Marjaree Mason seemed to have
it all:
A job she enjoyed with the National Economic Development Association, is approaching graduation from Fresno State, and an independent life blessed by supportive friends and family.
At age 36, Marjaree was looking forward to starting an exciting new chapter in her life.
But in November of that year, Marjaree’s joy was overshadowed by the return of her ex-boyfriend – Fresno County sheriff’s deputy Robert Tillman. Tillman was an imposing presence who refused to go away despite Marjaree’s insistence that he leave her alone. Her continued rejection fueled Tillman’s rage, which exploded in violence one night as he kidnapped, beat, and raped Marjaree before releasing her the next day.
Convinced by friends to seek medical treatment, Marjaree shared details of her ordeal with hospital personnel, who reported the incident to the Sheriff’s Department. Before an investigation was launched, Tillman once again kidnapped and assaulted Marjaree, ultimately fatally shooting her before turning the gun on himself.
Marjaree’s tragic death gained national attention, shining a spotlight on domestic violence and galvanizing the Fresno community into taking action.
In 1979, the Marjaree Mason Center was born, and today, the Center is the only dedicated provider of shelter and comprehensive support services for families impacted by domestic violence in Fresno County. Sadly, as reported by the California Department of Justice, of the ten most populated counties in the state of California, Fresno County has the highest calls to law enforcement for domestic violence incidences. The Center has a total of 168 beds in two safe houses which consistently remain at or above capacity.
Last year, Marjaree Mason Center provided more than 74,000 nights of safe housing and served nearly 8,000 adults and children through 24-hour crisis support, emergency andlong-term housing, case management, legal advocacy, counseling, children’s services and more. In addition, Marjaree Mason Center provides prevention and education programs, striving to prevent and end the cycle of abuse.
Of the 11,291 domestic violence calls requesting assistance in Fresno County in 2022 as reported by the California Department of Justice, 1,545 of those incidents involved a weapon and 160 involved a firearm. Fresno County has experienced 17 homicides, and four attempted homicides, that were directly linked to domestic violence since the beginning of
2021. Of those, 17 included the use of a firearm.
In response to these statistics, the Marjaree Mason Center recently launched an interactive domestic violence data dashboard in partnership with all Fresno County law enforcement,
as well as a public awareness campaign focused on Gun Violence Restraining Orders and the assistance and supportive services that are available to victims of domestic violence.
Prevention and education efforts continue to be a great need in Fresno County. In addition to the growing number of calls to law enforcement and homicides that have taken place, in the last 14 months, the Marjaree Mason Center has seen three domestic violence homicides of teenagers (not reflected in homicide numbers above due to ongoing criminal proceedings).
Teen dating violence is of great concern and education within the schools continues to be a key focus for the Marjaree Mason Center.
The Center’s KNOW MORE® program provides site-specific, tailored training to teachers and students throughout the school year to teach them about dating abuse and how best to combat teen dating violence. Overall, the program's goal is to increase awareness of domestic violence while encouraging healthy relationships in teenagers and young adults through education and advocacy. The program is now in 36 high and middle schools throughout Fresno County.
While proud of the difference that occurred in thousands of lives, the ongoing need is far greater than what the Center’s current footprint can accommodate.
To fulfill our vision of a domestic violence-free community, the Marjaree Mason Center needs a new facility for three critical reasons: capacity, accessibility, and safety.
The Center’s current limited footprint does not allow space for child-centered supportive care in its non-residential Crisis Center, requiring a person seeking help to expose their children to the details of their abuse or find alternative childcare. This is often not possible when anonymously seeking safety.
In December 2022, the Marjaree Mason Center closed escrow on a 5.57-acre property with an existing 37,680-square-foot building centrally located in Fresno.
In November 2023, after months of private fundraising efforts, the Center publicly launched a $20 million capital campaign aimed at building a new Community Resource Center.
The new Center will double the footprint for critical non-residential services allowing the Marjaree Mason Center to optimize programs and services to help more people, transform more lives, bravely address root causes of power and control that lead to abuse, and end the cycle of violence in the Fresno County community.
As one of the largest domestic violence agencies in California that continues to see a growing need for services for those impacted by domestic violence, the Marjaree Mason Center knows there is much work to be done. To learn more, visit mmcenter.org.
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