Crime Victims Mourned in Concord [VIDEO]

More than 100 people from all walks of life came together on April 24 for , to celebrate a quarter of a century of helping crime victims heal here in the state of New Hampshire. The event was put together to commemorate National Crime Victims’ Rights Week and honor those lost in 2011.

The walls and basement of in Concord were lined with visual testimonials of the pain and harm that violence had caused in the lives of some Granite Staters – boys and girls, teens, mothers and fathers, and the elderly. Hundreds of pictures in frames, quilt squares, and gingerbread man stick figures, symbolizing the lives lost.

Sandra Matheson of the state Office of Victim/Witness Assistance said in the old days, rape victims had to pay to have the evidence gathered for their cases. Some families had to borrow money to bury their loved ones who were murdered. Victims didn’t get mental health counseling and were often sent to collections to pay medical bills. Twenty-five years ago, that all changed in New Hampshire, and advocates now work harder than ever to help others, she said.

However, there are still problems, she noted, and not just the smattering of recent deaths including the tragedy in Greenland where the town’s police chief was shot and killed and four officers wounded. Often holding back tears, Matheson stated that while great progress had been made, there were new faces in the audience, each and every year, for victims’ rights day.

“I feel proud to be part of the movement,” she said. “But we still have a lot of work to do.”

Attorney General Michael Delaney said this year’s theme was “extending the vision, reaching every victim,” and it was what inspired the changes so many years ago. He called the last month “difficult” and said crime impacts “all of us.” In seven days, he noted, the state had eight victims killed, another five wounded, and five perpetrators were also killed.

“Through this difficult time, we have seen the strength and courage of all victims of crime,” he said. “I want to stress to all of you that the attorney general’s office will continue to make the rights of victims a top priority for our office.”

pointed to the and how the community came together to help Police Chief Michael Maloney’s family. He said it was reflective of the work that advocates were doing to help victims of crime. Lynch thanked Delaney and Matheson for all of their work on behalf of victims.

“I’m certain her middle name is compassion,” he said of Matheson, commending her for her work for families and victims.

Lynch said despite the tragedies, New Hampshire was still one of the safest states in the nation.

After the press conference, some attendees headed to the basement of the church to view the Americorps Victim Assistance Clothesline Project that was on display. Normally, the decorated T-shirts, produced by victims as a way of expressing themselves, is displayed on the Statehouse plaza but due to inclement weather, was moved to the church. Some of the advocates read some of the expressions from the T-shirts that ranged from rage to remorse to hope and despair.