Marsy's Law for Wisconsin, Golden House Display Silhouettes in Brown County Raising Awareness of Victims’ Rights

MADISON – This week, Marsy's Law for Wisconsin and Golden House partnered on a joint event displaying silhouettes in Brown County to help raise awareness of crime victims’ rights in Wisconsin and recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The silhouettes highlighted various rights included under Marsy’s Law, the state crime victims’ constitutional amendment which was adopted with overwhelming support during the April 2020 election.

“It was an honor to partner with Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin to raise awareness about victims’ rights,” said Cheeia Lo, Golden House Executive Director. “Each year we hold our Show of Strength Award event to celebrate the individuals that show their strength every day in our community. We do this in October, which is Domestic Awareness month, to bring awareness to the prevalence of domestic violence in Brown County. This was a great opportunity to help inform the survivors we serve and the community at large about the constitutional rights available to them in Wisconsin.”

Silhouette displays were set up Thursday at the annual Golden House Show of Strength event in De Pere and Friday on the Brown County Courthouse lawn. Each silhouette includes a version of a constitutional right included in Marsy’s Law, as well as links to additional resources to inform viewers about victims’ rights in Wisconsin.

“As we recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we hope these silhouettes serve as a powerful symbol of the real survivors behind the policies we support as advocates, voters, and citizens,” said Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin Outreach Director Nela Kalpic. “We were grateful to partner with Golden House to remind Brown County residents of the victims and survivors who remain relatively unseen within our communities.”

A full list of the rights available to Wisconsin crime victims under Marsy’s Law is available here.

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About Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin

Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin is a grassroots coalition that championed a unique proposal to give victims of crime equal rights in our state, building on Wisconsin’s laws and history of leading on this issue. The crime victims’ rights state constitutional amendment, also known as Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin, was ratified during the April 7, 2020 election with an overwhelming 75 percent of voters in support.  Marsy’s Law is named after Marsalee “Marsy” Nicholas of California who was stalked and killed by her ex-boyfriend in 1983. Only one week after her death, Marsy’s mother and brother, Henry T. Nicholas, walked into a grocery store where they were confronted by the accused murderer. The family, who had just come from a visit to Marsy’s grave, was unaware that the accused had been released on bail. In an effort to honor his sister, Dr. Nicholas has made it his life’s mission to give victims and their families constitutional protections and equal rights.