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Candlelight vigil at Pier Plaza empowers crime victims

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About 30 people gathered for a candlelight vigil at Pier Plaza on April 14 to observe National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.

The event included speeches by Huntington Beach Mayor Jim Katapodis and Police Chief Robert Handy.

Crime victims also spoke about their experiences and aimed to empower each other to move forward.

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Patricia Wenskunas, founder and CEO of Crime Survivors Inc., told the crowd about the time she fought off an attacker in her home. The assailant drugged, beat and attempted to suffocate her with Saran wrap. She said she escaped by jumping the 12 feet from an indoor balcony to the kitchen floor below and running to find help.

“What happened to me is over,” Wenskunas said later in a phone conversation. “I’ve been able to break the cycle of victimization. I’m not a victim. I’m a survivor. I feel like I have to share my story for the people who don’t or can’t have a voice. I’ve been given a gift to take my story as a personal survivor to help other victims.”

Handy said after the event that it served as an opportunity for his department to show victims that police care and understand the profound effect that crime can have on innocent lives.

“The system tends to focus on the bad guys,” he said in a phone interview.

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brittany.woolsey@latimes.com

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Twitter: @BrittanyWoolsey

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