Dozens Rally Against Rape After Attack Near Congress Theater
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A rally against violence was held in Chicago Monday night, near the scene where a teenage girl from Highland Park was sexually assaulted and left unconscious on New Year's Eve.
As WBBM Newsradio's Lisa Fielding reports, dozens of people formed a circle in front of the Congress Theater, 2135 N. Milwaukee Ave., and listened to community activists, and lawmakers talk about the need for better awareness and education about sexual violence.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio's Lisa Fielding reports
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"Break the silence! End sexual violence!" the group chanted.
Steven Adler of Rape Victim Advocates says too often, people don't think about the role men play in sexual violence.
"When this is framed as a women's issue, and 98 percent of the people are sexually assaulting are men, that sounds like a men's issue," he said.
Thus, it is up to men to stop rape from happening, Adler said.
"This is our problem. This is something that our brothers, our sons, our fathers are doing, and it's important to start that conversation," he said.
The 18-year-old girl came to the Congress Theater on New Year's Eve for a show by English DJ and electronic dance music producer Rusko. But she was not allowed in because she didn't have an ID.
She then went into a restaurant on Milwaukee Avenue across from the theater, where she left with several people, according to published reports.
Soon afterward, she was found lying unconscious and partially naked on a lawn in the 2100 block of North Rockwell Street. Police have said they believe she was brutally gang-raped and attacked by at least three men.
Police have questioned as many as eight people in connection with the attack, but no one was in custody or charged as of Tuesday morning.
Police are also urging the public to come forward with any information, by calling Harrison Area detectives at (312) 746-8252.
