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Thursday, March 28, 2024
bike path protest

Marchers brave the rain, thunder and lightning to "Take Back the Bike Path," showing their support for the survivor of a recent sexual assault that occurred on the Capitol City Bike Trail Sept. 1.2

Madison community marches in solidarity with sexual assault survivor

As rain flooded the streets Thursday night, so did hundreds of people who marched through a torrential downpour, shouting chants like “out of the halls and into the streets, we won’t be raped, we won’t be beat” and “however we dress, wherever we go, yes means yes and no means no.”

Madisonian women, men and children made this march from Burr Jones Field to the intersection of Livingston and Williamson Streets in support of the survivor of a sexual assault and attempted homicide committed Sept. 12.

For hours, feminists, activists, community members and bystanders alike joined in chants and gave their silence for the shared cause.

Dayna Long, former president of the Wisconsin Chapter of the National Organization for Women, created and led the “Take Back the Bike Path” march to show solidarity with the survivor of the recent attack and all survivors of sexual assault.

The group’s indignation carried the force of their message, with speakers near the conclusion of the event making clear their intent to enact change.

“We are committed to changing what we don’t like, right here in this community,” state Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, said. “Every nine seconds a woman is beaten and abused in the United States, every 90 seconds a woman is raped. That’s unacceptable. We’re here to say tonight, we don’t accept it.”

People who participated in the march placed signs along the Capital City Bike Path in protest of sexual assault, portraying their anger for the community to see.

Speakers also addressed inequality, self defense and everyday actions people can take to help end sexual violence. Ali Treviño-Murphy, an instructor at Villari’s Martial Arts and Fitness, stressed the importance of stepping up and fighting back against the problem.

“When women … fight back, they are effective in preventing sexual assault 80 percent or more of the time,” Treviño-Murphy said. “Women are strong, physically, emotionally and mentally. Women survive every day. We survive sexism, we survive being disrespected, we survive on less pay … We fight every single day.”

Volunteers from the Marquette Neighborhood Association collected donations for the survivor before the event.

“Someone should be able to focus on their recovery and not on paying their rent … It’s just a little thing to do,” Renee Lauber, a member of the Marquette Neighborhood Association, said.

According to Long, donations had neared $7,000 at the beginning of the march.

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“I’m so blown away by the outpouring of support from the community … and their willingness to take to the streets,” Long said. “And on the other hand, I’m so sick of feeling sick about violence against women. Enough is enough.”

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