Vigil to remember abuse victims

Community members and students will gather tonight at Dunn Meadow at 6:30 p.m. to "Take Back the Night."\nThe event is a community-wide vigil and march to promote awareness of rape and domestic violence against women. Opening the annual event will be the Bloomington Feminist Choir. After the choir, three speakers will discuss topics ranging from protection against sexual assault to the perpetrators of these crimes. A candlelight vigil in memory of the women who have died as a result of domestic abuse will close the events in Dunn Meadow.\nSenior Liz Siantz, an event organizer, said the vigil is a crucial part of the night.\n"'Take Back the Night' is for the survivors," she said. "The women being memorialized in the vigil are not, and it's important for everyone to remember that not everyone is a survivor of these crimes."\nAfter the ceremony participants are encouraged to participate in a march from Dunn Meadow to the Monroe County Courthouse, where the "speak-out" will take place. It is a chance for participants to share the reasons they are involved in "Take Back the Night."\n"The speak-out is a time for survivors to find support with others who have shared their experiences," said senior Stacey McDaris, "Take Back the Night" coordinator. "Because violence against women is a serious issue that is often not treated as one, this is a chance for Bloomington residents to send the message that rape is a crime and when it happens, we want justice for the survivor."\nThis is the first year, in recent years, that "Take Back the Night" is a week-long series of events. An art show Tuesday night captured the emotions and feelings of survivors and artists, and Wednesday night showcased a film screening, open-mic and dance performance at Collins Living-Learning Center.\nWhile there are no concrete dates of the first "Take Back the Night" march, Julie Thomas, a speaker at this year's event, said most people involved believe it started with a single event in London in the 1970s and then spread through Europe and eventually to the United States, with the first march taking place in San Francisco in 1978. Thomas is a visiting lecturer in gender studies at IU, serves as the president of the board of directors for Middle Way House and volunteers at Middle Way House as an on-scene advocate.\nThomas's experiences as a coordinator for "Take Back the Night" and the Middle Way House have strengthened her views of Bloomington women.\n"I'm amazed and moved by the strength and courage of women in this community as survivors of violence," Thomas said. "We are all honored by their presence at the event -- while we are there to support them, they also inspire everyone at the event to renew their dedication to ending violence against women."\nMcDaris encourages everyone in the community and on campus to participate in tonight's events.\n"The public should be involved to show their support," she said. "It shows support for the people you know and the people you don't know. It's a time for the Bloomington community to get together, voice their concerns about rape and to learn about the extent of the problem in the community."\nThomas said the social response to relationship violence is a critical reason to come out to the event.\n"The way society typically responds to relationship violence is that it's a private matter, and we shouldn't interfere," she said. "We blame rape victims for what has happened rather than looking at the perpetrators of the crime. We should never ask 'why didn't she leave the abusive relationship?' or 'what was she wearing?' because we don't ask those questions when someone is the victim of a different crime. We don't ask the person hit by a drunk driver why they were out driving at that time of night."\n-Contact staff writer Julia Blanford at jblanfor@indiana.edu