M E D I A   R E L E A S E


For Immediate Release

May 28, 2002

NATIONAL ANTI-VIOLENCE COALITION ANNOUNCES PLAN FOR GROWTH; APPOINTS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

New York - Today, representatives from the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) announced that the organization was beginning a critical 3-year process that at its end will result in the organization's prominence as an important national partner in the field of national organizations serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and HIV-affected communities. The central elements of this process will be the incubation of NCAVP by the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project (New York AVP), and the appointment of New York AVP's Clarence Patton as Acting Executive Director of NCAVP.

"By utilizing the staff resources and organizational infrastructure of New York AVP, the incubation arrangement will have a tremendous effect on NCAVP' s ability to expand its capacity to implement policy, direct-response, technical assistance, and local service development activities," said Patton. "My role will be to work with both the NCAVP Board around the country and New York AVP's staff to steward this process over the next three years - at the end of which, we hope to see NCAVP truly stand on its own as a viable advocate for our communities and their violence-related issues," continued Patton. Patton will retain his position as Director of Community Organizing and Public Advocacy at New York AVP, and perform his duties as Director of NCAVP as a part-time function of that position.

"Currently, the majority of organizations doing anti-violence work around the country are in a precarious position because they are so poorly resourced," added Jeffrey Montgomery, of the Triangle Foundation in Detroit and NCAVP's Co-Chair. "Building a national organization, whose charge is in part to advocate for public and private resources at the national level for those organizations will have a tremendous effect on the viability of our anti-violence movement," continued Montgomery. "Similarly, centralizing NCAVP's information-sharing activities and expanding our technical assistance work will be an absolute boon to the stability of local organizations and, we hope the development of additional anti-violence programs around the country," concluded Montgomery.

"AVP is very proud to be doing this with and for NCAVP. NCAVP's 26 member organizations need a strong national voice as well as a dependable critical incident response team with which to work when high profile cases occur across the country," stated Richard Haymes, AVP's Executive Director and NCAVP board member. "Clarence's expertise in the area of community organizing and his reputation as a national leader within NCAVP will enhance the efficacy of the organization's important work in the years ahead. The board's recent strategic planning and AVP's ability to allocate resources for this incubation period come at a time when LGTB communities across the country are experiencing heightened levels of violence against them and within them. Our goal is to strengthen NCAVP, strengthen the local programs, and grow new and effective programs and innovative service models appropriate to the diversity of LGTB people," concluded Haymes.


The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) addresses the pervasive problem of violence committed against and within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and HIV-positive communities. NCAVP is a coalition of programs that document and advocate for victims of anti-LGBT and anti-HIV/AIDS violence/harassment, domestic violence, sexual assault, police misconduct and other forms of victimization. NCAVP is dedicated to creating a national response to the violence plaguing these communities. Further, NCAVP supports existing anti-violence organizations and emerging local programs in their efforts to document and prevent such violence.