resources and information needed to continue to provide these critical services during the pandemic. The senators wrote:

    Dear Assistant Secretary Johnson and Acting-Director Rogers:

    We write to express our concern for the wellbeing of families who face an increased risk of domestic violence during the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). We also ask that the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) ensure that the organizations that help victims and survivors of domestic violence have the flexibility, resources, and information needed to continue to provide these critical services during the pandemic.

    In recent weeks, states and cities across the country have taken a variety of steps to mitigate the spread of the virus, including closing schools, limiting access to public spaces and restaurants, and instructing people to shelter in place. Many people are now working from home, while others have been required to take unpaid leave or have lost their jobs.

    An unintended but foreseeable consequence of these drastic measures will be increased stress at home, which in turn creates a greater risk for domestic violence. According to one recent article, emergency situations have “historically led to increased reports of domestic abuse” to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. In addition, domestic violence service providers expect an increase in the need for emergency childcare and domestic violence shelters, as well as for supplies to keep centers and program sites safe and secure.

    Many of these programs are administered by your offices and funded through grants authorized by the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act and the Violence Against Women Act. It is critical that your agencies ensure that victims and survivors of domestic violence continue to have access to these vital services. Accordingly, we request answers to the following questions, as well as a telephonic briefing with members of our staff, regarding actions ACF and OVW are taking no later than March 31, 2020:

    1. Have the domestic violence programs that ACF and OVW administer seen an increase in need over the past 60 days, as a result of the COVID-19 mitigation efforts in place at the local, state, and federal level? If so, please provide detail, to the extent possible, broken down by state or territory.

    2. How have the domestic violence programs administered by your offices been strained as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic?

    3. What steps have ACF and OVW taken to prepare for a potential rise in the need for domestic violence programs or services?

    4. What will ACF and OVW do to provide organizations an opportunity to request additional financial support to respond to an increased demand for services?

    5. What steps has ACF and OVW taken to ensure that survivors continue to have to access to judicial proceedings, including the opportunity to seek a protective order?

    6. What steps will ACF and OVW take to provide greater flexibility for service providers who may be required to alter their programs without risking their eligibility for funding?

    7. If programs have to close or suspend services due to COVID-19, will ACF and OVW offer grantees flexibility to continue to support the programs’ employees?

    8. What information or resources have you made available to domestic violence organizations, particularly with regard to ensuring the safety of front line employees?

    9. Have ACF and OVW provided guidance about how organizations should alter their operations in order to maintain services while providing for the safety of staff, including remote or mobile operations?

    10. What additional guidance or resources are ACF and OVW providing domestic violence organizations that serve American Indians / Alaska Natives, rural, and underserved communities?

    Thank you for your attention to this important matter. We urge you to take immediate action to prepare for a potential increase in incidents of domestic violence and look forward to your prompt response.

    Sincerely,

    Along with Sen. Brown, Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Bob Casey (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ed Markey (D-MA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Tina Smith (D-MN), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Mark Warner (D-VA), Jon Tester (D-MT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), joined in signing the letter.

    When survivors are forced to stay in the home or in proximity to their abuser, it can create circumstances where their safety is compromised, and they may need to alter their safety plan.

    For any victims and survivors who need support, we are here for you, 24/7.

    Call 1-800-799-7233 or if you’re unable to speak safely, you can log onto the hotline.org or text LOVEIS to 22522

  • How a Proposed First Amendment Law Would Protect Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault in Ohio

    How a Proposed First Amendment Law Would Protect Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault in Ohio

    The Ohio Citizen Participation Act will help prevent frivolous lawsuits against all Ohioans

    Evan Mascagni is the Policy Director for the Public Participation Project

    by Evan Mascagni,

    Immediately following a report by the New York Times that he allegedly sexually assaulted numerous women throughout his career, Harvey Weinstein threatened to sue the Times for defamation. For First Amendment legal scholars, this comes as no surprise. There’s a long history of powerful bullies attempting to use the legal system to silence their critics.

    These types of lawsuits, most commonly called Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), are used to silence and harass critics by forcing them to defend these baseless but costly suits. SLAPP filers don’t go to court to seek justice. Rather, SLAPPS are intended to intimidate the target by draining their financial resources and dragging them through years in the court system. 

    The Act will also help protect the domestic violence and sexual assault survivors who are afraid to speak out for fear of their abusers.

    Luckily for residents of Ohio, a new bill introduced by State Sen. Matt Huffman (R-Lima), would protect Ohioans from frivolous lawsuits that chill their First Amendment rights.  Senate Bill 206, The Ohio Citizen Participation Act, would allow Ohio to join 28 other states that have already enacted anti-SLAPP laws of their own, and put Ohio at the forefront of protecting free speech and petition activity.

    These retaliatory lawsuits can arise in many contexts.

    The Ohio Citizen Participation Act will not only protect journalists who are threatened for reporting on sexual harassment and assault allegations, as occurred with the Times’ Weinstein investigation. The Act will also help protect the domestic violence and sexual assault survivors who are afraid to speak out for fear of their abusers, who can use the courts as a weapon of retaliation. As Nancy Neylon, Executive Director of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, pointed out, “court proceedings can provide a tool for abusers to exert and reestablish control over a domestic violence survivor long after the relationship has ended.”

    These retaliatory lawsuits can arise in many contexts, including suing survivors for defamation if a survivor reports the abusers to law enforcement or speaks out publicly about the abuse they have suffered. This turns our legal system on its head, as the very place to which a survivor turns for protection becomes a weapon used against them.

    Evan Mascagni is the Policy Director for the Public Participation Project, a non-profit organization working to strengthen the First Amendment rights of all Americans by enacting strong anti-SLAPP legislation at the state and federal level.

     

    The Ohio Citizen Participation Act will help prevent frivolous lawsuits against all Ohioans, including domestic violence and sexual assault survivors, and help ensure that bullies don’t use the legal system as a tool of intimidation and retaliation.   

    For these reasons, I applaud Sen. Huffman for introducing the Ohio Citizen Participation Act. I hope that it passes through the state legislature quickly and is signed by the governor.  

    WHAT IS A SLAPP?

    The rights to speech and petition are enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Free speech and healthy debate are vital to the well-being of a democracy. In fact, the United States Supreme Court has said that the right to petition the government is the very foundation of our democracy.

    SLAPP = Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation

    SLAPPs are Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation.  These damaging suits chill free speech and healthy debate by targeting those who communicate with their government or speak out on issues of public interest.

    SLAPPs are used to silence and harass critics by forcing them to spend money to defend these baseless suits.  SLAPP filers don’t go to court to seek justice.  Rather, SLAPPS are intended to intimidate those who disagree with them or their activities by draining the target’s financial resources.

    SLAPPs are effective because even a meritless lawsuit can take years and many thousands of dollars to defend.  To end or prevent a SLAPP, those who speak out on issues of public interest frequently agree to muzzle themselves, apologize, or “correct” statements.

    Learn how SLAPPs affect your area of interest.

    For recent news on SLAPPs.  

    SLAPP-related cases, legal articles, etc.

    Information about anti-SLAPP laws your state.

    Read More at the web site of The Public Participation Project