Working Pictures

Monday, May 16, 2022

Pro Choice Rally at Connecticut Capital, 5/15/22

Hartford, Connecticut

There was a Bans Off Our Bodies rally on the grounds of the State Capital in Hartford, Sunday at noon. Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal addressed the crowd with a passionate support for legislation to codify the effect of the Roe decision as national law.

Several of the organizers also spoke, including the head of Connecticut's chapter of Planned Parenthood.

Click on any of the pictures for a much larger, more detailed view of them all.

After the organizers spoke it went to "open Mic" with everyone invited to have their say. Many took up the invitation and this went on nearly an hour.

When the open mic session wound down, a woman asked everyone to join her in marching off the Capital grounds to occupy Capital Avenue. The rally had been permitted but blocking the avenue was civil disobedience. Most of the crowd walked to the avenue and about half crossed out onto the roadway itself, while the rest stayed on the Capital grounds and sidewalk.

Within a couple minutes cruisers from both the Capital police and Hartford city police pulled up across the road at both ends of the block and began redirecting traffic. The protesters then marched up the avenue to the east end of the block.

The police calmly directed traffic away from the block and didn't approach the protesters. After about ten minutes someone with the bullhorn announced that "we've made our point." The crowd returned to the sidewalk and broke up into small groups heading back to their cars.

Barn Flag

New Milford, Connecticut

Sunday, May 15, 2022

White Memorial

Litchfield, Connecticut

Saturday, May 14, 2022

Pro-Choice Rally in Litchfield, Connecticut, 5/14/22

Litchfield, Connecticut

"Bans Off Our Bodies" rallies across the country today included one in Litchfield, CT. Several hundred people showed up at the town green with home made protest signs. Considering that this largely rural county has the lowest population density of any in Connecticut, the turnout was impressive, even larger than similar events held around this area in 2020 for the Black Lives Matter movement. Also, the response from motorists—horn blowing, thumbs up out the window—driving through town past the green was a higher percentage than those recent demonstrations. There were a few people stopped by the light who rolled down the passenger window and screamed "murderers," but there were few.

These two young male bikers didn't blow their anemic horns but when the light changed they rev'd their engines to redline in a high pitched whine louder than anybody's horns. The driver of an 18 wheeler easing his way through town let off his air horn, to the delight of everyone. A guy on a Harley gave a thumbs up after a light change, and did a wheely burnout, nearly dropping the GF off the back of the bike. I was out of position to get the shot, dammit.

This was not a candid shot. The young woman asked for the picture and further asked if she had smoohed out her T-shirt enough so its message would be legible. I told her to pull it down again at the waist and then said, sure it will read.

Grandmas for choice says quite a lot, as does the next shot's sign.

I'd slipped through the line of demonstators and dropped to a knee to get this viewpoint, and it was 'first thought best thought' because this was the first frame and then the little girl got shy and wouldn't look my way again even though Mom was totally into being recorded on record.

Connecticut's senator Blumenthal turned up and spent a good 45 minutes walking among the crowd, talking with and taking selfies with the demonstrators. I heard one woman berrating him for not trying hard enough, and he took it in stride and tried to reassure he was pushing as hard as he can.