RallyAgainstRape
Yesterday, I received my newsletter from Angela Shelton’s PAVE (Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment) site. In part, it read:
“Come join me at noon tomorrow!
…There is a National Protest that you can easily be involved in.
Simply show up at your community County Courthouses at noon
tomorrow. Mine is the LA Area, Beverly Hills Courthouse.07/17/07 – NOON – NATIONAL EMERGENCY ACTION!
Free Speech for Rape SurvivorsCALL IT RAPE! Nationwide Protest
WHEN: Noon, Tuesday, July 17, 2007.
WHERE: In front of your community County Courthouse
WHAT: A protest against silencing of rape victims in response
to an abominable ruling against rape survivors by a judge in
Lincoln, Nebraska. The judge issued a court order banning
the victim, Tory Bowen, and prosecutors from using the words
“victim,” “assailant,” “rape,” “date rape drugs,” “sexual
assault kit,” and “sexual assault nurse examiner”WHO: Protests will be held simultaneously across the country
organized by PAVE: Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment-Protesters to bring scarves or folded bandanas over their mouths
to protest the silencing of rape victims and carrying signs bearing
the banned words listed above.
-Local organizer will read statement from PAVE with quotes from
silenced rape victim Tory Bowen
-Send photos to us to be included in a documentaryIT WAS FEATURED ON CNN NEWS FRIDAY- WE NEED YOU.
It’s not too late to create one in your community, just a few
people make a big difference!…Have fun tomorrow and send pictures!
Peace and Love, Angela
The PAVE website provided a bit more information, including:
Judge Bans “Rape” From Court – EMERGENCY ACTION, 07/17/07 NOON
This Tuesday, July 17 at noon, nearly 40 cities across the country will be participating in a national protest dubbed “CALL IT RAPE!” The purpose of the protest is to rally against the silencing of rape victims in response to an abominable ruling against rape survivors by Judge Cheuvront in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Judge issued a Court Order banning the victim, Tory Bowen, and prosecutors from using the words “victim,” “assailant,” “rape,” “date rape drugs,” “sexual assault kit,” and “sexual assault nurse examiner.” The judge suggested calling the crime “sex.” A Lincoln protest and rally was organized by PAVE: Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment and was held on July 9 and July 11, 2007. On July 12, 2007 the Judge declared a mistrial, citing the protests as one of the reasons.Angela Rose, PAVE’s Executive Director said, “The irony of Judge Cheuvront’s order for the mistrial is that yet again he is trying to ban free speech. It was his unconstitutional ruling that led the people to the streets in protest in the first place. This is causing national outrage and we must be the voice for all who have been silenced by violence.” These protests will be held simultaneously across the country, and Rose is asking people from across the nation to show their support. Protesters are urged to congregate in front of their community County Courthouse at 12:00pm on Tuesday, July 17, 2007. Angela added, “We cannot stand idly by as our free speech is taken away from us and survivors of rape are re-victimized in the courtroom.” For a copy of the statement being read all over the country, email: RallyAgainstRape at yahoo.com…
I wish I had been aware of the protest sooner, since I doubt there was participation in my city, and perhaps I could have arranged something. Then again, I’m not sure I’m ready for the possibility of the press identifying me as a survivor of rape or incest. Additionally, my job requires that I encounter a lot of people from the community that surrounds the courthouse, and I already receive a lot of unwanted attention from the men I encounter on the job. Specifically, I was semi-stalked for a while by one person who had been convicted of rape in the late 80’s and had been sentenced to 25 years. So, at the current time, although I want to “come out” I feel safer “staying in”.
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