FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Daniel Meza, 210-286-0272

dmezasolano@hotmail.com

Councilwoman Shirley Gonzales Questions Business’ Moral Leadership on

Domestic Violence

SAN ANTONIO (May 3, 2018) –Domestic violence has been headlining our local news, most
recently in a quote in today’s San Antonio Express-News attributed to the President and CEO of
the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. In it, Chamber President Richard Perez is
quoted as saying that allegations of domestic violence against Councilman and Mayoral
candidate Greg Brockhouse were not a “business issue.” This is Councilwoman Shirley
Gonzales’ response to that statement:

I want to be very clear about this, domestic violence is very much a business issue. To deny this
is at best willful ignorance and at worst conscious neglect. Domestic violence is, in a direct way,
a workforce issue - people can’t work, leave their children to go work, or take care of
themselves if their basic needs aren’t being met, and safety is a basic need.

A report, published in The Nation on September 20, 2017, states that “For working women
facing acute job insecurity and dwindling social supports, domestic abuse may intensify gender
inequality–manifesting in eroding wages, rising medical bills, and the tightening financial grip of
their partners.”

1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men in the United States have experienced some form of physical
violence by an intimate partner, how is this not a business issue?

Texas is among the top 10 states with the highest domestic violence rate, how is this not a
concern regarding our city leadership?

When people in leadership roles - in government, in business, in the media - whitewash reports
of domestic violence it calls our city’s character into question. San Antonio has one of the
highest domestic violence rates in the State of Texas, we should be the first to call it out for the
shameful act it is.

I am alarmed at the lack of moral and personal fortitude to stand for decency and for our
community’s character, be it standing against intolerance disguised as morality or diminishing
the thousands of victims of domestic violence who live among us.
This is about basic human principles and as our city closes in on making important
representative government decisions, it’s the best and proper time to talk about it. To ignore it,
willfully, is to begin unraveling our moral fiber. We shouldn’t have to question whether domestic
violence is a business issue or worthy of our leadership at City Hall. It should be understood, as
a given, without having to be debated.

If you are a victim of domestic violence, it’s important that you report it to
www.thepeaceinitiative.net or www.fvps.org

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