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| RALLY AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT IN SUPERIOR |
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WPR News - Rally against domestic violence and sexual assault in Superior
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Tuesday April 17, 2012
by Lucy Roberts
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(SUPERIOR) Fifty people marched to the Douglas County Courthouse in Superior Monday night (4/16) to speak out against domestic violence and sexual assault.
Citizens of all ages made the trek to the courthouse as part of Speak Out Superior. They didn't let the cold stop them; if anything it spurred them on. UW-Superior student Savanna Pearson says she bundled up to support her mother, "My mom was abused. She was a victim of domestic violence right after high school. It's something that's worth it, so in the end I bundled up."
"Speak Out Superior" began three years ago by the Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse. The event is meant to raise awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault in the community.
A speak out session was held at the courthouse, allowing survivors of domestic and sexual assault to share their stories. A handful of people came forward. Among them was Rachael Olson, a student from UWS whose assault made front page news a couple of years ago. She says she isn't ashamed, but admits it was a struggle to hear classmates and students talk about it, "It was horrible, and also because one girl overheard me telling my friend, and then she went to a party and told my best friend and told a bunch of other people what has happened to me. I will tell anyone, obviously, but I don't want other people telling my story. I want people to hear it from me, not from other people. So it was really hard after I found that out and just knowing that I was all over the front page. That was hard to deal with, but I got through it."
Olson says events like this can be difficult, but worth it, "To be honest this event helps me every year because I get a little more off my chest and to see the big support, because I grew up in Superior my whole life. I never thought that I would be a victim of sexual assault, and it happens. So this event is wonderful, it helps me so much. I have a band from the first year that I never take it off. I wear it every day."
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