Midterms 2018

“Why I Didn’t Report” rally gathers women (and men) to political and social issues

Adrianne Wright is the co-Founder of women’s action group called I Will Not Be Quiet. Wright aims to create an intimate and sacred place for women to discuss the current political and social justice issues. Wright held a rally with the group on Mon., Oct. 1 called #WHYIDIDNTREPORTIT.

Adrianne Wright, on the right, met with the co-founder of I Will Not Be Quiet, Chelsea Schuster, at Washington Square Park to set up their talking circle on Oct. 1.

Wright co-founded the women’s action group with Schuster in Brooklyn, N.Y. “I wanted to create an intimate and sacred place for women to learn political and social justice issues,” Wright said and continued, “And discuss the challenges or experiences they’ve had, without apology or interruption.”

The rally began with chanting “I will not be quiet” with the crowd and “It’s not your fault, we believe you.” The rally also included readings of anonymous accounts from women who experienced sexual misconduct and assault. Wright hopes that the group will help women feel empowered by the knowledge that they have.

Wright met up with two other women who had volunteered to share their own experiences with sexual abuse. Wright believes that most important thing about hosting a talking circle is to have an open and supportive discussion. Attendees were encouraged to step up and share their own experiences if, they felt comfortable enough to do so. By openly discussing past experiences, Wright wanted to demand belief in these accounts. “We are demanding to be believed,” Wright said and continued, “So that when we do report it, they do support it.”

A crowd began to form around Wright as she recounted the details of how she was raped at 16-years-old. Wright explained that she had been knocked unconscious by her attacker in the lobby of a hotel she was staying at. Wright was then raped by her attacker and another man. “I’m angry that I reported it and they [police officers] distorted it,” Wright said and continued, “They didn’t believe me.”

Wright, Schuster and a rally volunteer began a group reading when a passerby interrupted them to say, “But what about the nice men? Not all men are bad. You can’t say all men behave like this.” In order to maintain the flow of the demonstration, Wright had asked him to keep all questions for the end of the rally. The man proceeded to move to back of the crowd and then walk away.

Protesters march against Judge Kavanaugh

By Alexandra Mathew

Hundreds of people marched from Madison Square Park, to the Yale Club and Grand Central Station last night in protest of the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

“They don’t get no peace, if we don’t get no justice,” they shouted as the members of the private club for Yale alumni and faculty shut their blinds.

The protest came in the wake of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Kavanaugh’s highly charged hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. Despite Blasey Ford’s powerful testimony of being sexually assaulted by Kavanaugh, the committee pushed through his nomination. But they have agreed to allow a one week long FBI investigation into the allegations against Kavanaugh.

For the protesters at the Yale Club, this wasn’t enough.

“They’re just trying to ram the nomination through still,” said Susan Ryan, 48. “They’re pretending to appease the public and adhere to procedure, but in actuality this is a Republican interest agenda, it’s a corporate agenda. That’s all they care about.”

Many of the protesters shared their anger at how the treatment of Blasey Ford during the hearing was a direct example of how women are treated in America.

“We are being confronted with misogyny everywhere,” said Katie Cooney, 37. “Our radar for trouble is always on, we are always on guard and we see the direct psychological effects of how sexual assault ruins your life with Dr. Ford. We need to change the culture.”

The credibility of Blasey Ford’s statements 36 years after the alleged assault is what was most commonly called into question by Republicans during her hearing. But other sexual assault survivors said lapses in memory are common for survivors.

“She was 100 percent credible in her statement,” said Kathy Hayes, 44. “Being a survivor of sexual assault I remember what she remembers. I remember the laughter.”

Ryan expressed her anger at how sexual assault victims are left as the one’s suffering while their assailants never face repercussions for their actions.

“He thinks he’s entitled to this position,” said Ryan. “And it doesn’t matter what he did, it doesn’t matter that he lied under oath, their going to push him through. It just speaks so clearly to how we blame victims and don’t take their allegations seriously as a country.”