Kavanaugh protesters warn: ‘We are your voters!’
Demonstrators hope for a ripple effect at polls
WASHINGTON – As she stood at the Supreme Court on Thursday, Diane Russell had a message for GOP Sen. Susan Collins, whose vote could determine nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s fate.
“If she turns on women, Maine women will turn on her,” said Russell, a former Maine lawmaker.
Russell was one of about 20 protesters from Maine who traveled to the nation’s capital to join hundreds of other protesters for a rally that could be a last gasp push against Kavanaugh’s proposed ascension to the nation’s highest court. The group repeatedly chanted: “Susan Collins, we are your voters, Susan Collins, we are your voters!”
The protesters, who marched from the federal courthouse to the Supreme Court to the Senate, were hoping to sway a handful of lawmakers considered swing votes in determining the fate of Kavanaugh.
After their demonstration at the Supreme Court, protesters swarmed the Hart Senate Office Building atrium ahead of a “direct action” — an act of
nonviolent resistance where protesters anticipate being arrested.
As they began sitting on the floor of the atrium, police quickly ringed the group, issuing warnings before leading individual protesters away in plastic handcuffs. It took several minutes for police to lead away the protesters, who numbered well more than a hundred.
Also at the Hart Building, a group that traveled from Alaska hoping to talk to GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski had strong words for her.
“I think it will be such an egregious betrayal that none of us here will vote for her,” Erica Kahill said, imagining what would happen if Murkowski votes yes on Kavanaugh’s nomination.
A California professor, Christine Blasey Ford, has accused the judge of sexually assaulting her at a high school party 36 years ago, a claim Kavanaugh denies.
An initial vote of the full Senate on the nomination is scheduled for Friday, and a final vote could come over the weekend. Lawmakers received the FBI report on allegations of sexual assault against the federal judge Thursday. Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said it reflects “no hint of misconduct.”
Protesters at the rally in D.C., one of several across the nation Thursday, were diverse. The majority were women, but there were plenty of men.
Barbara Smith got her start in protesting during the Vietnam War. On Thursday she was among the first to arrive at the rally in D.C.
“It’s unreal that those of us of a certain generation have to do this again,” said Smith, 67, of Richmond, Virginia, as she waved a sign. “My job as a grandmother is to do what I can to make sure that (my grandchilren are) going to be safe and that they’ll never have to say ‘Me Too.’”
Sen Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, said, “This is about power. I watched 11 men, powerful men, who tried to help another powerful man make it to an even more powerful position. I am angry on behalf of women who have been told to shut up and sit down one time too many.”