Take Back the Night in Davis on Tuesday!!!!

Tuesday night women will be taking back the streets in Davis in protest of
domestic violence for the 25th annual Take Back the Night. Men are
not just invited but encouraged to attend.
Starting at 6 p.m., the event will feature a resource fair of various
women’s rights organizations, while rape survivors will their share
powerful stories of overcoming their traumatic experiences.
When it starts to get dark, the Davis/Yolo County chapter of the
National Organization will lead a women-only march through town
starting at Central Park, then walking up C Street, then down Russell
Avenue along the edge of campus fraternity houses, then through
campus, through the quad, then in and out of the Arboretum and
finally back to Central Park.
“We find places where women feel unsafe walking. The Arboretum is
especially scary at nighttime,” UC Davis student and member of the
NOW Alicia Leupp said.
She explained how men attending the event will stay at Central Park,
while the women march through town. The separation is symbolic of
“women going back and taking back the space,” Leupp said.
So while women take back the night, an organization called Men Acting
Against Rape will do a workshop, educating other men on roles they
can play in preventing sexual assault.
Then, everyone will join together for the candlelight vigil. Candles
are expected to be provided for those who attend.
Leupp explained that NOW, primarily an abortions rights organization,
is leading the march because “(NOW) has a reputation of organizing
good marches. We have a bunch of chants we’ve been working on,” she
said. The Davis chapter of NOW includes not only UCD students but
members who live through out Yolo County. The chapter has about 20
active members.
According to Take Back the Night organizer Tammy Strobel, who works
for the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Center, the following
organizations will partake in the resource fair in Central Park:
SADVC, UCD Campus Violence Prevention, Communicare Health Center, the
Woodland Police Department, RAG defense, the Juarez project (which is
based in Sacramento) and Sacramento based Planned Parenthood. A main
organizing effort for the event has been done by the UCD Campus
Violence Prevention Program.
According to Strobel, the names of the survivors who will speak are
not yet available. She said for safety reasons they cannot be
released, however, speakers will be screened before they go on stage.
The “clothesline project” which consists of 100 shirts strung
together along a clothesline will be hung between the trees in
Central Park. The shirts are designed by rape survivors and depict
personal artistic representations of their feelings. Leupp said, the
project illustrates different aspects of violence that is occurring.
For Leupp, this is her first Take Back the Night event. “I am really
excited ... there’s so much miscommunication for causes of domestic
violence. There’s so much blame on the victims. It’s important to be
aware and cautious. You can’t live your life in fear,” she said.
According to Strobel, the first ever Take Back the Night was held in
Belgium in 1976. “Women walked together holding candles ... since
1976, it’s become an international event. The event varies from city
to city. This year we want to increase community awareness, educating
ourselves about the extent of violence in the United States.
Citing statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice, Strobel
explained that over 85 percent murders are commented by men; 90
percent of the murders committed by women are for killing their male
batterers; 99.8 percent of those convicted of rape are men; 80-90
percent of child abusers are men; 1 in 12 women will be stalked
sometime in their lifetime; 80 percent of women stalked by intimate
partners have later been assaulted.
Entertainment at tonight’s event will be provided by Sacramento folk
artist Dre, SaDA Fuego Fire performance troupe, a UCD female a
cappella group and music by The Spokes.