Residents 'Take Back The Night' Day After Attempted Rape In Boyle Heights
BOYLE HEIGHTS (CBSLA.com) — A Los Angeles community joined together Sunday night to raise awareness about gender-based violent crimes just a day after a woman in their neighborhood fought off a would-be rapist.
Justice for My Sister Collective organized the 3rd annual Retomemos La Noche (Take Back the Night) event at 5 p.m. in Mariachi Plaza.
The event included dancing, music, poetry, testimonies, theater, balloon release, resource tables and documentary screenings in an effort to encourage women to break the silence and report violent crimes.
The event, which was sponsored by County Supervisor Hilda Solis' office, came a day after a young woman was attacked by a man about a block away from the Eastside Luv bar, according to police. The victim managed to escape uninjured. Her assailant, who was hospitalized with lacerations to the face and neck, was later taken into police custody.
The Justice for My Sister movement has had impact in various communities throughout Los Angeles, and in over 20 countries, with its beginnings in Guatemala, according to Kimberly Bautista, director and producer of the documentary "Justice for My Sister".
The award-winning documentary was presented in March at the 59th Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations Headquarters.
