The DOVE Project will hold a second forum this afternoon around the topic of safety and how it intersects with alcohol, drugs and sexual violence.

DOVE’s Executive Director Betsey Archambault held a similar meeting last week, and she said she hopes to build on that effort for people who might not have been able to attend.

“Some people can come to night meetings, and some cannot,” she said. “I want to be able to get as much feedback as possible.”

The meeting will be from 2 to 3:30 p.m. today, Wednesday, at Rock Island Pub and Pizza. About 20 people attended the previous meeting, with the conversation centered on how women would feel safe going out to island bars and restaurants, what bars could do to promote safety and what community members could do.

With the input provided then, the information gleaned today will be shared with the group Vashon SAFE (sexual assault-free establishments), which formed recently and currently includes owners or staff members of the Eagles, Snapdragon, Sporties, The Red Bike, The Hardware Store Restaurant and May Kitchen and Bar. Pete Welch and Allison Shirk of Vashon Events are also supporting the effort, which focuses on patron safety, especially the safety of women.

“We are getting strong buy in that this topic is really important,” Archambault said.

Before year’s end, she said she would like to offer the Green Dot program, which provides training to bystanders in how to intervene in potentially violent situations, including sexual assault.

Currently, she added, there is considerable support for this type of work, and she noted it is timely.

“I think that now more than ever, all of us can use more of those skills to know how to step up and say or do the right thing to protect the people that we love,” she said

— Susan Riemer