Over a hundred University of Iowa students and community members gathered on the Pentacrest for an annual Take Back the Night event this Tuesday. The protest and march is meant to draw awareness to sexual assault on college campuses and support survivors.
Stands were set up on the Pentacrest with stickers, pins, and pamphlets meant to raise awareness and show solidarity. “Radical cheerleaders” performed a short dance routine for morale before the march.
Attendees took posters and signs and marched down the streets of Iowa City, going down the Pentacrest and wrapping around Linn St. They chanted and cheered at passing cars that honked in support.
After they returned to campus, they opened the event to the stories of attendees who wanted to share their experiences. Many speakers mentioned the dissolution of RVAP, the Rape Victim Advocacy Program that many Iowa City residents relied on.
RVAP was merged into DVIP, the Domestic Violence Intervention Program, earlier this month.
The event began at 6:00 and went on for a little over an hour.
