8/26/2018
By Ivan Pereira
Hundreds gathered in Foley Square Sunday afternoon to send President Donald Trump a message about his Supreme Court nominee: “Kavah-No.”
The rally was one of 160 held across the country as part of a mass demonstration against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who is awaiting hearings in Washington over his nomination for the vacant court seat.
Rally attendees bearing homemade signs and costumes shouted ‘No, No Kavanaugh” in Foley Square. Several in attendance said they are concerned about the nominee’s position on issues related to civil rights.
Amanda Hambrick Ashcraft, 36, a minister and activist from the East Village, said she came to the rally with her three children and husband because she wanted to help send a message to the country.
“An [appointment] to the Supreme Court has an impact for decades,” she said. “This nomination could roll back civil rights for years.”
The rally was organized by several nonprofit organizations, including NARAL Pro-Choice America. Kaylie Hanson Long, the group’s director of communications, said women’s right to choose is at stake since the president has repeatedly said he wanted to restrict abortion access for women.
“Some might say that ‘Roe v. Wade’ may be ‘settled law.’ Well, guess who settles law in this country,” she asked the crowd.
Some rally members also questioned the validity of Kavanaugh’s appointment in light of the latest allegations against the president. Last week in federal court, Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen implicated Trump when he pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who represents Greenpoint, Astoria, Long Island City and much of the East Side, pushed the idea of delaying the vote on Kavanaugh until after the midterm elections, similar to the way GOP members of Congress delayed filling Antonin Scalia’s vacancy until after the presidential election.
“Let’s be evenhanded. Let’s have the same standard,” Maloney said.
