{"id":282711,"date":"2025-10-06T23:18:16","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T23:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/282711\/"},"modified":"2025-10-06T23:18:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T23:18:16","slug":"mother-of-slain-blogger-says-at-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/282711\/","title":{"rendered":"Mother of slain blogger says at event"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every hour in San Antonio, there are seven 9-1-1 calls reporting domestic violence. <\/p>\n

\u201cI know that\u2019s not much different than many other communities,\u201d said Judge Monique Diaz of Bexar County\u2019s 150th District Court. \u201cBut It\u2019s important for us to know how domestic violence is impacting us here and that we are doing something about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

About 200 advocates, public officials, service providers and law enforcement officers filled the ballroom at the Henry B. Gonz\u00e1lez Convention Center on Friday morning for the sixth annual Domestic Violence Awareness Symposium and another 300 people tuned in virtually.<\/p>\n

The symposium is organized by the Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence, a joint initiative formed in 2019 by Bexar County and the City of San Antonio to break down barriers to collaboration between courts, police, health departments, hospitals and nonprofits.<\/p>\n

\"\"KSAT-12 reporter Courtney Friedman moderates a panel discussion with three survivors of domestic violence at the sixth annual Domestic Violence Awareness Symposium on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. Credit: Diego Medel \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

The morning\u2019s first session, \u201cSurvivor Voices: Stories of Strength and Healing\u201d set the tone for the day-long event. Testimonies from three women captured the complexity behind the decision to stay and the final decision to leave after years of abuse.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The women spoke about fear, faith and the slow process of rebuilding their lives. They described the obstacles that kept them in abusive relationships \u2014 shame, financial dependence and families who urged them to stay.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Throughout the day, panelists explored those experiences through discussion on prevention, survivor support and systematic reform. Sessions covered trauma-informed housing, coordinated crisis response and early intervention for children exposed to violence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Erica Haller-Stevenson, a violence prevention administrator for Metro Health, said this year\u2019s programming placed particular focus on housing instability, one of the most common results and fears in family violence cases.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe city\u2019s Point-in-Time count from earlier this year found that somewhere around 49% of people who were homeless were homeless because of domestic violence,\u201d Haller-Stevenson said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Judge Monique Diaz, county co-chair of the Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence, speaks during an interview at the sixth annual Domestic Violence Awareness Symposium on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. Credit: Diego Medel \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Diaz said meaningful progress would require addressing both sides of the abuse.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think rightfully so, a lot of focus is often placed on resources and assistance for survivors of family violence. At the CCDV we look at the entire picture,\u201d Diaz said. \u201cWe try to ensure that the person who has caused harm is also getting the help that they need to break their own cycles of abuse.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

That message carried into a candid discussion during the Voices of Accountability panel. Two men \u2014 Montgomery McCrory and Ricardo Munoz\u2014 spoke about their experiences as former perpetrators of domestic violence, who successfully completed Batterer\u2019s Intervention and Prevention Programs called BIPP.\u00a0<\/p>\n

BIPP is a group therapy course that consists of 24 group sessions focused on allowing perpetrators to take responsibility for their abusive behavior and teaches them the fundamentals of a healthy, non-violent relationship.<\/p>\n

Both men said BIPP programs forced them to confront how power and control shape abusive behavior.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trail of trauma, the trail of people that I had hurt, the things that I\u2019d done,\u201d McCrory said. \u201cThe weight was almost overbearing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

They now advocate for prevention and accountability, challenging cultural norms that equate masculinity with dominance. During the discussion, they shared messages for survivors of a crime they once committed themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you guys are all incredibly strong, a great example of survival and resilience,\u201d Munoz said. \u201cWhat we as perpetrators have tried to take from you, you guys have been able to stand back up and say, \u2018No, you don\u2019t.\u2019 And I also tell you that I\u2019m making a commitment to \u2014 instead of being a part of the problem \u2014 being a part of this solution.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to say I\u2019m deeply empathetic and apologetic that those things have happened to you,\u201d McCrory added. \u201cOn behalf of the abuser side of it, these things aren\u2019t OK, and I hope there\u2019s healing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The symposium\u2019s closing keynote featured Nicole Schmidt and Tara Petito, mother and stepmother of slain travel blogger Gabby Petito.<\/p>\n

\"\"Advocates, public officials and service providers gather to discuss collaborative approaches to domestic violence during the sixth annual Domestic Violence Awareness Symposium at the Henry B. Gonz\u00e1lez Convention Center on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. Credit: Diego Medel \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Petito\u2019s 2021 death drew national attention and has since become a catalyst for education and reform around intimate-partner violence. Through the Gabby Petito Foundation, Schmidt and Petito fund survivor services, first responder training and awareness campaigns aimed at recognizing the early signs of abuse.<\/p>\n

They spoke about the foundation\u2019s work with local agencies across the country, including law enforcement training on identifying patterns of coercive control and public education on digital safety and social media awareness.<\/p>\n

\u201cGabby\u2019s voice was silenced,\u201d Petito said. \u201cBut through her story, we hope to protect others, empower survivors and elevate voices that need to be heard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schmidt and Petito told attendees they learned, after Gabby\u2019s death, how manipulation, isolation and control had gradually replaced affection \u2014 signs that were difficult for loved ones to recognize at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cGabby\u2019s story looked picture-perfect from the outside \u2014 traveling, smiling, in love,\u201d Schmidt said. \u201cWhat we didn\u2019t see was how things were changing behind the scenes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"A collage of images of Gabby Petito displayed during the keynote address at the sixth annual Domestic Violence Awareness Symposium at the Henry B. Gonz\u00e1lez Convention Center on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. Credit: Diego Medel \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

They urged attendees to continue pushing for collaboration among victim services, law enforcement and the courts, emphasizing that early intervention and education are key to preventing further violence.<\/p>\n

The keynote concluded with a video featuring messages from survivors describing how Gabby Petito\u2019s story encouraged them to seek help and raise awareness about domestic violence.<\/p>\n

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call San Antonio\u2019s\u00a0Family Violence Prevention Services<\/a>\u00a0at\u00a0210-733-8810<\/a>\u00a0or the\u00a0National Domestic Violence Hotline<\/a>\u00a0at\u00a0800-799-7233<\/a>. The hotlines are open 24\/7. Find local resources\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Every hour in San Antonio, there are seven 9-1-1 calls reporting domestic violence. \u201cI know that\u2019s not much…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":282712,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5133],"tags":[5229,145810,7288,145811,32551,145812,145813,136754,145814,7202,7203,358,7453,3187,7815,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,7455],"class_list":{"0":"post-282711","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-batterers-intervention-and-prevention-programs","10":"tag-bexar-county","11":"tag-collaborative-commission-on-domestic-violence","12":"tag-domestic-violence","13":"tag-domestic-violence-symposium","14":"tag-gabby-petito","15":"tag-henry-b-gonzalez-convention-center","16":"tag-judge-monique-diaz","17":"tag-san-antonio","18":"tag-sanantonio","19":"tag-texas","20":"tag-top-story","21":"tag-tx","22":"tag-typedaily","23":"tag-united-states","24":"tag-united-states-of-america","25":"tag-unitedstates","26":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","27":"tag-us","28":"tag-usa","29":"tag-wc-1500-2000"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115329781821511302","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=282711"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282711\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/282712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=282711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=282711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=282711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}