Heather Guerino and her husband Sirio are well known for cleaning up graffiti in Norwood. Now Heather is taking on a new cause by advocating for domestic violence survivors, and putting greater attention toward the issue.

“I am on the frontline of this issue because I am working with parents that have gone through domestic violence situations,” Heather said. She even mentioned still seeing the effects of abuse on men and women who are no longer with their abuser.

Heather’s advocacy was inspired by the tragic story of Lisa Marie Velasquez, a young woman from the Bronx who intended to aid her friend in a domestic violence attack in August last year but ended up losing her life. Velasquez was beaten to death with a hammer and dismembered. Her body parts were spread across two Bronx parks.

From 2010 to 2017, the Bronx saw the highest number of murders related to domestic violence cases at 153, according to a report by the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence. But there were some glimmers of improvement as the homicide rate related to cases involving domestic violence dropped in 2017 with 9. There were 16 the year before.

Heather has already gone to work spreading awareness about the issue. During a graffiti cleanup event on Parkside Place on June 1, Heather had a collage set up to remember the victims of domestic violence with Velasquez at the center. She sees her community outreach as remembering the victims, but is taking steps to see victims protected further.

Heather sent letters to Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez, State Sen. Jamaal Bailey, and Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, pitching ideas for further protections. She’s requested she receive more training to be better equipped to speak to victims, and having events every month to spread awareness. Heather even suggested they introduce a bill similar to Connecticut’s domestic violence law, arguing New York’s laws are weak.

New York’s Domestic Violence Justice Act allows victims of domestic violence who commit crimes under coercion from their abusers to receive a shorter sentence and/or attend alternative incarceration programs. These include the victim suffering physical, sexual, or psychological abuse inflicted by a spouse or intimate partner at the time.

Heather is currently trying to receive funding to provide a 24-hour daycare service for children whose parents are victims of domestic violence. This would allow parents to be able to go to a hospital, or find temporary housing as of way of leaving their abuser.

“If we don’t push for change, everything is going to be stagnant. It’s going to remain the same,” Heather said.

David Cruz contributed to this report.