Around 30 rollerskaters participated in a glowing nighttime ride along the beach bike path in Long Beach for the second Take Back the Night glow ride on Saturday, June 25.
Take Back the Night events have been organized as a way for women and allies to protest sexual assault. This year’s event had extra significance after a Friday U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturned the decision in Roe V. Wade, which legalized abortions for people in the United States.
“It’s ‘Take Back the Night’ because all too often it’s a little scary to be out by yourself,” said Cody Raiza, who has organized the event for the last two years. “You’re usually pretty vulnerable on roller skates, so it’s to provide a safe space for us all to support each other and to create community was important to me.”
The skaters met at the Junipero Beach parking lot and took the roughly 3-mile ride up the beach bike path to the top of Lion’s Lighthouse in the Shoreline Aquatic Park with music and lights in tow around them to the delight of tourists riding four-wheeled Surrey rental bikes.
In addition to the glow ride, Raiza has also been fundraising for WomenShelter of Long Beach on her Instagram page, which she thought is especially important after the Roe V. Wade decision.
“This year, kind of the theme changed really quickly with the news that happened on Friday [with the Roe decision]. I was hoping that we could come out and protest being here and taking up space and supporting one another; that was kind of the energy for the evening,” Raiza said “I think it happened; everyone seems to be having a good time and people have made new friends.”
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