SARA WALDBILLIG
News Writer

This year’s Take Back the Night showed that the rally still has a political core.

Some marchers felt that the Sept. 29 event lacked involvement and has strayed from the original meaning of the walk, to visibly protest sexual violence against women, but the march and organization maintain their political background.

Take Back the Night began as a “critical mass demonstration” in 1978, according to Jude Ashburn. Ashburn is the founder of Copwatch Saskatoon and continues to coordinate this citizen patrol group to keep police accountable.

In light of the protest’s beginnings, this year’s event seemed tame, even deradicalized.

In previous years, the march path went down to 20th Street and near the Rainbow Community Centre. Now focused on downtown, the mass marches on Idylwyld Drive but does not get any closer to 21st Street, staying in an area with less recorded violence. The march now ends at the Third Avenue United Church instead of at the White Buffalo Youth Lodge.

A first year participator and this year’s Women’s Centre coordinator, Ashley Pearse said she always wanted to attend Take Back the Night but wasn’t able to until this year.

Pearse said that she enjoyed the information given by the Silent Witness Program, which makes silhouettes to provide a presence to victims of domestic abuse and murder. While she enjoyed the walk and loved the balance of various groups of people, Pearse said she would like to see more involvement and energy in future years.

“Next year, I’d like to see more talks with radio shows and broadcasts to reach a larger population for a more diverse group to be represented,” said Pearse.

Attending for her second year, Emily Lafreniere enjoyed the evening but wished that they had “amped the people up.” Lafreniere compared the event to two years ago: that year, radical cheerleaders — protesters who combine protest and performance — handed out the cheers so that the group had more unity.

Emphasizing the importance of the cheerleaders to create a strong dynamic, Lafreniere said the group “could’ve been louder because really the people should hear you.”

While she noticed a lack of energy, Lafreniere took full notice of the political letter to Stephen Harper handed out at the end of the march and even made photocopies to ensure that a maximum number reach the prime minister.

Ashburn, who has attended the rally since her mother took her as a child, sees patterns in attendance and mentioned that she would have liked to see a more pronounced presence of directly affected members of the community, such as sex workers, queers, multi-ability, elders and other minorities.

Take Back the Night seems to have split into two events: this one and the Oct. 4 Sisters in Spirit walk, which honours lost Aboriginal women.

This year, Ashburn felt a lower community organization presence. Ashburn was displeased by a growing police presence on the walk, noting there was not one female officer.

“This is about citizens reclaiming our streets… cops are part of the violence women and all people face,” said Ashburn.

Themed in solidarity this year’s Take Back the Night featured a great turn out and a diversity of generations but its relative silence and location away from some of the more dangerous streets called into question its effectiveness.

After the march, Jillian Kusch remarked: “People don’t think about violence and harassment every day so when you put yourself out there it just opens you up to feeling vulnerable… You’re realizing the impact that this has on women and everyone’s lives everyday.”

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image: Pete Yee