When the 'antis' returned to Hart they were sent out to 'bird dog" Senators. Some went to different offices. Some stood in the tunnels beneath the buildings at the entrance to the subways to the Capitol. These are guarded by police, but Senators going to their offices have to pass into public space in order to get there. Some just walked the hallways in hopes of seeing a Senator. When they did so, they pushed their program. The 'pros' were doing the same so the two groups often passed each other or were trying to occupy the same space. When this happened, 'antis' often chanted "Shame, Shame," while the 'pros' stayed silent.
Photo by Randana Ravikumar/Cronkite News
Comparing the two groups showed a shift in composition since September. The 'antis' included more younger women, and the 'pros' included more older ones. Men were still about ten percent of both groups. The 'pros' were almost all white while the 'antis' continued to be racially diverse.
In the afternoon I joined a group going to Joe Manchin’s office, knowing they intended to get arrested. Initially, they sat in the office telling their personal stories to the young staffers on the front desk, while it was streamed online. After 15 minutes they went outside and occupied the hallway, linking arms and chanting. The cops were waiting, and dutifully arrested everyone who didn’t move out of the way. Handcuffs were back. About 15 people were taken to the processing center. Similar actions happened at other Senator’s offices.
Senator Collins had announced that she would make a statement at 3:00 p.m. on how she would vote on the confirmation. Those not arrested gathered in various Senate offices to listen to her on the TV screens. Many people had obtained gallery passes from Senators in order to watch the speech in person in the public viewing section of the Senate. They learned that those passes only got you in line to get in; a bare handful of people actually got a gallery seat. The TV screen was a better place to actually see Sen. Collins explain why she was voting to confirm.
This was followed by a short statement from Sen. Manchin. He said he’d vote to confirm "with reservations." He was the only Democrat to vote for confirmation. Sen. Lisa Murkowski was the only Republican to vote against confirmation. Manchin is running for re-election in November in a red state. Murkowski doesn’t have to run until 2022.
When Sen. Manchin entered the hallway outside his Hart office, he was besieged by 'antis' who had not been arrested, as well as a lot of press. Shouting "SHAME," their anger was palpable. After police escorted him to an elevator, many protesters went into his office, where one tearfully told the same front-desk staff her story of assault and another tore up a written statement she had left earlier. Several 'pros' came in. The exchange that followed between the two groups was more heated than a dialog but less so than a confrontation. While this was going on, three clergywomen entered to talk to staff and a few people from Herd on the Hill delivered letters written by his West Virginia constituents. At 5:00 p.m. staff asked all to leave so they could close the office and go home.
Protestors didn’t get the usual e-mail on Saturday, October 6 telling them where to go, but the webpage said to go to the Hart atrium at 9:00 a.m. Instead, thousands gathered in front of the Supreme Court. Many brought their children. There was no podium or microphone, making it hard to hear the speakers. The Court was closed. The Supreme Court police let people onto the plaza and even the long steps to the front doors as long as they weren’t carrying signs. T-shirts were permitted. They did keep those on the plaza seven feet from the edge of the steps to the sidewalk; "for safety" said one officer. USCP police waited in busses on side streets for something to happen.
It finally did. Around a thousand people had slowly gathered on the Capitol lawn where those willing to get arrested filled out forms. A little after 12:30 p.m. they began rapidly marching toward the east Capitol steps. About 500 mounted the steps before the Capitol police could get there to block access. When their yellow tape barrier was ignored, they brought out metal barricades.
Protestors shouted, chanted, and waved their banners from the Capitol steps for about 15 minutes while cops gathered below, bringing out a large supply of white plastic handcuffs. After a captain gave the first warnings, many left. About 150 were left to be escorted down the stairs where they were cuffed and walked away to be processed.
The rest regrouped in front of the Supreme Court, where a podium had finally been set up. One after another speaker addressed the crowd. Judging by the applause, the most popular was Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). The crowd gradually took over the street between the Capitol and the Court as the police blocked cars from using that street. A few Women for Kavanaugh and men wearing Trump T-shirts wandered among the protesters. When one of the latter began speaking into a megaphone, he was surrounded by 'antis' and pushed to the edge of the crowd.
This continued through the hour when the Senate voted to confirm Judge Kavanaugh as an Associate Supreme Court Justice. However, 13 'antis' who had obtained seats in the Senate Gallery were arrested when they raised their fists and spoke out in protest during the roll call.
Most protesters had drifted away by the time Kavanaugh was sworn in that evening. A little before 6:00 p.m. those remaining stormed up the Supreme Court steps and pounded on the doors. Supreme court police formed a line and walked them back down. The Capitol police later said that a total of 164 had been arrested for protesting that day.
The T-shirt for the day was November is Coming. However, there wasn’t a lot of them. In a month we will know whether the Kavanaugh confirmation mobilized a high Democratic turnout or a Republican one.
©2018 Jo Freeman for SeniorWomen.com
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