South Bay : Women Rally Against Domestic Violence

Dozens of motorists honked their horns, rolled down their windows and raised their fists Wednesday in support of demonstrators who blocked traffic in San Pedro and protested against domestic violence.

Chanting “Hey, hey, ho, ho, domestic violence has got to go,” more than 50 women, many who are survivors of domestic violence, marched through the intersection of 9th and Gaffey streets. The noon demonstration was organized by San Pedro’s Rainbow Services’ battered women’s shelter and the Harbor Area YWCA to raise awareness of the issue.

“It’s important for women to know you don’t have to put up with violence,” said Sally Sherlock who was on her lunch break and said she lived for eight years as a battered wife. “Women today have so many more options than I had in the 60s and 70s.”

The women marched for about 15 minutes handing out color-coded informational flyers, pink and yellow for women, blue for men. The flyer for men read, “Next time you see or hear one of us in trouble, pay attention.”

“I think this is great,” said Ben Lomeli, who watched from outside TC’s Cocktail Lounge as he read the flyer. “They have to get this issue out of the closet because too many women are getting hurt.”

A similar protest was held at noon in Pasadena, where 100 demonstrators joined actress Erin Gray in blowing whistles in unison to bring attention to the problem. . . .