Take Back the Night

After passing the poster in the hallway of my dorm about 200 times, I decided to look at it while the elevator was taking forever. I noticed something called Take Back the Night, and after reading what it was about, I realized that this was an example of a group of people using the exigence of situation to motivate a change.

In this case, the problem is the violence that occurs while walking at night. The first Take Back The Night occured in October 1975 in Philly after a woman named Susan Alexander Speeth was killed a block from her house by a stranger. The walk is done yearly, across the world in such countries as Italy and Germany after over 16,000 rapes occured in Rome in one year. Obviously, in the years 1975-1976 there was a definite need for change.

It continued in England, where the Jack the Ripper killing were happening during this time.

The Take Back The Night campaign attempts to spread the word that this type of violence is unacceptable. While it started as a women only event, it has now broadened to include men that have been assaulted at night as well. Why can't we walk at night? Why is it dangerous? Obviously because people are getting attacked, but why?

This campaign holds walks in places around the world. In fact, next week this walk is occuruing here at Penn State in front of Old Main at 6pm.

Take Back The Night, or Reclaim the Night (as it was called in Europe), is trying to motivate people to take initiative and come and support this rally as they try to fight the violence that happens at night.