Louisiana men wear high heels to raise rape, sexual assault awareness

Naturally, responding to apparent crimes is something we all should leave to the proper authorities, like police officers and sheriff's deputies, and determining whether a defendant is guilty or not guilty is the job of the courts and no one else. But making sure people understand that Lafayette is not a community that tolerates crime? That is the responsibility shared by all of us.

Through things like neighborhood watches, National Night Out block parties and meet-and-greets with local law enforcement, we can strengthen our neighborhoods and send a strong message that we will not tolerate vandalism, robbery or other crimes.

This approach can help when it comes to more serious crimes, too. Recently about 70 men in Lake Charles participated in an event called "Walk A Mile In Her Shoes." In order to raise money for local organizations that help victims of rape, sexual assault and domestic violence, the men took pledges and then walked through a local mall wearing women's high-heeled shoes.

All in all, they raised about $10,000.

Events like this are important because they show that a given community has taken a stand against crime (and, of course, $10,000 is most certainly a welcome gift to any nonprofit.)

Once again, we need to let the proper authorities respond to apparent crimes, and we have to let our criminal justice system determine if a given defendant is guilty or not guilty. That being said, there are things both big and small that we all can do to keep our communities healthy, safe and strong.

Source: KATC-TV, "Men don women's high heels for anti-rape event," Sept. 3, 2012