A group of men in the Quad Cities will take a stand against domestic violence Wednesday. The Elephant Club will host Flowers on the River at Schwiebert Park in Rock Island.
Chris Spencer is a juvenile court officer and a founding member of the club, a men's group dedicated to ending domestic violence. He says nearly one in three women will be victims of domestic violence during their lives. That's up from a few years ago, when it was one in four.
More teenagers are now involved in domestic violence, and Spencer takes teen boys to men's groups where they learn how to treat women with respect. And he thinks education is the key to ending domestic violence.
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Tomorrow, the Elephant Club will hold its fifth annual Flowers on the River ceremony. Members of the group will read the names of local domestic violence victims and place a flower in the river to honor each person. It'll be held at Schwiebert Park in Rock Island.
Nine years ago, Spencer helped create the club after Author Jackson Katz called on men to denounce domestic violence, saying it's a men's issue, not just a women's issue.