White Ribbon Campaign Gives Men Voice In Opposing Violence Against Women
Published: Tuesday, January 23, 2007
By Sam Hemingway
Burlington Free Press Staff Writer
A new group opposed to violence against women has sprung up in Burlington, but this one is different from the others: You have to be a man to be a member.
"We men need to hold each other accountable for violence against women," said Ron Redmond, the group's prime organizer and director of the Church Street Marketplace Commission. "This is something we can do."
Formed in late December, the White Ribbon Campaign has attracted more than 300 members who have paid $10 in return for a white ribbon they can wear on jackets or coats. The ribbon signifies they are committed to stand up against violence toward women and have spoken to at least one other man or boy about preventing it from occurring.
Redmond said the campaign is a way for men on their own to become more active in confronting violence against women. The campaign is a spin-off of a Canadian group of the same name that was formed in 1991 several years after a gunman killed 14 female students at the University of Montreal. That group boasts 100,000 members, all men.
Redmond said the alleged rape and killings of University of Vermont student Michelle Gardner-Quinn in October and city resident Laura Winterbottom in 2005 were the impetus for starting Burlington's White Ribbon Campaign offshoot.
In both crimes, police say the women were victimized by men they didn't know. The suspects, Brian Rooney in the Gardner-Quinn case and Gerald Montgomery in the Winterbottom case, are awaiting trial on murder charges.
"Both were like a punch in the gut," Redmond said of his reaction upon learning of the crimes. "I remember feeling so helpless. I felt like this is really not OK. This is our community. This is where we live. This is where we work."
Among the men who have joined the group to date are businessmen, lawyers, legislators, police officers, clergymen and public figures ranging from Mayor Bob Kiss to former UVM basketball coach and media personality Tom Brennan.
"I have a wife and two daughters," said Mark Schroeter, an assistant field service director for the local Human Services Agency office and White Ribbon member. "I hate having to tell them that nothing good's going to happen to you on the streets in Burlington after midnight."
Redmond said Schroeter came up with the idea of starting a White Ribbon Campaign in the city during a meeting of the Church Street Outreach Advisory Committee late last year. The panel meets periodically to address issues involving homeless people and other concerns.
Redmond mentioned to Schroeter that he was looking for ways men like him could become more vocal about opposing violence against women following a discussion with UVM Police Chief Gary Margolis after the Gardner-Quinn homicide.
"I was telling him that there needed to be ways for women to protect themselves better," Redmond said. "Gary said to me 'Ron, you're missing the point. That's just another form of blaming the victim. Men are part of the problem and part of the solution.'"
Redmond said the White Ribbon Campaign is appealing to men because it is simple and straightforward.
The ribbon itself is hardly a fashion statement, just a four-inch strand of ribbon folded over in the shape of an upside down "V." Redmond said he's heard of men affixing the ribbon to their clothing with a stapler or, at least one case, duct tape.
"Every man you talk to, no matter what socio-economic level they are at, this resonates with them," he said. "This is not about taking on a political cause or anything else. It's just about opposing violence against women."
Redmond said a few women have approached him asking if they can join. Once the group's aims have been explained to them, he said they decided to send in a $10 donation anyway.
He said he has no wish to be the group's leader. The campaign will cease selling the ribbons at the end of January then use the e-mail list of members that will be generated to begin a conversation about what else it can do.
All of the money raised by the White Ribbon Campaign will be given to four local groups, Women's Rape Crisis Center, Women Helping Battered Women, SafeSpace and the UVM Women's Center.
Contact Sam Hemingway at 660-1850 or e-mail at shemingway@bfp.burlingtonfreepress
