Domestic violence continues to plague the nation. A San Antonio Peace Laureate wants to change it all, one community at a time.
Patricia S. Castillo is the executive director for P.E.A.C.E. Initiative. P.E.A.C.E. stands for Putting an End to Abuse through Community Efforts. She co-founded it 29 years ago in San Antonio. The progress and success of the foundation gained attention from civic leaders and the San Antonio Police Department. A few years ago, the city of San Antonio moved money from some city departments to the police department to allow them to take over administrative duties. Trained volunteers work side by side with police officers to better assess domestic violence calls. Castillo hopes Corpus Christi will follow suit.
“Corpus Christi is like any other community in our nation that is dealing with exploding levels of domestic violence. This is something that unfortunately is a trend right now across our nation.” shared Castillo.
Castillo met with the Corpus Christi American Federation of Teachers to discuss efforts to educate the youth. Domestic violence can become an intergenerational cycle of abuse. And Castillo says to break those cycles, restorative justice approaches allow young people to become a part of the solution by understanding the roots of the problems and the options. Castillo’s next steps are to meet with law enforcement leaders like the Sheriff and police chief as well as the district attorney.
“Corpus Christi is you know getting a headstart on dealing with these issues. And I’m very honored to help here,” added Castillo.
