According to Federal agents, the planned attack included comprehensive plans to overthrow several state governments that the arrested suspects believe were defiling the US Constitution. One of those states is Michigan, which is under Whitmer’s governance.

So far, six of the men were federally charged with conspiracy to kidnap. Seven others  associated with the militia group “Wolverine Watchmen,” were charged by the state, according to Michigan’s Attorney General, Dana Nessel.

According to reports obtained from the United States Department of Justice, a complaint was filed on Tuesday. Reports show that the individuals by the names Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Ty Garbin, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris, and Brandon Caserta conspired to kidnap Whitmer from her vacation home which is located in the Western District of Michigan. Per federal law, each of the individuals faces any term of years up to life in prison if convicted of the crime. Fox, Garbin, Franks, Harris, and Caserta are all residents of Michigan while Croft is a resident of Delaware.

It is unclear whether or not their motives was in direct retaliation to Whitmer’s executive orders concerning the pandemic, but the story is still developing.

Early in March, Whitmer, a Democrat, extended a state of emergency along with other safety measures in the state of Michigan in efforts to contain the novel coronavirus and has since been the subject of ridicule among right-wing voters.

In Oakland county, Richard Beaubien, a resident of Troy, Michigan, said that the governor was “out of bounds” in extending stay-at-home orders to Michigan residents.

“She’s supposed to talk to the legislature before she executes some orders, and she is still reluctant to do that,” said Beaubien. 

The Michigan Supreme Court ruled in a split 4-3 finding that Whitmer lacked COVID-19 emergency powers to extend the executive order that she mandated Michiganders without consent from the legislature.

The court’s decision placed a significant question mark on the previous orders that Whitmer had executed in. relation to the pandemic, appearing to blank them out. At the same time, it wasn’t immediately clear what would happen next or when the supreme court’s decision would go into effect.

In response to the Michigan Supreme Court, Whitmer’s office issued a statement publicly denouncing the ruling and seeking an additional 28-day grace period to transition into the new regulations.

She described the court’s ruling as “deeply disappointing” and stressed that she disagreed with it.

“Today’s Supreme Court ruling, handed down by a narrow majority of Republican justices, is deeply disappointing, and I vehemently disagree with the court’s interpretation of the Michigan Constitution,” said Whitmer. “Right now, every state and the federal government has some form of declared emergency. With this decision, Michigan will become the sole outlier at a time when the Upper Peninsula is experiencing rates of COVID infection not seen in our state since April.” 

The statement ended with Whitmer promising Michiganders that she would not relent in her efforts to keep them safe from the deadly virus. Many Twitter users, including President Donald Trump, took to Twitter to express their thoughts on the news.

Trump, who was recently diagnosed with COVID-19 himself, praised the supreme court’s ruling and called the verdict a “BIG WIN” for Michiganders in his tweet.

His tweets were made even though Michigan went from being one of the top three coronavirus hotspots in the nation to flattening the curve under Whitmer’s executive orders. Real-time data currently shows that the current death rates and cases have skyrocketed in Michigan ever since. 

On March 23, when Whitmer first set her Stay Home, Stay Safe mandate in motion, thousands of Michiganders grew weary of the orders. Complaints ranged from individuals needing haircuts to barbers and salon owners defying orders to stay open.

Beaubien said that a haircut was one necessity that the orders deprived him.

“My hair got really long. I was trying to debate what color of ribbon to put on. I finally got a hair cut in mid-April after about three  months,”  said Beaubien.

Susan Maccoy, a hair stylist, author, and certified COVID-19 protocols expert for hair salons, said that Whitmer did the right thing.

“You can’t fix stupid,” said Maccoy of naysayers. “She was protecting the people when they wouldn’t protect themselves.”

Maccoy, who is also a salon and beauty expert, said that during the unprecedented COVID-19 times, it is imperative to have all of the protocols in place to protect the salon owners, as well as hairdressers and customers.

” Ninety percent of the cases that I opine on focus on people who didn’t follow the rules and ultimately bore the consequences,” said Maccoy.

The post Michigan militia planned to kidnap governor appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

Now some Democratic voters fear what will come next. 

“The future of this country is at stake,” Mohammad Sikandar, a young voter and the Political Director of Progressive Democrats of New Jersey said. “This includes the potential dismantling of Roe v. Wade, reinforcement of Voter ID Laws and racist bannings, as seen with Mr. Trump’s Muslim ban. One Supreme Court Nominee could impact decades of work that our communities have put into various movements.” 

Democrats were hoping that the Republican majority would follow the precedent they set when they blocked President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Merrick B. Garland, from receiving a hearing with eight months left in his term.  They said it was too close to Election Day. But now with a Republican president at the helm, the majority has changed its mind.

Daniel Brown, a New Jersey prosecutor said that the rushed nomination is being politicized and the outcome should be based on the law and concepts of justice. 

 “The Republican party ought to follow precedent and there are several reasons for this,” said Brown.“ This is at best a 25th hour appointment. When Mitt Romney said that the confirmation will move ahead because both the President and the Senate are from the same party, to me, that translated to: we are proceeding because we have the political power to do so.”

Dr. Elizabeth Hull, Chair of the Political Science Department at Rutgers Newark, said if the Supreme Court confirmation occurs, the decisions that will be made moving forward will not serve as a “neutral empire”  worthy of the public’s support.

“In the past, most of us have accepted the court’s decisions, however much we may have disagreed with them,” said Hull. “ I am no longer convinced that will be the case now.”

Two Republican senators who have broke ranks with President Trump on a Supreme Court confirmation are Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine. Ruth Weinar Sherman Ross of West Orange, New Jersey,  said that they aren’t withholding their votes to go against their party, but because they are prioritizing different interests.

“Susan Collins is in a tough spot. She is running against a very strong young woman [Sara Gideon] who also happens to be a Democratic contender in Maine’s Senate Race,” said Ross. “Murkowski is a different story. She has shown herself willing to follow—if only sometimes—principle.”

Dylan Terpstra, the student body president at Rutgers University–Newark, said he does not see any hope of  delaying  a confirmation. 

“I think procedurally Democrats can’t really do anything about it,” Terpestra said. “The Republican party has the majority votes, which gives them the  power to set the agenda. They can decide what to delay. He can’t be stopped at this point. There is no doubt in my mind that America will have a conservative court. ” 

But there is still hope that Romney may change his mind.

On Wednesday, when Trump was asked whether he would commit to a peaceful transition, he said he needs to see what happens and believes he would win  the election without the expansion of mail-in voting during the pandemic. His comment prompted Romney to speak out, once again, against the president. 

 “Fundamental to democracy is the peaceful transition of power; without that, there is Belarus. Any suggestion that a president might not respect this Constitutional guarantee is both unthinkable and unacceptable,” Romney said. 

Despite the potential outcome, Brown still has trust in the institution. 

“There are so many examples of people growing, evolving and surprising us with their positions,” Brown said. “One of my favorite Justices on the Supreme Court is Hugo Black.  He was prior to that a member of the Ku Klux Klan who then became a great protector of individual rights and individual liberties. I will continue to have faith in the Supreme Court. I will continue to have faith in the law as a whole.” 

The post Republican Senate majority poised to replace RBG with Trump’s pick appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

The decision was  a close 5 to 4 vote. Chief Justice John J. Roberts was the swing vote and wrote the majority opinion.

“We do not decide whether DACA or its rescission are sound policies,” Chief Justice Roberts wrote. “We address only whether the agency complied with the procedural requirement that it provide a reasoned explanation for its action.”

The decision states the Trump Administration did not provide sufficient reasons to terminate the program. The administration did not follow the proper procedures required and did not thoroughly assess how the ending of DACA would affect those whore relied on it.

“Here the agency failed to consider the conspicuous issues of whether to retain forbearance and what if anything to do about the hardship to DACA recipients,” Roberts wrote. “That dual failure raises doubts about whether the agency appreciated the scope of its discretion or exercised that discretion in a reasonable manner.”

Along with  Roberts, the majority opinion included liberal justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.

President Donald Trump tweeted his disfavor and urged the public to  reelect him.

These horrible & politically charged decisions coming out of the Supreme Court are shotgun blasts into the face of people that are proud to call themselves Republicans or Conservatives. We need more Justices or we will lose our 2nd. Amendment & everything else. Vote Trump 2020!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020

Giovana Banuelos is a Dreamer and a student at California State University San Bernardino. She shared on twitter how relieved she was shortly after hearing DACA will continue.

I have been so anxious ever since this month started because of this big decision that was to be made. This could’ve changed my life forever and destroyed the future I have been working so hard on BUT WOW.. this was amazing news. GREAT WAY to start my day. I am in tears #DREAMER https://t.co/tZCAXwGelP

— Giovana Banuelos (@Banuelos_gio) June 18, 2020

DACA was first announced by former President Barack Obama in 2012. But in 2017 the Trump administration announced its plan to end it. The immigration policy allowed people who were brought to the United States as children to apply for temporary status. This status prevents deportation and grants permission to work for two years.  When it expires  it can be renewed by recipients. Former President Barack Obama also responded to the decisions via Twitter.

Eight years ago this week, we protected young people who were raised as part of our American family from deportation. Today, I’m happy for them, their families, and all of us. We may look different and come from everywhere, but what makes us American are our shared ideals…

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 18, 2020

The post Supreme Court saves DACA appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

As a crowd of protestors waited in front of the steps of The Supreme Court in D.C. yesterday morning,  chilly air descended upon them as rain started to fall. People anxiously waited, holding signs that said “Let Our Dreamers Dream” and “Home is Here”, as they anticipated a decision that will change the lives of DACA recipients throughout the United States. 

At 10 AM, nine Supreme Court Justices entered the room to begin the case which ignited the defense for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program that has let young immigrants who were brought to this country before they were 16, apply for jobs, attend university and live without fear of deportation. 

The Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of The University of California began a marathon of arguments for an almost two hour meeting in the Supreme Court to discuss the legality of ending DACA. Tension was high in the courtroom, as the conservative justices leaned towards Trump’s decision to end the program as lawful, and said that eliminating the program could be a reasonable move.

“The whole thing was about work authorization and these other benefits,” Chief Justice Roberts said. “Both administrations have said they are not going to deport people.” 

While the more liberal justices argued that ending the program would create a severe disruption to  700,000 DACA recipients and hurt our country’s resources. 

Noel Francisco, the Solicitor General of the administration, said that the benefits for immigrants was one of the main problems of the DACA program and constituted illegality. 

“So the DACA program would be legal if they were not receiving benefits? You think they would not need to be legally deported?” Ruth Bader Ginsburg posed this question, as Francisco tried to defend the reasons behind ending DACA and the benefits that come along with it. 

Theodore Olson, who defended the rights of the DACA recipients and questioned the government’s right to end DACA, said there is nothing in place to support the ending of the DACA program. He said that the reasons given by The Department of Homeland Security aren’t enough to to end their futures in the U.S. 

“It affected 700,000 people and Homeland Security did not have the constitutional reasoning to argue against it,”  he said. “The reasons to end DACA didn’t create enough defense to destroy the lives of so many people.” 

While Olson passionately defended the University of California case and the people affected by it,  Francisco continued to argue against DACA and said that it was illegal to even begin the program in the first place. 

As Francisco decried the legality of DACA, the liberal justices continued to question him. Justice Sotomayor, who seemed to lean towards the continuation of the program, commented on the Dreamers’ employment in the workforce, their dedication to school, and their contributions, like taxes to the country’s economy. 

“For those people, like DACA people, who are legally employed, pay taxes, why would we remove these people?” she asked. “The current president told DACA people that they would be safe here, and he would keep them here, but he hasn’t.” 

Jacqueline Fernandez, a DACA recipient who immigrated from Mexico to Los Angeles, California at the age of four, was angry about the court case. She said that she couldn’t believe that nine Justices were discussing the deportation of people in terms of “legal or not legal”. She said that the case was completely inhumane. 

“It bothers me that they focus so much on the constitutionality of things, cause they have the power to change laws,” Fernandez said. 

She said that it is frustrating to have strangers decide the fate of her life and the lives of immigrants under DACA.

“I feel like people inside that court forget about what is out here,” she said. “People who were sitting in the court, I didn’t even know them. I didn’t see them waiting out here, it would have been great to have more people who are directly affected by DACA in there.” 

Jacqueline Fernandez, 25, stands with other DACA youth outside of The Supreme Court hearing. Photo by Sydney Fishman

The arguments yesterday morning are actually the beginning of a long journey to reach a final decision. Currently, DACA recipients are able to renew their applications, but the US Citizenship and Immigration Services is not taking new applications. The DACA immigrants will still be in limbo, at least until the Supreme Court  reaches a decision by June of 2020. 

Fernandez said that even with the DACA program, she has been in limbo since she was a child. She hasn’t been able to plan out her future for more than five years at a time, and this court case further stalls her status as a “legal or not legal” human in America. 

“I feel like growing up as undocumented, with DACA, I still feel like I have always been in legal limbo,” Fernandez said. ” I can’t really plan five years out. And like, where I need to be.” 

She said that there is always fear of deportation. It’s directly impacting her community, and they have had to constantly fight for their rights. 

“If it is deemed legal and they end DACA, I have honestly thought about self deportation,” Fernandez said. “That is not ideal, my family is here. Obviously it’s not a way to live, to just uproot yourself like that.”

The post The Supreme Court holds DACA hearing appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

Women from across religions, socioeconomic statuses and political parties gathered in Washington Square Park yesterday to protest Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court.

The rally was organized by Erin Lynn, who wanted to find a way to protest when the logistics of getting on a bus to D.C. weren’t coming together. So she made a Facebook event page, and invited two friends. By the end of the day, thousands marked that they would be attending. The National Women’s March reached out to Lynn to coordinate.

The southwest corner of Washington Square Park soon became crowded with hundreds of protesters. They took turns speaking and offering different solutions to the issues plaguing the United States, sometimes directly disagreeing with the person who spoke before. Some women were so determined to be a part of the protest, they arrived hours early, just so they didn’t miss anything.

“About 35 of us just marched around the park,” said one early protestor, Lindsay Borden, who is the Interim Pastor at New York City’s Second Presbyterian Church. “We weren’t sure if anyone else was going to show.”

Rally crowd listening at the Stop Kavanaugh Rally yesterday. Photo by Opheli Garcia Lawler

The time coincided with protests in Washington D.C., where hundreds of women flooded the Senate galleries, and at least 164 were arrested by U.S. Capitol Police, according to law enforcement. Women in D.C. and New York were united by fury and they rallied against a man accused of sexual assault and misconduct, who would be sworn in just hours later.

“We knew we were going to be under attack,” said Julianne Hoffenberg, director of The Gathering for Justice, run by Women’s March organizer Carmen Perez. “It was just a matter of how they were going to do it. Personally, I have been blown away by how fast fascism has sort of toppled the revolution that was coming before.”

Hoffenberg said that a year ago, she never would have guessed that she’d be on the ground organizing against a Supreme Court nominee like Kavanaugh. She was at the event on behalf of Linda Sarsour, another Women’s March organizer, to assist Erin Lynn with the logistics of putting together a rally at the last minute, and to make sure the protest stayed safe and nonviolent.

Lynn said she didn’t want to just sit at home. She couldn’t. She brought a box of coffee and several boxes of donuts. She wasn’t sure what to expect. But she went on to lead the crowds in speaking out, beginning by sharing her own story as a survivor.

“I have been sexually assault three times,” she told the crowd later in the afternoon. “And it took me a long time just to admit that.”

Erin Lynn, rally organizer, setting up a new microphone at the Stop Kavanaugh Rally yesterday in Washington Square Park. Photo by Opheli Garcia Lawler

She then invited other people to take the megaphone and share their stories. Some took the opportunity to share their own stories of surviving sexual assault. Others just screamed. Some broke down in despair as they begged the crowd to get registered to vote. Some called for the downfall of capitalism, of the republic, of President Donald Trump.

“I thought I couldn’t feel more heartbroken than the day I learned how they were ripping babies from their mothers’ arms at the border,” said Vicky Barrios Newsom, a member of Movimiento Cosecha. She spoke through deep, shaky breaths. Her face was red and wet with tears. She had been crying since she arrived. “I feel betrayed. I feel betrayed by white women. Please. Please. Please. Talk to your family.”

Many protesters echoed similar feelings of betrayal from white women – even white women themselves. This was especially true when it came to Republican Senator Susan Collins’ decision to vote for Kavanaugh’s confirmation. Many held out hope that she would vote against party lines and block Trump’s nominee from the lifetime appointment. Walking through the cramped crowd, it was impossible to go a few feet without hearing someone mutter her name in disgust.

For others, the betrayal was less shocking. Zakiyah Anarsi, an education advocate in the city of New York at the Alliance for Quality Education has long steeled herself against the disappointment politicians can cause. While the nomination of Kavanaugh was particularly painful for Ansari, who is the mother of a sexual assault survivor, she is hoping others who are outraged will see the intersectionality of the issue.

“The work that I do, I’ve been active for almost 20 years,” she said. “But all this stuff merges into one. Like you can’t talk about one without the other. What this has done is it has left us with an opportunity of folks who aren’t normally engaged with stuff to now be engaged, specifically white women.”

Zakiyah Ansari speaking to the crowd at the Stop Kavanaugh Rally yesterday. Photo by Opheli Garcia Lawler.

Despite the differences between protesters, whether they were new organizers like Lynn, or career activists like Ansari, Barrios Newsom and Hoffenberg, or faith leaders like Borden, each gladly deferred the mic to the other, listened intently to each other’s stories, and offered support when a personal testimony became overwhelming. Midway through the rally, all their voices joined in chorus: “I believe you,” they shouted.

The post Rage Brought Women Together at Washington Square Park appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

The post Hours after Kavanaugh confirmation, hundreds protest in NYC appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

Angry protesters gathered in Union Square Park today to denounce the confirmation of  Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court and to show their voice matters, even when it feels like it doesn’t.

About 50 protesters chanted “Shame,” “We do not consent,” and “No peace” on the steps beneath the statue of George Washington. They carried signs that read, “We believe you,” “Supreme Liar” and “The Senate sold out the sisterhood (and America).” They stood together in solidarity with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and all survivors of sexual violence.

“I know I’m just one voice at these protests and one voice at these meetings,” Allie Horton, 26, said. “The kind of one drop in the ocean — lot of drops in the ocean — but when we all come together, we can kind of make that wave and really make things happen.”

She was angry that nothing had changed in the years since Anita Hill had accused Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment.

I think it’s ridiculous that this is happening,” Horton said. “To think that the Anita Hill trial happened in 1991, just months before I was born and I’ve lived my entire life and still the same thing is happening again. Sexual assault, sexual harassment, it’s not being taken seriously.”

A protester works on a signs to hold in protest of Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation. Photo by Emma Bolton

New Yorker Barbara DiGangi, 31, thought the senators were acting selfishly.

“They’re choosing their power,” she said, “White male power, specifically, and privilege, over humanity and women.”

DiGangi showed up to demand their attention, even though the protest would no longer put pressure on lawmakers to vote against Judge Kavanaugh.

“I think women need to hear that they matter,” said DiGangi. “And not to lose hope and that we’re here to fight and we will overcome this and we’re resilient.”

Catherine Kraft traveled from New Jersey to rebuke the Senate’s vote to confirm Kavanaugh 50-48. Photo by Emma Bolton.

Catherine Kraft, 65, wore a superhero cape reading, “Voting is my Superpower.” Leading up to the vote in the Senate, she was sure Kavanaugh wouldn’t be confirmed. She channelled her disappointment into action.

“I am energized,” she said. “I live in New Jersey and I came into the city. I almost went to D.C. I just know deep in my heart that this is wrong.”

Anamaria Meneses works for the Party for Socialism and Liberation, one of the groups that organized the rally. She stressed the importance of highlighting the public’s anger at Kavanaugh’s nomination as an example of the dedication of the Me Too Movement. While she acknowledges voting is an action everyone can take, visibility of movements is crucial.

“Voting is important, but it’s also important that there are social movements that push it,” she said. “It wasn’t Democrats or Republicans that gave us Roe v. Wade or Brown vs. Board of Ed. It wasn’t them who gave us marriage equality or DACA — it was the people who came out, it was the people who united on the one front and said ‘This is enough, we really are tired of this.”

The post Protesters stand in solidarity against Kavanaugh confirmation appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

Hours before Judge Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court today, about 200 protesters gathered outside of Washington Square Park and mourned the battle they knew was lost, but pleaded with New Yorkers to vote in the upcoming midterms.

“This is a hot mess time,” said the Reverend Doctor Jacqui Lewis, a senior minister at Middle Collegiate Church in the East Village. “Never, never have I experienced this.”

Lewis said that while the current situation looked bleak, Americans have been here before, and know that voting is the only answer.

“We know what to do,” she said. “We know how to pray with our feet. We know how to withhold our vote from all the folks who are taking money from the NRA, who are putting our children in cages, all the folks who believe in incarcerating (f0r) weed, for God’s sakes. Pay attention, let’s vote, and do not let your hearts be troubled. Instead, turn your rage into action.”

Women protestors spoke emotionally, sometimes shouting through tears, speaking to the crowd through a megaphone. Dozens held signs protesting Kavanaugh and the current administration, and a few led chants which included “Believe the women,” and “Find another nominee.” Others shared their own stories of assault and trauma, and were comforted and cheered on by the crowd.

Several speakers implored those in the crowd to vote and proactively support candidates in the upcoming midterm elections by canvassing and campaigning.

“The best thing for your mental health right now is proactive coping,” said psychologist Victoria Barry, who holds an elected seat on the Democratic County Committee. “I think voting is the most powerful and immediate way we have to change the course of the country in a very fundamental way. Not nearly enough people do it. It’s the only way we have to fight back legislatively, as people who are not government officials.”

In the 2016 election, only approximately 55 percent of eligible citizens voted, marking a 20-year low, according to CNN. In that election, New York ranked 41st in the nation for turnout, and in the last midterm election, statewide turnout was only 34 percent, according to The Atlantic. In the 2017 mayoral primary, just 12 percent of eligible voters in New York City voted.

Barry also encouraged protestors to do more than just vote, particularly highlighting buses organized by ActBlue, which travel from New York City to canvass throughout the rest of the state.

Protesters included images of Brett Kavanaugh during his testimony on their signs during today’s Washington Square Park protest. Photo by Kerry Breen.

Others at the protest passed out voter registration forms. Another speaker, Sarah O’Neill, spoke about the organization Postcards to Voters, which sends hundreds of thousands of handwritten postcards across the country, encouraging recipients to vote for specific, usually progressive, candidates.

Lewis, who has attended and been arrested at protests in Washington, D.C., added that voting is one of the most important steps New Yorkers could take in the upcoming elections, and said that people will be able to register to vote outside of the Middle Collegiate Church every Sunday until the election.

“What I want to say to New Yorkers is, if you haven’t registered to vote by now, run,” she said. “Run to the computer where you can do it easily. We only have until October 12th to do it. Two, to read, and educate ourselves on where the races are close. Find the news source that works for you. Pay attention to the races that are close, and send your money to the candidates that stand for what you believe. Find your issue and stay with it. Vote for the common good. Vote, vote, vote.”

Several people at the rally, including those involved with local grassroots organizations, agreed that they had seen an increase in engagement from the general public since the 2016 election, even among themselves.

“I hadn’t been paying attention to who was my state senator, to who was my state assemblyman, until the 2016 election,” said Allison Mingus, who serves on the executive committee of the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats. “I think more people are motivated now, more than ever, to get involved at a local level, and that’s what changes things.”

Allison Mingus and Ben Theodore, members of the executive committee of the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, came to the Washington Square Park protest to support Christine Blakey-Ford. Photo by Kerry Breen.

Ben Theodore said more people seem to want to work on get out the vote efforts.

“For this past September primary, the number of people who would walk through the door and say “I have never canvassed before, I haven’t canvassed in 30 years, but I’m showing up now” – that is the sign of this is it, that it is hopefully going to be different this time,” said Theodore, who serves on the same committee as Mingus.

Gus Christensen, the Chief Strategist of NO IDC NY, a grassroots organization working to flip the New York State Senate from Republican to Democratic, said the placement of Kavanaugh on the court made it all the more critical for progressive Democrats to take control of the New York State Senate, so that critical legislature covering reproductive health and non-discriminatory measures can be passed.

“The elevation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court presents a clear and present danger to Roe vs. Wade, and to the rights of women, of LGBT Americans, of immigrants and people of color.”

The post Protesters mourn Kavanagh confirmation in Washington Square Park appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

It doesn’t seem to matter much to some male voters whether or not Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is guilty of sexual assault. Many had made up their minds long before Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations were made public.

An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll done over the past week showed that party affiliation was still the main deciding factor in people’s disapproval or approval of the embattled nominee, despite rising opposition among women. Between the nomination in August and recent allegations in mid-September, Democratic men’s support fell slightly, while Republican men’s support for Kavanaugh rose slightly.

In Washington D.C. yesterday, those trends were confirmed. For left-leaning men, the allegations only added to their concern over Kavanaugh’s elevation to the Supreme Court.

“I had concerns about him before this episode with Dr. Ford,” said John Rilley, of New Jersey, outside of the White House. “I am very concerned. I don’t support him. I don’t think he tells the truth.”

Shane Bogin, from Los Angeles, was also visiting the White House.

“It seems like regardless of the sexual assault allegations he doesn’t hold the humility or the integrity of that office,” Bogin said.

He rattled off a list of reasons why he had initially opposed Kavanaugh’s nomination. He did not approve of Kavanaugh’s general lack of candor during the initial Senate hearings or his refusal to commit to recusing himself from future rulings related to the Robert Mueller investigation.

Additionally, Bogin was not satisfied with Kavanaugh’s answers regarding his awareness of the well-documented inappropriate conduct of his former employer Judge Alex Kozinski. As reported by CNN, Kavanaugh’s written responses to the Judiciary Committee state that he became aware of Judge Kozinski’s inappropriate sexual conduct toward female staffers when the various stories were reported in the media.

“The list is decent,” he said. “Perjury for me is pretty much a deal breaker and $200,000 of mysterious debt, from buying season tickets apparently. That seems questionable.”

Bogin’s friend, Matt Marquardt of Seattle, agreed. He sees Blasey Ford’s allegation as another example of Kavanaugh’s unfitness for the office.

“I think that they’re all linked,” Marquardt said. “I think that if you’re a Supreme Court Justice you have a duty to be transparent and be an upstanding citizen and an allegation like this is directly linked to your suitability to be a Supreme Court Justice.”

However, some men who were excited by the Trump’s choice of Brett Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy continue to support him, despite Ford’s allegations.

Austin Webb, 30, of Texas, believes Judge Brett Kavanaugh is a great choice for the Supreme Court. He does not believe Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations of sexual assault. Photo by Emma Bolton.

“I think he’s a great pick,” Austin Webb, of Texas, said. “Honestly, I feel like it’s a last ditch effort to delay the pick.”

Webb said he cannot speak to Ford’s credibility, but felt that the allegation, whether true or false, is not enough to disqualify Kavanaugh from ascending to the Supreme Court.

“Is there someone out there that has a completely spotless record?” he asked. “Because we’re talking about something from high school, right? We all did dumb things in high school. If you look hard enough into anybody’s past, especially someone who is up for a position like that, I think you’re doing to find something to be opposed to.”

Keith Acker, from Ohio, who visited D.C. with the Fire & Iron Motorcycle Club, feels that Judge Kavanaugh is being set up for political reasons.

“I think it was all a set up,” Acker said. “I think (the Democrats) found somebody to put off the nomination to see if they can get a hold of the House and Senate.”

He believes Kavanaugh is needed on the high court.

“I completely support him,” he said. “He’s a Constitutionalist. I want a Supreme Court who goes by the Constitution and not put their personal opinion or put their own spin on things.”

To Acker, it’s more than just a political play.

“Either she’s lying or she is mistaken on the incident,” he said. “Honestly, I think she’s lying.”

The post Some men not swayed by allegations of sexual assault appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

Nearly 30 years ago, a teenager was sexually assaulted and had her life changed forever as she left her high school’s halls with traumatic humiliation and guilt. While this is the story that remains only an allegation of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, countless women share an eerily similar tale that they are forced to relive as they watch her alleged perpetrator seek a spot on the Supreme Court.

Ford accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals, of sexually assaulting her while they were in high school. With an experience that mirrors Ford’s alleged assault all too well, Christine McCoy has dedicated the past week to voice her opposition against Kavanaugh’s nomination. Like many women, the details of her assault will never leave her mind or body’s memory.

“My experience was pretty much the same,” she said, surrounded by some of her closest friends and neighbors while relaxing in a Pret A Manger after protesting in Washington, D.C. “You put stuff behind you but when things like this come into the public, I burst into tears the other day just thinking that I was never able to get any closure.”

The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) reports that every year, nearly 400,000 children and adults are victims of sexual assault. As rampant as the issue is, only a handful – about six in 1,000 – perpetrators are sentenced to prison.

“(Ford) represents so many survivors like Christine (McCoy) who never got the opportunity to share their story, to be believed, to not be ashamed,” said McCoy’s friend Anne Seymour, a national crime victim advocate. “There are so many indignities that women have suffered and in my work it’s on a minute-by-minute basis.”

“I’m enraged and I can’t believe this is happening in 2018 and that we’re survivor-splaining,” she added. “We should not have to do this.”

Page Croyder, 62, knows the systematic oppression these women have faced all too well. Before taking to the streets of Washington, D.C., with a sign reading only ‘hunger strike’ to protest Kavanaugh’s nomination and to stand in solidarity with Ford, Croyder was a Baltimore prosecutor who dealt with sex and child abuse cases. The cases she worked on and the work environments she witnessed as a woman in in a man’s world of law, have made her an outspoken advocate for women’s and victim’s rights.

“I can’t speak for young women now, but in my day, we very much eternalized the expectations of women,” she said, standing on the corner of Constitution Avenue and First Street. “When you’re victimized, that situation already puts you in a loss of power. So whether the person is about to sit on the Supreme Court or whether it’s your uncle or your father or whoever it was, seeing them go about their normal life while you are sitting there damaged is constant revictimization.”

Page Crowder went on a hunger strike in Washington, D.C., to stand in solidarity with Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Judge Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in high school. Photo by Li Cohen

Kavanaugh’s potential confirmation as a Supreme Court Justice has enraged thousands of other women like Seymour, who have taken to social media to express their own opinions. Many have shared their own survival stories using #WhyIDidntReport, #CancelKavanaugh and #MeToo. Many who haven’t shared their stories have loved ones taking a stand on their behalf.

“I know people that have (been assaulted) and I know ladies that still to this day wouldn’t come forward,” said D.C. resident Val Silva-Horva, who was speaking with protesters outside the White House. “This persecutes them all over again. It reminds them of what happened to them and the fact that there is no voice that stands up for them.”

Anisha Singh, senior organizing director for Generation Progress, has helped with several sexual assault court cases. She explained in a phone call that Senate Judiciary Committee members and many other government officials are not formally trained in dealing with sexual assault victims, as evident in the Clarence Thomas and Anita Hill case in 1991.

“What ends up happening in these situations – and we saw it happen with the Clarence Thomas case – is that Anita Hill was attacked,” she said.“The people sitting on the Senate Judiciary Committee didn’t let her talk, they didn’t really listen to her and weren’t respectful toward her. That process was so bad toward the survivor, and yet this one feels like it’s going to be so much worse.”

Although Silva-Hora, Seymour, McCoy and Ford have all come forward in some way over the past week, Silva-Hora acknowledged that the work they are putting in will not change how society sees victims of sexual assault if Kavanaugh is still confirmed for the Supreme Court.

“The only thing that’s going to change is that more women are going to say ‘I don’t matter;’ more girls are going to say ‘I don’t matter,’” she said. “And you know what – more young men are going to say ‘Hell yeah, I can do whatever I want to you. The president says I can. That Supreme Court dude, he says I can. Congress says I can.’”

The post Trauma and anger fuel some women to fight against Kavanagh’s nomination appeared first on Pavement Pieces.