Ninety-three people died in domestic violence-related incidents in Alameda County between 2016 and 2026, District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson said Friday at the county's 24th annual Domestic Violence Day of Remembrance in Oakland, The Oaklandside reported. Thirty-three of them were younger than 30.
Why it matters: October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Advocates say abuse is widely underreported because survivors fear retaliation, stigma, financial dependence or immigration enforcement.
The ceremony
More than 100 people gathered at the Susan S. Muranishi County Administration Building plaza for the event, hosted by the DA's office and the Alameda County Family Justice Center, with the county Public Health Department's Office of Violence Prevention taking part. Organizers read aloud 275 names of people known to have died from domestic violence in the county over the past three decades.
"Every name belongs to someone who was deeply loved," Jones Dickson said.
Life-size cardboard silhouettes stood around the plaza, each telling a victim's story. The silhouettes were made in 2002 as an art project.
By the numbers
Oakland police have logged 3,422 domestic violence cases so far this year, The Oaklandside reported, citing department data.
Jones Dickson, a former dependency court judge, said leaving is especially hard for people without money or housing. "It literally takes a village to save somebody from this situation," she said.
Getting help
The county's Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team, created in 1996, reviews deaths each year to find ways agencies can step in sooner. Anyone in danger should call 911. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7.