Pro Choice marchers take to the streets in DC and nationwide

Video: Bans off Our Bodies marches in DC and Orlando FL,plus the home demos at Roberts and Kavanaugh's homes 1 mn 50 sec

On the 14th of May, furious pro-choice protesters marched on the Supreme Court-and on Federal courthouses all over the so-called "United States" in the "Bans off our bodies" marches. In DC, the marches were followed by protests at the homes of multiple anti-choice Supreme Court "Justices."

Most of the marches went without serious incidents, though seven Proud Boys attempted to disrupt the march in Ft Myer's Florida. There is a report that one of the Proud Boys was Christoper Worrel, defying house arrest to do so. Defying house arrest does not bother this author but harassing pro-choice protesters is another matter. A video of this was published but it is on Facebook, where the author of the report cannot access it.

Turnout in Orlando, FL was certainly thousands (many tens of ten by ten blocks of marchers), turnout wasm also reported to be in the thousands in NYC and other major cities, and DC reportedly turned out about 20,000 people. Women's March estimates total turnout for all of the hundreds of marches at about 1 million.

The marchers at the homes of Supreme Court justices Kavanaugh and Roberts had to march past the judges's homes without stopping due to threats of arrest, and at the home of Clarence Thomas had to stay out of the development itself. Without laws they could actually enforce and get convictions for, cops decided to stay civil and not escalate matters in ways that could carry political consequences. The governors of both MD and VA were called on their threats and on their failed demands that DOJ seek Federal charges against peaceful protesters at the homes of Supreme Court "justices." More of these residential protests are coming of course.

Moveon.org stated on Twitter that more than a million people participated in these marches from coast to coast. Another poster said the DC march outdrew Trump's inauguration. That of course is not especially difficult. Many GOP fans did not attend Trump's Inauguration either because they lacked the courage to confront protesters on J20/2017 or because they could not get in past checkpoint blockades. Someone from the Women's March said this was "day number one of a summer of rage." This won't go well for far-right, "law and order" types who want to enforce all their shiny new abortion laws.

With so many people staring down the muzzle of forced motherhood and more, the Supreme Court "Justices" may seem like huge and vicious scorpions confronted by tiny ants. The screaming in the press and threats from the MD and VA governors however show that these particular scorpions are allergic to the stings of ants. Even if the Supreme Court "Justices" have made up their minds, they are being made into examples. Prosecutors, sheriffs,and police detectives might think twice about filing cases that bring protesters swarming to their homes like furious ants from a stomped nest. Keep in mind,these protests also make their home addresses common knowledge. Enough "ants" just might make them pack up their religious revival picnic and go home.

The resolution promoted by 40 GOP Congressmembers and the threats from the MD and VA governor's offices tell activists what works. They show the pressure points that make the government feel pain and tell activists what to do more of,not what to do less of.

Abortion rights may seem safe in DC, but both the Supreme Court and many of the organizations seeking to turn women into the property of their husbands are based in DC. Thus the importance of the DC events. There is the possiblity that someone in the Supreme Court released the draft opinion to "test the waters" and see if they can get away with banning abortion in half the states.

For marchers in front-line states, not only the Supreme Court but also members of state and local legislatures plus law enforcement are potential targets of the protests. Legislatures need to be deterred from passing antiabortion laws, and police need to be deterred from enforcing these laws. In particular, police and prosecutors need to get the idea that prosecuting women for seeking abortions will carry unpleasant consequences such as protests at their homes. This goes double for such offenders as county sheriffs considering carrying out sting operations over the Internet or prosecutors seeking subpeonas of women's phone data related to abortion.

In Orlando, FL and probably everywhere, speakers warned that this is NOT just about abortion. If this goes unchecked, we will see undercover cops on Grindr enforcing sodomy laws, raids on Gay clubs, Trans kids being forcibly detransitioned in institutions while their parents go to prison, same sex marriages voided, and possibly even the return of prohibitions on interracial marriage. ALL body,gender, and sexuality rights are on the line here.