Mayor Adams Announces City Hall, Municipal Buildings to be lit Purple as Part of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October 17, 2024

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced that City Hall and a number of other municipal buildings, as well as iconic sites across the city will be lit purple tonight for the 11th annual “NYC Go Purple Day,” in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The lighting of buildings across the five boroughs will raise awareness and underscore the Adams administration’s commitment to supporting survivors of domestic violence, their families, and communities.

“During Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I am urging all New Yorkers to learn about how domestic, intimate-partner, and gender-based violence impacts New Yorkers and what we can all do to support survivors,” said Mayor Adams. “Critical to our efforts to support survivors and their families is raising awareness for the rich ecosystem of potentially life-saving resources and services available to help New Yorkers reach safety and healing.”

“Across the city, we are wearing purple and lighting up City Hall and other municipal buildings in purple today to honor survivors of domestic violence,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “It is a symbol of how we, as an administration and as a city, stand with all those who have been touched by these issues and we affirm our commitment to supporting all those in need.”

“We all know someone who has experienced intimate partner violence in their life — this violence occurs in every neighborhood and every borough,” said Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence Commissioner Saloni Sethi. “Go Purple Day is an opportunity for all New Yorkers to demonstrate their support for survivors by wearing purple and sharing messages of hope with the hashtags #NYCGoPurple, #StandWithSurvivors, and #DVAM2024. Join us as we illuminate city and state landmarks purple to stand up against cycles of abuse and trauma.” 

In addition to City Hall, the following city buildings and iconic New York City sites will be lit up purple tonight at sundown:

City Buildings Being Lit Up:

• The David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building: 1 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007
• Gracie Mansion: East 88th Street & East End Avenue, New York, NY 10028
• One Police Plaza: 1 Police Plaza, New York, NY 10038
• Staten Island Borough Hall: 10 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301
• Queens Borough Hall: 120-55 Queens Blvd, Kew Gardens, NY 11424

 Iconic New York City Sites Being Lit Up:

• One World Trade Center: 285 Fulton Street, New York, NY 10007The Kosciuszko Bridge
• The Parachute Jump in Coney Island: Riegelmann Boardwalk, Surf Avenue (between West 37th Street & Brighton 15th Street), Brooklyn, NY 11235
• The Arsenal in Central Park: 830 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10065

 A full list of sites being lit up is available here.

While domestic violence is considered one of the most under-reported crimes, in 2023, there were still 245,018 domestic violence incident reports filed by the New York City Police Department — an average of 671 a day. In that same year, there were 87,985 calls to New York City’s 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 800-621-HOPE (4673), and the NYC Hope website of survivor resources had 101,000 visits. The Adams administration’s commitment to advancing the city’s response to domestic and gender-based violence is supported with multiple innovative strategies and initiatives including:

• Project Home: A pilot program to provide intensive, specialized housing search assistance to domestic violence survivors with children living in city shelters launched in partnership with New Destiny Housing — a nonprofit that provides housing and services to survivors and their families.
• Women Forward NYC: An action plan with more than $43 million in investments aimed at making New York City a national leader on gender equity, including for transgender and gender expansive New Yorkers, with the ambitious goal of becoming the most women-forward city in the United States. The plan addresses gender disparities by connecting women to professional development and higher-paying jobs; dismantling barriers to sexual, reproductive, and chronic health care; reducing gender-based violence against women; and providing holistic housing services, including for formerly incarcerated women and domestic and gender-based violence survivors.
• Street Harassment Prevention Survey and Resource Guide: An accessible, practical, and comprehensive guide for New Yorkers to learn how they can prevent and respond to street harassment. The guide includes different steps people can take both in the moment and following an incident of harassment, either as a target or as a bystander, as well as resources available to support someone who has been harassed.

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