Students Together Organizing Peace Take Back the Hyperion Bridge Vigil A Project of the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women 605 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite 400 Los Angeles, California 90015 213 / 955-9090

the violence and sexual assaults in Northeast LA

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High School Students / Community Members
Demand an End to Sexual Violence at

Take back the Hyperion Bridge Vigil

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Silverlake - The Marshall High School chapter of Students Together Organizing Peace (STOP) has organized the Take Back the Bridge vigil in response to attacks on young girls and women committed by the "Hyperion Bridge Attacker."

The purpose of Take Back the Bridge is to raise awareness about rape and make the area safer for the youth that live and attend school there.

The Hyperion Bridge attacker, an active sexual predator since 1995, is believed to have committed more that 18 attacks on young women in the areas surrounding the Hyperion Bridge, a major access route for Marshall and Franklin High Schools.

As recently as 3 months ago, another Marshall student was grabbed and assaulted on her way to school.

"Young people have the right to travel to and from school without being targeted for sexual or any other type of violence," says Carlos Morales, assistant project director for the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women, (LACAAW) the organizers of STOP. "We're living in a stressful time right now but we can't forget that Homeland Security begins in our own back yards."

Mary Rodriguez, community activist, parent, and co-organizer of the event, speaks for concerned parents. "I believe that it is my duty as a parent and a citizen of this community to keep my child and her friends safe from this horrible vicious attacker who has plagued our neighborhood far too long."

Parents began organizing after LAPD sponsored a meeting at Marshall High in January. Parents and LAPD highlight resident involvement as a strategy to keeping youth safe.

"Someone out there has seen this guy. We need your help. Without community participation, LAPD can only do so much," says Detective Greg Stone, LAPD Robbery Homicide/Rape Special Section.

City council members, community advocates, law enforcement, school officials, parents and others will join the youth at the Take Back the Bridge vigil kicks off Sexual Assault Awareness Month with a bang, Friday April 4, 6:00 p.m. at Marshall High School.

STOP is a youth movement whose goal is to educate youth people on how they can prevent violence in their lives, schools and communities. A project of the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women (LACAAW), S.T.O.P is committed to preventing sexual, relationship and community violence.

S.T.O.P. also addresses issues of poverty, racism, sexism, homophobia and other forms of oppression as they relate to violence against youth.

LACAAW is a not-for-profit, multicultural organization dedicated to the elimination of sexual and relationship violence. LACAAW has developed and implemented violence prevention programs throughout it 31- year history as a service provider to survivors of violence.

LACAAW's prevention and intervention programs reach the entire Los Angeles community including under-served and high-risk women, children and teens, those who are Deaf, homeless, elderly, physically or developmentally disabled and recent immigrants. Last year, LACAAW served 55,000 Los Angeles residents through its various programs.