Tucson women call for an end to violence

Chris Richards Arizona Daily Wildcat Participants in the "Take Back the Night" march move down Fourth Avenue Saturday night. The march was part of an evening program in which speakers and musicians gathered downtown to address the issue of violence against women and children.

Take Back the Night, a national event that pushes for an end to rape, domestic violence and child molestation, had about 250 participants in Tucson.

"It's about breaking the silence of women who have been violated," said Sarah Kraemer, co-coordinator for the event and member of the University of Arizona's Oasis Center for Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence.

"We want to tell women that there's resources in the community so they know they're not alone," Kraemer added.

Take Back the Night included speakers about violence against women and children, poetry readings and Indian Classical dancers.

The festivities at Armory Park, North Sixth Avenue and East 12th Street, were followed by a marched down Sixth Avenue east on East Sixth Street then up North Fourth Avenue.

"This night is about creating a safe place for people," said Matt Sanders, counselor for perpetrators and victims of sexual assault at the Oasis Center.

The event included the Domestic Violence Victim Advocacy Center, the Oasis Center for Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence and Tucson Rape Crisis Center.

"It was really important for us to build coalition with other community members in Tucson that are also working towards change. There's interconnected issues," Kraemer said.

Take Back the Night was started nationally in the 1970s and began in Tucson in the early 1980s, said Angel Muöoz, co-coordinator of the event and staff member with the Tucson Rape Crisis Center. The night is now an international event, Muöoz added.

"I think it's something everyone has to take account for. It's everyone's problem," said Chris Lewandowski-Pearson, an electrical engineering junior.

The night was more than a reflection on the effects of violence; it was also a celebration of the unification of strong women and children throughout the community, participants said.

"I thought the speeches before were negative and kind of brought me down. But (the Indian Classical Dance) is about celebrating being a woman," said Shauna Shapiro, a psychology graduate student.

The events began at 6:45 p.m. at Armory Park and participants left the park to "take back the night" at about 8:15 p.m. The demonstrators carried banners with phrases like "It's Never Okay" and "Still I Rise" through the streets, chanting and marching to the beat of Mama Ritmo and the Take Back the Night Drummers.

"Women are comfortable here, they're able to talk about their experiences and not be afraid," said Susie Ingold, a UA law student.