‘I Am Jane Doe’: Evansville demonstrators join national movement

River City Rising, a citizen action group in Evansville, organized a demonstration on Sunday, October 11, 2026, for former Cornell University student “Jane Doe”.

This demonstration, held across the street from the Evansville Civic Center Complex followed a series of events the group organized throughout the week, including a march at the West Side Nut Club fall festival on October 9. 

The march, dubbed “I am Jane Doe’ comes after months of growing tension nationwide surrounding the handling of Jane Doe’s alleged sexual assault case by Cornell University. “I am Jane Doe” is the recent movement drawing attention to the believability of women’s sexual violence cases and the lack of accountability from men who are named in those cases. 

Matthew Ingalls ,Jonathan Newell ,Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris, and Scott Kretzschmar have all been named in the lawsuit filed by Jane Doe. The lawsuit alleges the seven men drugged and sexually assaulted her for several hours at a Chi Phi house party at Cornell University in October 2024.  

Photo obtained from: The Pixel Project

Gina Paradies with River City Rising group told reporters on Sunday that the national “I am Jane Doe” movement started in solidarity for the victim after people tried to out her identity. Paradies shared that she’s a survivor of sexual violence and that the case troubles her, saying it’s “been really emotionally triggering to watch and witness. 

The Washington Post reported that the assault took place on the night of October 19, 2024. Around 1:45 a.m. the following morning, a Chi Phi fraternity member allegedly sent Snapchats encouraging others to participate. Several men are said to have engaged in nonconsensual acts with Doe, including reportedly snorting ketamine off her body.

Doe received a text from a fraternity member apologizing for “how things went down.” Doe reportedly went to Cornell University Police on November 8, that same year to report the incident and wasn’t interviewed until November 14-15. 

The case began to gain national attention after Cornell’s student newspaper, The Cornell Daily Sun, reported on the lawsuit Jane Doe filed on September 16, 2026. The article was released five days after the lawsuit was filed.

According to Doe’s attorney, Thomas Giuffra, two members involved in the alleged assault were expelled, while five received lesser punishment, like having to write essays, attend workshops, and suspensions. All seven men named in the lawuite have denied the allegations or claimed Doe consented. 

“I believe that our system is set up in a way for predators to protect predators,” Paradies said. “We know that most of the people that go into law are coming from schools where these kinds of things are swept under the rug, and people are trained from a young age to do it, to get away with it.”

While the alleged assault itself fuels public outrage, the handling of the case by Cornell University and the original Tompkins County District Attorney, Matthew Van Houten adds more rage for supporters. According to an ABC News article, Van Houten defended his decision, calling the allegations “morally disturbing.” 

Houten declined to pursue criminal charges. 

He claims Doe consented to the alleged assault and suggested that if Doe had said she didn’t consent, the case would have grounds for criminal charges. Houten allegedly based his decision on the university police’s summary rather than conducting an independent investigation, and he did not review witness statements. 

The case reopened in September 2026. He released this statement when he announced the reopening. 

Rick Thompson with River City Rising also gave his opinion about the case. He believes people should listen to men and women in instances like these and rely on the facts. He’s in support of Doe and says everyone is innocent until proven guilty. He blames the DA who investigated the case, saying they “botched the investigation.”

“They didn’t do it in a timely manner,” Thompson said. “They gave a pass to these men who terrorized this woman. They didn’t do a rape assessment. Once they got the evidence, they didn’t pursue it. The police didn’t pursue it. The prosecutor didn’t pursue it. And in cases like rape, time is of the essence. Evidence degrades. DNA evidence disappears. Memories start to fade.”

On October 1, 2026, New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) publicly said she had lost faith in Van Houten’s ability to “fairly oversee the case,” appointing New York Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor.

Protestors are also outraged by President Donald Trump’s recent comments on Hochul decision to appoint James as special prosecutor. Some cite his long-standing attack on women as part of their frustration with the President. 

“A man who has been accused of rape and harassment by so many women over so many years, who likes to brag about his sexual exploits and abuse, that man has no place to say anything,” Thompson said. 

Since James’s appointment, Trump has publicly said he feels “badly”  for the Cornell 7, even saying the seven “won’t get a fair shake” with James handling the case. 

Trump went as far as referring to James as a “dog” and calling her “disgusting” at a Syracuse rally on October 9, 2026. 

According to The Guardian, as of October 10, 2026, Jane Doe’s lawyer reports that Doe has received threats after her identity was discovered. Doe and her family’s house was recently swatted after a fake tip alleged that someone at the location was “killing people in the house”. Doe’s attorney told CNN that Doe is scared and doesn’t “think she’s in a good spot”. 

“I mean, people always talk about how it’s not right that people don’t come forward,” Paradies said. “That’s why [threats]. I mean, most of us aren’t receiving them from all over the country, but she’s [Jane Doe] taping up her windows right now to keep people from being able to see inside to shoot her. That’s insane.”

As of Sunday, October 11, 2026, the case is still under investigation.