The courtyard at the Richard O. Watson Judicial Center will carry special meaning for many moving forward after the St. Johns County Memorial Garden was christened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony April 29.
The garden sits in the middle of the center’s courtyard and is meant to be a place to honor victims and survivors of violence.
“For the last 20 or 30 years, victim’s rights and the concern and support for victims has grown with both visibility and in their support network,” St. Johns County Clerk of Court and County Comptroller Brandon Patty said. “This is an extension of that.”
According to Patty, the initial victim’s garden was established about a decade ago. It sat outside the courthouse walls in front of the south entrance.
However, the time was right for the garden to be upgraded and the project to move the garden inside the courthouse walls and featured in the courtyard was in the works for the past year.
Patty believes that the move will bring the proper attention to the garden that he believes it deserves.
“It (initial garden) was in a place that made maintenance fairly difficult, and it was often overlooked,” Patty said. “A victim’s garden should be kept in pristine conditions or as close to it as possible. Within one of my first few months here, one of my clerks mentioned it to me and we looked into it.”
A steering committee was formed to help oversee the process and Patty hopes that the committee will continue to help maintain and upgrade the garden moving forward.
“It’s all about continuing to make sure that those that have suffered at the hands of another have a place and an opportunity to reflect and pause,” Patty said. “The courthouse is inherently a stressful place, but this garden will hopefully provide a peaceful oasis.”
The original garden and monument were created and dedicated to the memory of two members of the St. Johns County community, Stephanie “Theresa” Singleton-Gilliam and Laura Messina, both of whom died as a result of domestic violence.
Singleton-Gilliam worked as a member of the clerk of court’s office.
According to the clerk of court’s office, about 10 million people become victims of domestic violence each year, which equates to around 20 people every minute. Last year, 279 domestic violence injunctions were filed in St. Johns County and nearly 72,000 were processed statewide.
Retired Judge John Alexander spoke about the hard times domestic violence can bring to an entire family and how he has seen such behavior be passed down to the children of the families dealing with such aggression.
“The dysfunction it causes from generation to generation,” Alexander said. “Let us remember the victims and try to make our world a better place.”
