AUBURN - Many tears were shed and warm hugs felt at the 25th annual “Take Back the Night” rally held at Auburn City Hall Wednesday evening.
Jill Connor / The Citizen
Myliesha Clark, 6, with her mother, Kim Greene, and Suehannah Houghtelling, 8, all from Auburn, march down Genesee Street in the “Take Back the Night” event sponsored by the Sexual Assault Victims' Advocate Resource on Wednesday evening.
Myliesha Clark, 6, with her mother, Kim Greene, and Suehannah Houghtelling, 8, all from Auburn, march down Genesee Street in the “Take Back the Night” event sponsored by the Sexual Assault Victims' Advocate Resource on Wednesday evening.
“Together we can stand against violence,” was the theme of the Sexual Assault Victims' Advocate Resource's (SAVAR) rally and march, organized to promote prevention and awareness and to support survivors of sexual violence and crimes.
Auburn Mayor Mike Quill welcomed more than 200 SAVAR supporters, many of them students from Wells and Cayuga Community colleges.
“It's a shame that marches like this have to take place,” said Quill, joining the march north from city hall on South Street to Genesee, west to William Street and back to city hall.
Signs saying, “Protect, Respect,” “Somebody Cares,” “Safe Kids, Safe Family,” and “Stop the Violence” bobbed along the marching throng.
While they marched, they chanted, “No more silence, no more violence,” and “We have the power, we have the right, the streets are ours, take back the night.”
Alice Jordan, parent partner and SAVAR case manager, and Rosa Grube, SAVAR education coordinator, welcomed supporters and introduced the speakers.
“This is a responsibility I do not take lightly,” Jordan said. “We're asking the community to change.”
She urged people to listen to the survivors.
“Remove the cloak of darkness that covers the perpetrators” she said, “and the darkness found in the laws that must be strengthened to protect all.”
Jon Budelmann, Cayuga County district attorney, spoke about violence.
“Tell everyone we're not going to be afraid at night; we'll take it back,” he said. “The community will not tolerate sexual violence and domestic abuse.”
He recounted a recent case of a woman who was psychologically, emotionally and physically abused, who had the courage to flee and later testify against her abuser.
“She held the subject accountable for horrible things he'd done,” Budelmann said. He quoted from her letter, “'I knew if given the chance he would kill me.'”
She was afraid to return but testified to keep him from doing it to another woman. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Budelmann received an e-mail from her that said, “You don't know how good it is to find somebody to believe and hear me.”
“For me, this was a double blessing,” Budelmann said. “He was held accountable and it gave her empowerment.”
Then a volunteer reader, Christa, read a poem by Suzanne, a sexual assault victim. It began, “I was a child. You had no right to take my woman's power for your own,” and ended, “I was a child. You had no right.”
Suzanne read her own poem, “Freedom Song,” which said, in part, “You raped me. You gave me pain as penitential office. You broke my wings and left me bleeding on your altar.”
Cayuga County Sheriff Dave Gould, who has attended “Take Back the Night” events since they started, was pleased to see so many young people.
“The next generation is the one who has to protect,” he said. He joined the Child Abuse Task Force committee in 1989 and continues to support it.
A moving poem was read by a male sexual assault victim, MacKenzie, now 17. He was repeatedly raped beginning at the age of nine for 18 months by a man. “I shall never forget,” his poem ended, to a tearful audience.
Author Cathy Brochu stressed the importance of talking about sexual assault, family violence and incest, and explained her trilogy of books, “Lost Innocence,” “New Beginnings,” and “Beyond Survival.”
Brochu was a sexual assault victim who grew up for 13 years in an incestuous family. She changed her life and helped adult incest survivors by initiating and facilitating support groups.
She lectures on the importance of knowing what to look for, what to ask, and what to do for a potential victim of child abuse.
Wells College singers performed between speeches: the “Whirligigs” with two songs including,“Lean on Me;” “Appointed,” with two numbers; and “Henry's 8,” with “No More Silence.”
“No more silence,” Rosa Grube said, “That's the message we need to take with us tonight.”
She referred to the 30 colorful T-shirts strung out between the lampposts in front of City Hall - all messages written by sexual assault survivors.
“Write your feelings and thoughts down,” Brochu added. “Give yourself a voice.”
Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net
Auburn Mayor Mike Quill welcomed more than 200 SAVAR supporters, many of them students from Wells and Cayuga Community colleges.
“It's a shame that marches like this have to take place,” said Quill, joining the march north from city hall on South Street to Genesee, west to William Street and back to city hall.
Signs saying, “Protect, Respect,” “Somebody Cares,” “Safe Kids, Safe Family,” and “Stop the Violence” bobbed along the marching throng.
While they marched, they chanted, “No more silence, no more violence,” and “We have the power, we have the right, the streets are ours, take back the night.”
Alice Jordan, parent partner and SAVAR case manager, and Rosa Grube, SAVAR education coordinator, welcomed supporters and introduced the speakers.
“This is a responsibility I do not take lightly,” Jordan said. “We're asking the community to change.”
She urged people to listen to the survivors.
“Remove the cloak of darkness that covers the perpetrators” she said, “and the darkness found in the laws that must be strengthened to protect all.”
Jon Budelmann, Cayuga County district attorney, spoke about violence.
“Tell everyone we're not going to be afraid at night; we'll take it back,” he said. “The community will not tolerate sexual violence and domestic abuse.”
He recounted a recent case of a woman who was psychologically, emotionally and physically abused, who had the courage to flee and later testify against her abuser.
“She held the subject accountable for horrible things he'd done,” Budelmann said. He quoted from her letter, “'I knew if given the chance he would kill me.'”
She was afraid to return but testified to keep him from doing it to another woman. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Budelmann received an e-mail from her that said, “You don't know how good it is to find somebody to believe and hear me.”
“For me, this was a double blessing,” Budelmann said. “He was held accountable and it gave her empowerment.”
Then a volunteer reader, Christa, read a poem by Suzanne, a sexual assault victim. It began, “I was a child. You had no right to take my woman's power for your own,” and ended, “I was a child. You had no right.”
Suzanne read her own poem, “Freedom Song,” which said, in part, “You raped me. You gave me pain as penitential office. You broke my wings and left me bleeding on your altar.”
Cayuga County Sheriff Dave Gould, who has attended “Take Back the Night” events since they started, was pleased to see so many young people.
“The next generation is the one who has to protect,” he said. He joined the Child Abuse Task Force committee in 1989 and continues to support it.
A moving poem was read by a male sexual assault victim, MacKenzie, now 17. He was repeatedly raped beginning at the age of nine for 18 months by a man. “I shall never forget,” his poem ended, to a tearful audience.
Author Cathy Brochu stressed the importance of talking about sexual assault, family violence and incest, and explained her trilogy of books, “Lost Innocence,” “New Beginnings,” and “Beyond Survival.”
Brochu was a sexual assault victim who grew up for 13 years in an incestuous family. She changed her life and helped adult incest survivors by initiating and facilitating support groups.
She lectures on the importance of knowing what to look for, what to ask, and what to do for a potential victim of child abuse.
Wells College singers performed between speeches: the “Whirligigs” with two songs including,“Lean on Me;” “Appointed,” with two numbers; and “Henry's 8,” with “No More Silence.”
“No more silence,” Rosa Grube said, “That's the message we need to take with us tonight.”
She referred to the 30 colorful T-shirts strung out between the lampposts in front of City Hall - all messages written by sexual assault survivors.
“Write your feelings and thoughts down,” Brochu added. “Give yourself a voice.”
Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net
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