"Knock and Talk" Campaign Under Way to Reduce Domestic Violence in Titusville

Members of the Titusville community are going door to door to share information with other residents about the new laws and resources available to help reduce domestic violence in their neighborhood. The three-week campaign, which will end Saturday, is part of the UAB-Titusville 2000 project, a joint effort by the Civitan International Research Center at UAB and the Titusville community to rebuild the north Birmingham neighborhood.

Posted on May 11, 2001 at 12:10 p.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Members of the Titusville community are going door to door to share information with other residents about the new laws and resources available to help reduce domestic violence in their neighborhood. The three-week campaign, which will end Saturday, is part of the UAB-Titusville 2000 project, a joint effort by the Civitan International Research Center at UAB and the Titusville community to rebuild the north Birmingham neighborhood.

The slogan of the “Knock and Talk” campaign, led by the Titusville Domestic Violence Reduction Coordinating Council, is “In Titusville - No Excuse for Domestic Abuse.” “Domestic violence is everyone’s business,” says Ed Speights, president of the North Titusville Neighborhood Association. “And we’re going door-to-door to make sure everyone is aware of the seriousness of this issue.”

“Violence in the home has a negative impact on children’s academic performance as well as their behavior in the school,” says Virginia Volker, campus coordinator of the UAB-Titusville 2000 project. “And business and medical communities experience first-hand the costly consequences of domestic violence.”

Volunteers, including officers with the Birmingham Police Department, will meet Saturday at 8 a.m. at the Police Academy on 6th Avenue South for instructions. This weekend, the group will canvass the eastern end of the community until noon Saturday. By then volunteers will have visited approximately 1300 Titusville homes over the course of the campaign.

The goals of the campaign are to:

  • Inform residents of new laws and help available to address domestic violence.

  • Reduce hesitation of victims to call for help when needed.

  • Educate residents on the bad consequences of violence on children.

  • Stimulate discussion of the problem.

  • Create an atmosphere in Titusville that helps residents understand domestic violence is not to be tolerated.

The coordinating council was formed in January 2001 with funding provided in large part by the Women’s Fund of Birmingham. Other agencies and groups which have been involved with the campaign include UAB social work students, the Titusville Development Corporation, the YWCA Domestic Violence Education Program, Project S.A.F.E., the City of Birmingham, Family Court, UAB Women’s Initiative, the Department of Human Resources, the Birmingham Housing Authority, the South Precinct of the Birmingham Police Department, and Cooper Green Hospital.

For more information, contact Virginia Volker at (205) 934-3182 or Ed Speights at (205) 252-5526.