Emotions Run High At Anti-Kavanaugh Rally In Oakland
OAKLAND (CBS SF/KPIX) - Women, men and children from all over the Bay Area turned out for a protest rally Saturday afternoon at Lake Merritt in downtown Oakland following the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as the newest justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
The event was dubbed "Oakland Does Not Consent."
Protesters marched around the lake carrying signs and chanting before walking to Frank Ogawa Plaza several blocks from the lake to hear several speakers as evening approached.
Susan Thomas said she's a survivor of sexual assault. She's fed up with the people who don't believe them.
"This is the life of all the women that I know and all the women who have been assaulted, sexually assaulted and abused," said Thomas. "And now we have the prospect that an abuser will be on the Supreme Court. This is insane."
Kim Carter came from Martinez.
"I'm here because I am furious, I am here because I am furious at how women are treated," said Carter. "I'm a survivor of sexual assault and I am just disgusted that our elected officials did what they did today. I wish every woman in America would be out here to stand up for ourselves, I'm disgusted at what happened to our country and we need to fight back."
Protesters said the confirmation means they'll need to fight even harder.
"Make it clear that we're not going to roll over and let democracy be destroyed," said Linda Riebel of Lafayette.
Oakland police said the gathering had broken up before 8 p.m., and that the gathering was peaceful. No arrests were made.
Kavanaugh, the subject of an unusually contentious confirmation hearing on Sept. 27, was sworn in today as the newest Supreme Court justice. That came a few hours after the U.S. Senate voted 50-48 to confirm him.
Thousands of people took part in protests Saturday in Washington D.C.; some protesters disrupted the Senate vote itself.
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