Otter Tail County walk spotlights sexual assault prevention, suicide awareness

Someplace Safe says it helps nearly 4,000 survivors of crime each year in west-central Minnesota, and Otter Tail County will put that work in the public spotlight at the third annual I’m Saying NO MORE to Sexual Assault Walk on Sunday, April 26, at Spies Riverfront Park in Fergus Falls. The free public event starts with a short presentation at 1:00 p.m. before a 1.1-mile walk through the park at 117 South Union Avenue.

This year’s program will focus on the connection between sexual assault and suicide awareness, a pairing county leaders say reflects the lasting toll trauma can take. Assistant County Attorney Christina Galewski said survivors can face suicide risk at any stage of their journey, including years after an assault. That message places the event squarely in the public health conversation, where sexual violence is treated not only as a crime but as a source of long-term mental health harm.

The walk is being organized by the Otter Tail County Violence Prevention Task Force with Someplace Safe, the Fergus Falls Police Department and the Otter Tail County Attorney’s Office. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and the county has used the month to connect prevention with local services, crisis response and education. Spies Riverfront Park, a familiar public gathering place in Fergus Falls, gives the event a visible setting in the heart of the city rather than inside a closed meeting room or office.

County materials say participants can purchase a T-shirt for $10 by contacting Christina Galewski in the Otter Tail County Attorney’s Office at 218-998-8400. Someplace Safe, a nonprofit serving a nine-county region in west-central Minnesota, says its local work includes advocacy for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, exploitation, human trafficking, stalking, elder abuse and homicide.

The county is also pointing residents to crisis help. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7. Someplace Safe’s 24-hour crisis line is 800-974-3359, and people can text 844-980-0169. Otter Tail County’s Community Partnerships for Suicide Prevention coalition has about 30 members and is funded by a Minnesota Department of Health Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Grant that runs from July 2023 through June 2027.

Taken together, the walk and the resources around it show how local prevention work now stretches beyond awareness alone. In Otter Tail County, the message is that sexual violence, suicide risk and survivor support are part of the same public safety conversation.