By Julia Berkman
CW: Sexual Assault
Almost one hundred people took to the dark Bellingham streets on Dec. 30 to reclaim their city as a part of a project organized by four Western students.
Marie Blue, Shawnee Lang, Chris Speckhardt and Madeline Konswa decided to organize a Take Back the Night march for their Women Gender and Sexuality Studies class.
In a speech standing atop the Red Square fountain, Speckhardt spoke to a crowd of 90 people clad in glow sticks and headlamps.
“This started as a class project and has grown exponentially over the past week. It can feel hopeless and lonesome sometimes with so many stories in the media every day, but the point of this is to show that we have a united community, right here, that is actively fighting for equality and social justice for all people,” she said.
Take Back the Night is a non-profit organization that opposes sexual violence. The premise of the march is to reclaim the dark streets that may terrify women on their walk home. It started in the ‘70s and still holds marches to this day.
The march took off towards the Bellingham police station from Red Square, a route of two miles. After accessibility concerns were raised on Facebook, organizers made sure to mention that the route would be downhill and fairly slow.
Blue, another organizer, faced a personal experience that led her to organize Take Back the Night.
“I was flashed. I thought I was tough, stronger than how much it affected me. I have really bad anxiety from it taking a toll on my self confidence. I used to love Western’s campus freshman year, and now I just don’t feel my sense of place at all anymore. It started happening to all my friends- getting flashed, not feeling safe at night,” she said.
Also in attendance was 6-year-old Olivia Gonzalez and her mother. When asked what she wants to be when she’s older, Olivia thought hard.
“Maybe… what we’re doing right now,” she said. She then ran ahead to her mother, cheering and smiling the whole way.
Chants of “We have the right! To not be scared at night!” and “Say it once! Say it again! No excuse for violent men!” echoed off buildings as the crowd marched down Billy Frank Jr. Street. People stuck their heads out windows and came onto their porches to witness the spectacle.
Marlena O’Neill, a senior who attended the march, also had personal experience that drove her to participate.
“Last March, a guy broke into my house, he was watching me sleep outside and then he came inside and got into bed with me, and the cops didn’t do shit,“ she said.
“Police told me, ‘Oh, it was probably a drunk guy at a party up the street who thought this was his girlfriend’s house.’ Do not excuse this. Being drunk should not be an excuse for absolutely anything. No matter how drunk you are, you shouldn’t break into anyone’s house and get in their bed.”
Speckhardt’s speech acknowledged the police’s role in cases of sexual assault and harassment.
“It seems like all Western Alerts [about sexual assault, voyeurism and indecent exposure] end the same way: Police are investigating this incident. And what comes of that? These are difficult cases to track,” she said.
That’s why the organizers decided the route would lead marchers to the Bellingham police station: to show officers that if they didn’t take sexual assault and misconduct seriously, they could expect more demonstrations like this.
“This is a serious issue that we have on campus that we need to address, and it’s not being addressed by police and the administration. I think it’s important that we come out, be loud, be annoying and let ourselves be heard,” sophomore Rebecca Redick said during the march.
One chant among the many may remind readers of controversy last year: “This pussy grabs back.”
A sign reading the same phrase (made in protest of the readmittance of Connor Griesemer, a student convicted of sexual assault) caused uproar last spring because many people found the phrase to be trans-exclusionary.
Though the phrase was used by some participants, Blue, one of the organizers, was confident the march was as inclusive as possible.
“We super-blasted this event to the entire women’s studies minor email list, and that includes a lot of people of color, queer and trans people. It’s hard, when you don’t identify with those groups, to come off as inclusive. We really hoped and tried to make this event as inclusive as possible,” she said.
The march concluded with an inspiring message brought to you by the organizers: this is only the beginning of change for Western.
With more than 15 cases of assault, voyeurism and exhibitionism around campus in the last year, the organizers of this event hope that the message was sent loud and clear.
Blue feels that, as a member of campus, she is part of the most widely affected group when it comes to recent cases.
“I hope that Western sees that we are paying attention and this is what’s happening. We’re not to be lied to; There should be more types of engagement in these types of affairs,” Blue said.
Bellingham Police were contacted twice during the week of Dec. 4, but did not reply.
Paul Cocke, Director of Western’s Office of Communications and Marketing, said the Western and University Police “strongly support” the march.
“The university is committed to making Western the safest possible place for its students, faculty, staff and visitors,” he said in an email.
In her preliminary speech, Speckhardt thanked the “countless women, named and unnamed” who began and continued the fight for equality. With a hopeful eye, organizers and participants alike looked towards a future where all women are heard.
At one point, the older Gonzalez turned to her daughter and asked, “Is anyone allowed to touch your body?” to which Olivia screamed, “No!”
“Who is allowed to touch your body, Olivia?” her mother asked.
“Me!” Olivia yelled.