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Wisconsinites express support for Marsy’s Law, urge local legislators to pledge support for equal rights for crime victims

MADISON – Last month, Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers, Attorney General Brad Schimel, and a number of prominent victims’ rights advocates to announce the “Stand With Crime Victims” pledge and ask candidates for Wisconsin legislative office to make a commitment to support equal rights for crime victims.

Since the announcement, supporters of the measure from communities across Wisconsin have been active in urging their local legislators and legislative candidates to take the pledge and support equal rights for crime victims. Read what supporters of Marsy’s Law have been saying in recent letters to the editor:

Steve Vickman, Executive Director of HELP of Door County, expresses support for Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin in the Door County Daily News:

“At HELP of Door County, our advocates often see that survivors of domestic abuse feel powerless. Victims feel that they do not have a strong enough voice in the court process. After being brutally attacked, too many victims find that those who kept them in a cycle of violence have a stronger voice and a host of clearly understood rights that they themselves do not have. In many cases, victims have rights that end up being trumped by the rights of the accused, because the victim’s right either is not in the Constitution or is not as strongly worded as it could be. There is a bipartisan proposal in the Wisconsin State Legislature which addresses victim’s rights. Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin is about giving victims equal constitutional standing to those of the accused and convicted criminals. It enshrines in our State Constitution the rights of those oftentimes powerless victims – providing them with new tools in their journey out of domestic violence situations… At HELP of Door County, we simply believe that the victims we serve deserve to have rights equal to those of the accused – nothing more and nothing less… Please join us: contact your local legislators and legislative candidates and ask them to take the Stand With Crime Victims Pledge and make a commitment to helping Marsy’s Law cross the finish line in Wisconsin.”

Diane Schumacher, a mother whose family has been deeply affected by crime, voices her support in the La Crosse Tribune:

“My family has been deeply affected by crime and we continue to mourn the tragic loss of our son, who was killed in 2015. That’s why I’m a supporter of Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin, bipartisan legislation to amend our state Constitution and give victims of crime equal rights in our legal system… This bipartisan legislation has passed key hurdles in the Legislature and was approved in both houses with broad support from lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. But there are many more votes to go to make this a reality -– in order to amend our Constitution and guarantee victims’ rights like those criminals already have, Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin must be passed twice in the  Legislature, then supported at the ballot box by voters.”

Samantha Thompson, a resident of northwestern Wisconsin, urges support of the Stand With Crime Victims Pledge in the Leader Register:

“I’m proud to live in Frederic and I want to help keep it safe. That’s why I’m a supporter of Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin, a bipartisan legislation to amend our state Constitution and give victims of crime equal rights in our legal system. I urge you to do the same. This is the right thing to do; it will help victims get justice, encourage more of them to come forward and make all of our communities safer.”

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