Victim’s Advocate Award
Harriet Salarno
President, Crime Victims United of California
On September 3, 1979, Harriet Salarno’s entire future changed. Instantly, she was transformed into a victim’s advocate. The victim was her daughter, Catina, who had been shot and killed at the University of the Pacific in Stockton by a longtime childhood friend, Steve Burns.
Catina’s murder prompted Harriet to form the San Francisco chapter of Parents of Murdered Children in 1979. Then, in 1984, she founded Justice for Murder Victims, and today serves as president and chairwoman of Crime Victims United of California.
Harriet is a fighter for those who can’t. In 1983, she and then-State Senator Quentin Kopp co-chaired the Crime Victims Bill of Rights campaign, and in 1990, she served as Northern California chair for the campaign to pass the Speedy Trials Initiative. This effort, on a statewide level, has earned Harriet national recognition, having appeared on Nightline and 48 Hours, and as the subject of articles in Woman’s Day and Ladies’ Home Journal magazines.
A graduate of the University of Southern California, Harriet was appointed by former Governor Pete Wilson to the California Council on Criminal Justice, the State Advisory Group on Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention, the Commission on Judicial Performance and was appointed by former San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan to the city’s Juvenile Justice Probation Commission.
Harriet is also a past recipient of the Doris Tate Governor’s Award and Woman of the Year Award from former Assemblymembers John Burton and Jackie Speier, and has received recognition from the United States Department of Justice.
Harriet is a tireless worker in support of victim’s rights and she has never let go of these three ideals: help survivors cope with the tremendous grief, ensure that the rights of victims are not ignored within the judicial system, and bring about change that would make a balanced justice system.
It is for this determination that the Golden Badge Foundation awards its first Victim’s Advocate Award to Harriet Salarno.
Collene Thompson Campbell
Founder, Memory of Victims Everywhere (MOVE)
Collene Thompson Campbell is the founder and leader of Memory of Victims Everywhere (MOVE), a grassroots organization dedicated to advancing justice reforms in memory of those who have been murdered. Like others, Collene came into her role as a crime victim’s advocate through a series of personal tragedies. First, her only son was murdered in 1982, and six years later — while her son’s case remained tied up in the court system — her brother, racing legend Mickey Thompson, and his wife were also murdered.
Collene has focused her energies on organizing crime victims so that their concerns are heard at the level of state government. In her capacity as both a volunteer with MOVE and the State Victims’ Chairwoman, Collene pressed forward and helped to achieve passage of California’s Crime Victims Justice Reform Act. Under Collene’s direction, MOVE members collected enough signatures to put the initiative on the state ballot. Collene then devoted countless hours of her personal time to travel the state — often at her own expense — to relate her story to the public and advance the message contained in the legislation.
Collene has served as a resource person and inspiration for legislative reforms at the federal level as well. Collene has won the respect of both state legislators and federal administrators for the courage and conviction she demonstrates in focusing public attention on the hardships suffered by victims of crime.
The Golden Badge Foundation wishes to add its respect for Collene’s work and awards her its second Victim’s Advocate Award this evening.
