"Growing up, I saw first-hand a perfect example of what not to do," Chartrand said. "Violence is untolerable, whether it be men against women or women against men."

Chartrand was one of a couple of hundred people who marched to City Hall yesterday to demonstrate against domestic violence. The Annual Men's March Against Violence brought together men and women, police, lawmakers and mayoral candidates to honor those who have suffered injuries or have lost their lives to domestic violence.

Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of the event sponsored by the City and County of Hono-lulu, Catholic Charities of Hawai'i, the Domestic Violence Clearing House and Legal Hotline, and The Honolulu Advertiser.

The demonstrators started at Kekaulike Plaza in Chinatown and marched along South King Street, holding signs and chanting anti-violence slogans. Muggy weather and sporadic showers made the trip uncomfortable but did little to dampen the spirits of the participants.

The group ended up in Skygate Park on the diamondhead side of City Hall where several speakers, including Mayor Jeremy Harris, spoke of the need for increased vigilance against violence.

"While we may live in paradise, it is a paradise that has deep problems of domestic abuse," he said. "If we could all be emissaries of this one simple message, maybe one day, we won't have to have this march."

Harris and others were preceded by a solemn recitation of names of domestic violence victims who have lost their lives in the past year.

Pam Sanders, a Headstart pre-school teacher in Washington state, said the march was a great way to raise awareness about domestic violence.

"It's essential for healthy families to recognize the importance of how we treat each other," she said.