Middle Fingers Up In Austin After End of ‘Roe’

Originally published by the Texas Observer.

More than 1,000 people marched through downtown Austin on Friday, June 25 to express their anger and sadness over the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe V. Wade and the impending, widespread erosion of abortion access as a result.

A large crowd gathered on the steps of the gray stone federal courthouse building in downtown Austin, some under the shade of a tree. Most of the crowd is seen from behind. — Hundreds of protesters thronged the steps of the federal courthouse in downtown Austin in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s striking down Roe. (Kit O’Connell/Texas Observer)

Organized coalitions like Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights and others called for protesters to gather at the federal courthouse and in the surrounding Republic Square Park on the night after the Supreme Court decision came down. Word spread rapidly via social networks and posters affixed to lampposts throughout the city.

Hundreds marching through the streets of downtown Austin, followed by police cars. At the front of the crowd women hold signs with mottos like "You still think you're getting pussy?" and "Prolife doesn't equal Prolife:" — The tail end of the reproductive justice march, soon after protestors left Republic Square Park in downtown Austin (Kit O’Connell/Texas Observer)

The energy was high despite temperatures that remained over 101 degrees. The protest took to the streets after a series of speeches and chants. Closely tailed by police, activists acted as parade marshals to control rush-hour traffic as the march swelled to more than a city block in length.

Hundreds crouch in the middle of Congress Avenue, in facing Texas State Capitol as they thrust their middle fingers up. — Marchers raise their middle fingers in front of the Texas State Capitol in downtown Austin—a rebuke to the Republican-controlled state government and the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe. (Kit O’Connell/Texas Observer)

State troopers shut down the Texas Capitol grounds as the group approached, forcing marchers to gather at the intersection outside the gates. At the urging of an organizer on a megaphone, they sat or squatted on the hot pavement to hold space.

A woman in a Miller High Life t-shirt peeks out of the sunroof of a white car while marchers move around her stopped vehicle, holding signs. Slogans include "Forced Pregnancy = Violence" and "I would rather bear arms than children" — A driver peaks through the sunroof of her stopped car to cheer on protesters. (Kit O’Connell/Texas Observer)

Police and state troopers stopped marchers from approaching the Governor’s Mansion, sending them streaming past it instead, eventually looping around south to return to their starting point in Republic Square Park.

Marchers return to the plaza in front of the gray stone federal courthouse in downtown Austin. In the foreground, a smaller group, facing away from the camera, with one holding a sign that reads "They're coming for us queers next." — Marchers returned to Republic Square Park before some set off to take the streets again. (Kit O’Connell/Texas Observer)

While numbers dwindled quickly, a second march began from the park soon after. Police made at least one arrest, according to eyewitness reports and tweets. Austin Police Department officials did not respond to a request for comment. [Update 6/28/2022: An Austin Police Department spokesperson confirmed there were two arrests at Friday’s protest, with an additional three arrests at a similar protest on Sunday, June 26.]

As the park emptied, some marchers left their signs behind as a final message.