CANCELLED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER-- U.S. Attorney Trent Shores and Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler to Host “A Community Day of Hope

TULSA, Okla. – In observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 7-13, 2019, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma and the Office of the Tulsa County District Attorney are hosting “A Community Day of Hope”, April 13, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This free community event will be held at OSU Tulsa- 700 Greenwood Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

“Victims of crime deserve justice. This Department works every day to help them recover and to find, prosecute, and convict those who have done them harm,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “During this National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, we pause to remember the millions of Americans who have been victims of crime and we thank public servants who have served them in especially heroic ways. This week the men and women of the Department recommit ourselves once again to ensuring that crime victims continue to have a voice in our legal system, to securing justice for them, and to preventing other Americans from suffering what they have endured."

“The ‘Community Day of Hope’ is an opportunity to educate our community about crime victim resources. I have always found this event to be inspiring, as crime victims come forward to tell their stories of strength and resiliency. Their courage to publicly share their stories empowers others to come forward,” said U.S. Attorney Shores. “Victims and their families cannot go through these life changing tragedies alone. I am committed to ensuring victims are given a voice in the courtroom and have access to the resources they need to obtain help and healing.”

Speakers at this year’s event in the Northern District of Oklahoma are U.S. Attorney Trent Shores, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter, Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler, Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado and Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan. The event will held in conjunction with the Tulsa Health Departments’ one mile ENDUI Walk in remembrance of loved ones lost to DUI-related crashes, which starts at 10 a.m. The Oklahoma Blood Institute will also have a mobile unit available on site to collect blood donations which will be used to help fellow Oklahomans.

Community members attending the event will also hear from crime victims and their families; Melissa Blanton, Chief, Victim Services Unit, Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office; One Fire Cherokee Nation Victim Services Director Nikki Baker-Limor; and Muscogee (Creek) Nation Family Violence Prevention Program Director Shawn Partridge.

Each year in April, the Department of Justice and United States Attorneys’ offices observe National Crime Victims’ Rights Week nationwide by taking time to honor victims of crime and those who advocate on their behalf. In addition, the Justice Department and U.S. Attorneys’ offices organize events to honor the victims and advocates, as well as bring awareness to services available to victims of crime. This year’s observance takes place April 7-13, with the theme: Honoring Our Past. Creating Hope for the Future.

The U.S. Department of Justice will host the Office for Victims of Crime’s annual National Crime Victims’ Service Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C. on April 12, 2019, to honor outstanding individuals and programs that serve victims of crime.

The Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime, within the Office of Justice Programs, leads communities across the country in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week each year. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Crime Victims’ Rights Week in 1981 to bring greater sensitivity to the needs and rights of victims of crime.

The Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime, within the Office of Justice Programs, leads communities across the country in observing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week each year. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Crime Victims’ Rights Week in 1981 to bring greater sensitivity to the needs and rights of victims of crime.

The Office of Justice Programs provides innovative leadership to federal, state, local and tribal justice systems, by disseminating state-of-the art knowledge and practices across America, and providing grants for the implementation of these crime-fighting strategies. Because most of the responsibility for crime control and prevention falls to law enforcement officers in states, cities, and neighborhoods, the federal government can be effective in these areas only to the extent that it can enter into partnerships with these officers. More information about the Office of Justice Programs and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov. More information about Crime Victim’s Rights Week can be found at https://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ncvrw/. You may also contact the U.S. Attorney’s Victim Witness Program at (918) 382-2700.