It might have seemed unorthodox for two local police chiefs to be milling about a crowd of F--kRapeCulture protesters Friday afternoon, some wielding signs themselves denouncing how some police handle sexual assaults.
But Athens Police Department Chief Tom Pyle and Ohio University Police Chief Andrew Powers were there to support the protesters’ requests for OU administrators to:
Absorb the Ohio University Survivor Advocacy Program before its federal grant expires next October
Offer sensitivity training for survivors of sexual assault for both APD and OUPD officers
Have every OU student be required to annually take “Not Anymore,” an online module teaching bystander intervention tactics.
More than 100 protesters gathered at 4 p.m. at the bottom of Jeff Hill to take to Mill and Court streets, ending at College Green.
F--kRapeCulture didn’t apply for a parade permit to march in the middle of Court and Mill streets, but Pyle gave them permission after meeting with the students on Tuesday.
“We’re here to show support,” Pyle said. “We fully support the issues they’re advocating for.”
Protesters meandered along their route, chanting: “F--k rape culture,” and “1, 2, 3, 4: I am not your f--king whore,” to College Green where students gave speeches at the Civil War monument.
“We started right in this very spot last year,” Claire Chadwick, an organizer with F--kRapeCulture said. “In just a year we’ve accomplished all of our goals. We should be proud.”
Chadwick went on to mention that she had met with OUPD and APD throughout the week after hearing “too many horror stories of APD’s handling of sexual assault.”
“The chiefs were really enthusiastic about working with us which is really f--king awesome,” Chadwick said.
Jesper Beckholt, a senior studying English, spoke about how survivors of sexual assault in the LGBTQ community feel alone and isolated, because many advocacy programs mainly offer their services to women.
“There’s a limited image of who a survivor is,” Beckholt said. “People like myself feel alienated. Being a queer and trans survivor is not easy.”
Organizers said they were encouraged by the turnout and that Athens’ rape culture is changing.
“Conversations will only benefit victims’ perceptions that law enforcement is insensitive,” Powers said. “It makes it challenging for law enforcement because people won’t file complaints. But there’s a good two-way conversation happening, and we understand that we have an obligation to explain how we handle the questions we ask in investigations.”
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