Exhibit bears witness to deaths.

Byline: MARK BAKER The Register-Guard

JUNCTION CITY - Amy Renea Hamlin. Michelle Marie Lavin. Susan Carol McGuire. Ruth Melody Taylor.

All from Oregon. All women. All murdered by their husbands or boyfriends.

And all represented here Wednesday night in the form of a blood-red silhouette.

"This is very interesting that I'm wearing red," said Leota Raye, a survivor of spousal abuse, as she sat down to play a song on her guitar during a Womenspace exhibit titled "Silent Witnesses" at Festival Hall. "All these victims are in red and I'm in red. It gives me the chills."

The exhibit, currently representing 22 Oregon women murdered by their husbands or boyfriends, has been around Lane County since the mid-1990s but was making its first stop here.

Tuesday night, it will be in Eugene during a public vigil at the Federal Building to kick off Domestic Violence Awareness month, which occurs in October.

Wednesday night, volunteers read poems and stories written by others affected by domestic violence - whether they have survived it or committed it.

"Sometime during our life, we all will know someone who is affected by domestic violence," said Libby Jensen, Women- space coordinator in the Junction City office of the Eugene-based organization, which provides domestic violence support services.

One out of every three women killed in the United States is murdered by their partner, said Margo Schaefer, community outreach director for Womenspace. And in Oregon, according to gun violence groups, it's two out of three, she said.

That's because Oregon has fewer murders overall than most states and fewer women killed for other reasons, such as drug violence or drive-by shootings, Schaefer said.

About 20 women a year are murdered in Oregon by her partners, she said, "but one of the biggest messages to get out there is, help is available."

Womenspace, begun in Eugene in 1977, provides an emergency shelter for battered women, a 24-hour crisis line, support groups, transitional programs, community education and counseling.

The Silent Witnesses project started in Minnesota in 1990 and quickly spread to other states. By 1997, every state had a Silent Witnesses exhibit and a national initiative was started to end domestic violence murders by 2010.

Most women who are subjected to domestic violence seek help from family and friends or their church, Jensen said, and that can often be more harmful than helpful if professional help isn't also sought.

Family and friends often see the abuser in another light because they often are Jekyll-and-Hyde types, Jensen said. Sometimes they find it hard to believe that the abuse is real or dangerous, she said.

On the other hand, up and leaving a partner who abuses you is when a tense situation can explode, Jensen said.

Hamlin, who was killed by her husband June 11, 2000, had left him and moved to Seattle with the couple's 18-month-old son. During a trip back to Eugene, her husband strangled her at their home, wrapped her in a mattress and blankets and dumped her body in the McKenzie River.

So what should a victim of domestic violence do?

"Have a safety plan," Jensen said.

That includes practicing how to get out of your home safely, telling a neighbor to watch for signs of violence, and if you have to talk to your partner, think of the safest way, and place, to do it, she said.

Raye said she has been married four times and two of her husbands abused her. She finally got help through the Womenspace office in Cottage Grove, where she lives.

"I am one of the walking living," she told those who came to see the exhibit. "Sometimes we victims go back to the abuse. That's where Womenspace comes in and that's what's so awesome. It empowers women."

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VIGIL-CELEBRATION

What: A public vigil to show support for those living in a violent relationship and to honor those who have escaped to safety.

When: Tuesday, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Federal Building, East Seventh Avenue and Pearl Street in Eugene.

Who: Sponsored by Womenspace, the event features choirs, speakers, children's art, information, a candlelight vigil and "Silent Witnesses," a display commemorating 22 Oregon women murdered during domestic violence.

How to get help: Call Womenspace in Eugene at 484-6103 or in Junction City at 998-3799. Or call the 24-hour crisis line at 485-6513 or toll-free [phone].

- Womenspace

"My wife, a victim of spousal assault and murder, resides in an urn." - From a poem titled "Ashes in an urn," by an anonymous spousal abuser

CAPTION(S):

THOMAS BOYD / The Register-Guard Leota Raye looks at silhouettes that represent murdered women as she waits to sing at a Womenspace "Silent Witnesses" exhibit about domestic violence. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VIGIL-CELEBRATION What: A public vigil to show support for those living in a violent relationship and to honor those who have escaped to safety. When: Tuesday, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Federal Building, East Seventh Avenue and Pearl Street in Eugene. Who: Sponsored by Womenspace, the event features choirs, speakers, children's art, information, a candlelight vigil and "Silent Witnesses," a display commemorating 22 Oregon women murdered during domestic violence. How to get help: Call Womenspace in Eugene at 484-6103 or in Junction City at 998-3799. Or call the 24-hour crisis line at 485-6513 or toll-free [phone]. - Womenspace