Kathy White, executive director of Vivid Visions, said people turn their heads away from domestic violence, trying to ignore that it's a problem.

LIVE OAK, Fla. — Those in attendance held small, plastic candles as a symbol of the victims and survivors of domestic violence.

At a vigil for victims of domestic violence Thursday, Oct. 27, at Millennium Park around 7 p.m., a small crowd gathered to support October as domestic violence awareness month.

During the vigil, Live Oak Police Chief Buddy Williams read a proclamation by the mayor declaring October domestic violence awareness month in Live Oak.

Vivid Visions, domestic violence shelter for Suwannee County, hosted the event. Kathy White, executive director of Vivid Visions, said that nobody wants to talk about domestic violence, but it’s unavoidable.

“It’s so prevalent,” White said. “It’s everywhere. It’s everyday. It’s in our state, and it’s in our community.”

Kimberly Royal spoke at the vigil about her experience with domestic violence and about her sister who died from it in 2014.

Charlotte Painter, Royal’s sister, had a master’s degree in business, owned her own business in Jacksonville and was beaten to death by her boyfriend when she tried to leave him. She left behind two young children.

“She fought for her life, and he mutilated her,” Royal said. “It was gruesome.”

Working as a debt collector in Jacksonville, Painter hired James Lee Peters to work the phone. The two began to date and later moved in together, Royal said.

Painter discovered that Peters was selling drugs and filtering money through her business. She told him to stop or she would leave him.

Royal said her sister always stood up to people. In school, if a boy picked on her, she would slap him without hesitating.

“She was rowdy and liked to keep up with the boys,” Royal said.

Peters refused to leave and threatened to kill Painter’s parents if she leaved him. But, in the middle of the night, Painter started packing her bags when he caught her and killed her.

Royal didn’t get to go to her little sister’s memorial, she said. So the vigil was a way for her to remember her sister.

Cindy Robinson also spoke at the vigil about her experience with domestic violence. A Vivid Visions board member, Robinson mentioned that domestic violence in Suwannee County has gone up 50 percent last year.

“We have got to stop the violence,” she said. “We can talk about domestic violence, and we can eliminate domestic violence.”