After a suburban teenager was sexually assaulted outside the Congress Theater last month, DePaul's Student Health Advocates (SHA) encouraged the community to gather Monday, Jan. 9, to help raise awareness to find the still unidentified offenders.
Rape Victim Advocates (RVA), along with Alliance of Local Service Organization's and the Your Life is My Life Campaign, led the crowd of local neighbors and concerned residents under the marquee lights on Milwaukee Avenue to speak out against sexual assault.
After she was turned away for not having a photo ID to confirm a ticket for the New Years Eve Rusko concert, the Highland Park senior, whom authorities aren't naming, walked over to a nearby restaurant, Taqueria Los Comales.
A waitress at the restaurant saw the victim leave with six men, three of whom returned some time later, saying an unconscious woman had been left on a lawn nearby the waitress said.
The waitress called Congress Theatre security officials, suspicious of blood residue left on one of the men's jeans.
Police have since questioned several young men that witnesses helped identify in a line up, but since the boys were minors, they legally could not be held and were released. Investigators and Alderman Joe Moreno are awaiting the DNA results from the victim's rape kit, a series of tests administered to rape survivors. No charges have been filed yet.
The victim was not in attendance but the event drew many others dedicated to finding the offenders, including State Senator Iris Martinez.
"We are letting everyone know that we do not accept this in our community," Martinez said, eliciting shouts of approval and support from the crowd.
"They are animals, they are cowards, they are evil people who did an evil thing to that woman," said Alderman Joe Moreno of the 1st Ward. "I want to talk about that…to say to those thugs: you are not welcome in this ward, you are not welcome in Logan Square."
The messages of solidarity were relentless, even overwhelming the nearby deafening Blue line.
Despite the violent crime, Logan Square residents said they did not feel threatened, describing their neighborhood as defined far beyond this assault.
"Just remember guys, our neighborhood has great block parties…a great farmer's market," Moreno said, "That's what Logan Square is all about."
Moreno also reminded the neighborhood not to engage in victim-blaming, pointing out that "whether they are an 8th degree black belt or they know nothing at all, it's not their fault for not defending themselves. It's the perpetrator's fault."
Commander Linda Flores of the 14th District, speaking for the Police Department, agreed.
"What [the perpetrators] did was vicious, what they did was violent, and what they did was disgusting," said Commander Flores. "We will not stop until we get every single person involved."
Steven Adler, a Preventative Education Specialist for Rape Victims Advocates, hoped the incident and the event would encourage not just justice, but also dialogue about sexual assault, specifically the role men, who make up 98 percent of perpetrators, play in ending sexual violence.
"It's time for us to stop being silent on this…we need to step up…and really start addressing these issues," Adler said. "This is not a women's issue…this is our problem. This is something our brothers, our sons, our fathers are doing and it's important for us to start that conversation."
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this article!