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Flash Mob carries on despite dumping snow in Truckee

Hannah Jones
hjones@sierrasun.com
Tahoe SAFE Alliance hosted their 5th annual One Billion Rising Flash Mob to raise awareness for violence against women across the world.
Hannah Jones/ hjones@sierrasun.com

Despite the blizzard warning the region was under last week, a group of activists gathered downtown outside the Truckee Train Station on Thursday to participate in Tahoe SAFE Alliance’s One Billion Rising flash mob, which aims to bring awareness to violence against women across the world.

While heavy snow fell, the group danced along to “Break the Chain,” written and produced by Tena Clark, a song that is routinely used for the dance each year by all groups participating worldwide.

“This is about ending violence against women worldwide and it’s something that is done across the world,” said Trisha Baird, community education and prevention manager for Tahoe SAFE Alliance. “It’s really important for us and our community at Tahoe SAFE alliance to represent that and have it happen here.”



For the past five years the Tahoe SAFE Alliance has helped facilitate the flash mob, involving other groups in the community such as SOS Outreach, a nonprofit organization for at-risk youth, and more recently the Teen Peace Project, a youth leadership club at Truckee High School. In collaboration with Inner Rhythms Dance Studio, they were able to teach the dance to anyone interested before the event took place.

“This is about ending violence against women worldwide …”— Trisha Baird, Tahoe SAFE Alliance

While Baird said the turnout was lower than in past years, she along with her colleague, Kassi Reisbeck, community educator and outreach organizer for the Alliance, were both surprised by the number of participants who did show up.



“This was our fifth year holding it and it’s the first time we had to deal with a blizzard,” said Reisbeck, adding they lucked out two years ago when the snow stopped long enough to hold the flash mob on a sunny day. Overall, Reisbeck said being a part of the dance alongside other participants was “very powerful.”

“The theme this year was solidarity and action,” she said. “The people who came out really showed that solidarity. They showed that Truckee is really committed to living in a town that is in peace and harmony.”

The One Billion Rising campaign was started on Valentine’s Day in 2012 as a call to action to end violence against women. According to statistics presented by the organization, one in three women across the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime, which adds up to more than one billion women. Every Valentine’s Day communities across the world participate in the same dance to spread awareness of the issue.

Hannah Jones is a reporter for the Sierra Sun. She can be reached at 530-550-2652 or hjones@sierrasun.com.


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