Take Back the Night

A group of women and men stopped traffic and brought spectators to tears on Kirkwood Avenue Thursday night as they marched, chanted and waved banners, demanding an end to violence against women during the annual Take Back the Night march and rally. \nAmong the spectators on Kirkwood was Middle Way House resident and former abuse victim, Lisa Randall, who stopped in her tracks upon hearing more than 50 united voices shouting things like, "However we dress, wherever we go, yes means yes, and no means no." \n"I heard them chanting, and I just stopped," Randall said, "I was raped, so the march really moved me. It helps those of us that don't have the strength to stand up for ourselves." \nThe march, which was meant to signify the right for women to walk alone in the night without being confronted by violence, began in Dunn Meadow with a rally including music by the Culchies and informational booths sponsored by various campus organizations. Some of the participating groups included the Middle Way House, IU Men's Coalition, Woman's Student Association and the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance. While the cause they gathered for was a serious matter, people of all age, race and gender danced and conversed in celebration of the annual gathering. \nA candle-lit vigil and a moment of silence were held among the crowd to remember victims of sexual assault and abuse, and soon men and women separated to take their different paths through campus toward their final destination at the Monroe County Courthouse. \nOnce there, the group sang "We Shall Overcome," and individual women were invited to speak about their thoughts and experiences with violence and sexual abuse. Several of those in attendance stood in the center of the town square and shared tears and words of hope with others. \nWhile the majority of those in attendance were women, there were about two dozen men in the crowd, as well. Their separate, silent march was to allow for reflection on what it means to be a man who will not tolerate violence against women, organizers said. \n"We want to bring out men for the event to show our support and to tell other people that men do care about this issue of violence against women, because it's everyone's issue," junior Tim Gross, a member of the IU Men's Coalition, said.\nDuring the march through campus, spectators on the streets jumped off bikes and changed direction to join in the chanting that grew louder and more enthusiastic as it continued. \nSenior Amy Gastelum, president of the Woman's Student Association and one of the key organizers of the march, said the event's main purpose was to provide education and solidarity for abuse victims and the Bloomington community. \n"We demand a change in society," Gastelum said. "Tonight we will march through the streets testifying that we are a group of people committed to productive discussion and forward thinking. We want to create a space were women can say, 'We are taking back the night, and tonight we are safe to walk alone."