OPD joins Ole Miss Take Back the Night to fight sexual assault

Oxford police brought its Victims Services Team to Ole Miss’ Take Back the Night, putting counseling, safety planning, alternative living-arrangement help and courtroom preparation in front of students and survivors who may need it most.

The April 15 event at the Grove Stage, held from 5 to 7:30 p.m., included a resource fair, survivor stories and an electric candle vigil. It was organized by Rallying Against Sexual Assault, or RASA, and the Office of Confidential Advocacy, Support and Education, better known as CASE, which supports people in the University of Mississippi community affected by interpersonal violence, including sexual assault, stalking and technology-facilitated abuse.

CASE also serves as a link between the university and local resource groups, a role that matters in Oxford and Lafayette County because reporting a sexual assault often means navigating several systems at once. For students, that can include campus advocacy, police response, counseling and off-campus support, all while trying to stay in class and remain safe. RASA, a student-led group focused on awareness, consent education, bystander intervention and survivor support, has made Take Back the Night part of Ole Miss’ campus calendar in recent years.

OPD said its Victims Services Team focuses on domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and harassment. The department says the city has 91 sworn officers and more than 114 total staff, and the City of Oxford describes the department’s mission as “to serve with wisdom and compassion and to create a safe and connected community.” The practical test for that mission is whether victims who come forward are quickly connected to someone who can help them make a safety plan, find temporary housing if needed and prepare for court without being left to figure out the system alone.

Family Crisis Services of Northwest Mississippi remains another key local option for survivors, with 24-hour crisis intervention, counseling, education, legal advocacy and referral services for victims of sexual assault and child abuse. Together with CASE and OPD, it gives Oxford-area residents a clearer path to report abuse, seek immediate help and stay connected to support after the event ends.

Take Back the Night has remained a recurring campus tradition, with similar marches and rallies in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, organizers called it the community’s largest event to raise awareness of sexual assault, domestic violence and other forms of domestic abuse, and this year’s collaboration showed that awareness is only part of the task. The lasting question is whether those public commitments translate into faster response, stronger outreach and more survivors reaching help without delay.