Safe Passage Center Update – Great News!

By Lynn Olson

On January 19, County Executive Ike Leggett, seven County Council members and Court Watch Montgomery President Laurie Duker cut the ribbon to officially open Montgomery County’s new Safe Passage Center providing monitored child exchanges and supervised visits for families experiencing domestic violence. The opening culminated a 5-year campaign led by Court Watch Montgomery to address a serious gap in the County’s domestic violence safety net. In her remarks, Duker singled out County Executive Ike Leggett and Council Members Marc Elrich, Tom Hucker, Sidney Katz, George Leventhal, Craig Rice and Sidney Katz for their work in shepherding the Center into service.

Mary Silva, a WDC member and head of the Court Watch campaign to establish the Center said, “Thanks to WDC and other county groups who were steadfast and effective advocates for the Safe Passage Center. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

Now Court Watch turns to educating the courts, families, and the public about these new County services. If judges do not require families to use the Safe Passage Center, victims and children in the county will remain at great risk. If the public doesn’t know about the Center, families who need these services may not hear about them, thereby reluctant to seek protective orders. As Laurie Duker said at the ribbon cutting, “Tell everyone you know. You may save a life.”

If you would like to help Court Watch on education, awareness and making these services more accessible to residents countywide, please contact Mary at marysilva@gmail.com