Gabby Petty's grandmother revealed her wish on Wednesday that it was her tragic Long Island native's 26th birthday.
“It's a great idea, I love it,” Grandma Mary Wickman told the Post after a press conference in Levittown. “Long Island has more animal shelters than shelters for women and victims of abuse.”
Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman said the county is considering a centre run by permanent county after Safe Center, the largest domestic violence shelter, closed on March 14 with a flap with the nonprofit that runs it.
The county has moved operations to the University of Nassau Medical Center, and Blakeman said he will be discussing services with two other nonprofits elsewhere.
“We want to make sure that the counties named America's safest counties are also safe for those who may be victims of domestic violence,” Blakeman said outside Miller's Yalehouse.
Blakeman and other Nassau officials also announced that the county is working on a plan to ensure “the best program in the United States to combat domestic violence.”
There is no timetable for when this plan will be released or implemented.
Petit was killed by his abusive fiancée Brian Landry.
Long Island has the lowest domestic violence rate in the state, according to the state's Department of Health.
But Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly explained that domestic violence is also one of the county's most underreported crimes and is likely to contribute to an incredibly few cases.
“We have to change this, we have to change it through awareness, education, and through new law,” she said.
But those on the other side of the aisle are already worried about the promise being broken and are unhappy with the lack of details of the county's announcement.
Coslow County, a Democrat running against Blakeman in November, accused county executives of simply trying to shift focus with his incomplete plans “while women are suffering.”
“It feels as if these survivors have been affected twice, first by their abusers, and now by their own county executives,” Koslow told the Post. “Blakeman owes an apology to women and families in Nassau County, and has an immediate, transparent and practical plan to advance sustainable, quality support services.”
In response, Blakeman called Koslow's statement about Gabby Petit's birthday “shameful.”
“There's no surprise from criminal defense attorneys who once specialised in protecting sexual predators. It's dishonorable,” Blakeman told the Post.
