Candidates attend sexual assault forum

Lansing — As a part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month this October, the Capital Area Domestic and Sexual Violence Coordinating Council, or CADSVCC, hosted a town hall meeting Tuesday evening with the candidates running for Ingham County prosecuting attorney.

Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III, who has held his position 11 years, is facing J. Nicholas Bostic in November’s election.

The town hall meeting was meant to be a way to inform the community about where candidates stand on prosecuting cases involving domestic violence and sexual assault.

Erica Schmittdiel, advocacy coordinator for MSU Safe Place, said she decided to organize the event because she wanted to show the community that although prosecuting domestic violence and sexual assault cases are difficult, it’s still taken very seriously.

“I hope this event raises awareness with not only the candidates, but also with the community about domestic violence and sexual assault,” she said.

The meeting was held at the Clark Conference Center on Sparrow Hospital’s St. Lawrence Campus, 1210 W. Saginaw St., in Lansing.

Organizers said the meeting was a way for the candidates to introduce themselves to the public.

The CADSVCC compiled a list of 10 questions related to sexual and domestic violence for the candidates to answer.

The candidates also answered questions from the audience about issues ranging from how they would handle a juvenile sexual assault case to how they would approach terminating a person’s parental rights.

“(Domestic violence) is one of the more serious crimes you have at the misdemeanor level,” Bostic said. “The issues that we have in society of violence being used as a tool in relationships is something that is very important and absolutely it has to be in the forefront of the prosecutors thought process.”

Both candidates said they hope the community leaves the meeting more educated about domestic violence and the resources available to them.

“Sexual and domestic assault is a very serious matter and I know the people who come here are concerned about it,” Dunnings said. “I think they have the right to know where I stand on this issue and what I think about it.”

Jillian Pastoor, community relations coordinator for End Violence Encounters Inc., said she hoped the public left with a better understanding of what is going on in the community and learned enough about the candidates to make an informed decision.

“There are a lot of people working to create safety and support for survivors of domestic violence and this (event) is one part of that,” Pastoor said.

“We hope that people can be more aware of some of the things that are happening in our community.”

Published on Tuesday, October 7, 2008