Meeting allows march in streets of Plattsburgh

By Caitlin Fitzpatrick
At a Plattsburgh Common Council meeting this past Thursday, April 15, a “Take Back the Night” event, taking place on April 30, was discussed and voted on.
The event, hosted by SUNY Plattsburgh’s Center for Women’s Concerns, is a march on the streets of Plattsburgh to inform the community about sexual assault and violence.
Meghan Trim, representing the Center for Women’s Concerns, addressed the council to tell it about the march and the importance of having the event.
“Take Back the Night” lasts an entire week and encompasses several different events, including speakers and entertainment, that builds up to the march on Friday.
The march begins at 6 p.m. in the Warren Ballrooms at the Angell College Center on the campus, and lasts until 9:30 p.m.
The event taking place at night is symbolic because the night is usually seen as dangerous to women, Trim said.
“It’s a good way to gather people and show support to those who are victims,” Trim said.
She also said that she hopes the march will spark conversation and inform people about sexual assault.
The more people who get involved in the community the more it will help the problem go away, she added.
Colleen Chera, a college student at SUNY Plattsburgh, plans on attending several of the events during the week of “Take Back the Night.”
She said she is excited about going to some of the events because it’s an important topic that needs to be spoken about.
“The march is good way for those in the community to get involved and spread the word that domestic violence and sexual assault are problems that need to go away,” she said.
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime and one in six women have experienced an attempted or completed rape.
As the Common Council voted on the matter, Councilor Jackson noted that he had asked the city police department if they were fine with event taking place on the streets of Plattsburgh and they had responded that they approved of the event.
Councilor Rabideau also asked Trim if the event was open to the public and she responded that it was open to everyone in the community to attend.
The Common Council voted and approved the event with every member of the council voting in the affirmative.
Along with the march, some other events taking place during the week of “Take Back the Night” include a forum on violence in other cultures and a discussion panel on domestic violence.
Trim said she hopes that all the events will help work towards ending the silence of sexual assault and violence and that the march is a “10 on the importance scale.”
“It is one of the most important events we do year round,” Trim said.