JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is April 23 through the 29.
It’s an initiative created by the United States Department of Justice to rally and advocate for survivors of violent crimes.
Every 26.3 seconds a violent crime is committed, according to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Because of that statistic, the Justice Coalition advocates for Jacksonville survivors of violent crimes, including rape and sexual assault, robbery, assault, and murder.
Foster Coker, a board member of the non-profit, knows personally how difficult it is to overcome a violent crime.
“My wife and I survived a violent and lethal home invasion. At the time we didn’t know who to turn to. If you’ve never been a victim of a violent crime, you don’t realize the effect it could have on someone,” Coker said.
Survivors of violent crimes often experience anger, fear, isolation, low self-esteem, helplessness, and depression, according to the Office of Crime Victims.
“It just haunts you going forward, indefinitely, and luckily someone put us in contact with the justice coalition back then and they were able to explain to us what our rights were as victims of violent crime; and what to expect going forward the next day, the next week, the next six months. In our case, the next three years,” Coker said.
The Justice Coalition is hosting a series of events this week, beginning with a tossing of the roses ceremony on April 24, where survivors and victims can toss a rose in the St. Johns River in memory of a lost loved one.