WASHINGTON _ Capitol Police arrested 56 protesters Thursday who flooded Senate office buildings to voice opposition to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and express support for his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford.
Thirty three protesters were arrested outside Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles E. Grassley's office in the Hart Senate Office Building Thursday afternoon. The demonstrators were charged with "Crowding, Obstructing, or Incommoding." Earlier in the day, Capitol Police arrested 23 protesters outside Sen. Susan Collins office in Dirksen for "unlawful demonstration activities." They faced the same charges.
In addition to the protesters arrested, scores of people staged quiet demonstrations all day at different senators' offices. Many wore pins reading "I believe Dr. Christine Blasey Ford," which are a throwback to pins worn during the 1991 hearings in which Anita Hill testified about sexual harassment while working for then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. One of the buttons that reads "I believe Anita Hill" is on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Thursday's protesters came from a variety of groups, from health care organizations, disability rights groups and the women's marches.
