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Sex assault charge triggers protest at College Street Bar

The uproar surrounding College Street Bar continues to mount after its owner was charged with sexually assaulting a 24-year-old woman on the premises last weekend. Now, a protest has been planned for the evening of December 23 at 8 pm to show solidarity with the woman and other victims of sexual assault.

“With the holidays fast approaching, we must stand in solidarity for the survivors of sexual assault and violence that may feel alone, isolated and need our support,” organizer Viktoria Belle writes on the event’s Facebook page.

“We will be gathering outside College Street Bar with our words and signs of solidarity. There is no room for silence, there is no room for complacency. Let’s come together and build a community of support and hold this place and the people responsible for this horrid crime accountable.”

On Sunday, Toronto police announced that Gavin McMillan, the bar’s owner, and Carasco Enzo Dejesus, reportedly an employee, had been charged with forcible confinement, sexual assault, and sexual assault as a party to the offence with any other person.

Anti-sex assault advocates and local members of the food and drink industry have been vocal about the charges under the hashtag #IBelieveHer, and a petition, also launched by Belle, has sprung up asking that the bar, should it remain in business, implement anti-assault training.

nataliam@nowtoronto.com | @nataliamanzocco

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