Annual walk honors victims of domestic violence

Zach Richter WNYT

32nd annual domestic violence awareness march

Dozens of people came for the march up to the city hall in Schenectady Thursday night.

YWCA’s 32^nd Annual Take Back the Night March honored victims of domestic violence Thursday night in Schenectady. Victims along with their families and supporters marched up to city hall holding signs.

NewsChannel 13 spoke to Wendi Gapczynski from the YWCA, who said she has been at this march for the past 21 years.

“We march for awareness, domestic violence awareness. We march for those survivors that don’t have a voice so much. And we honor those who we have lost,” Gapczynski said.

The event began at 5:30 with speakers behind the YWCA building.

“It’s an invisible crime that happens behind closed doors. And sometimes we might ask is it financial infidelity,” one speaker said.

YWCA’s CEO also spoke along with Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney and Schenectady Police Chief Eric Clifford.

“We recognize that we have way too many in this county. I like to think that the numbers that we have shown, are high a little bit because we take them so seriously and we document them. We’re better to be safe than sorry,” Chief Clifford said.