'It's not Independence Day for us': Hundreds gather in downtown Appleton to protest Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision
APPLETON - Hundreds of abortion-rights supporters marched through downtown Appleton on Monday to protest what they called the loss of freedoms caused by the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
"It's not Independence Day for us," Faith Roska, an organizer of the event, told the crowd in Jones Park.
For Wisconsinites, the overturning of Roe v. Wade puts an 1849 state law back into effect that banned Wisconsin doctors from performing abortions, except in cases where the mother's life is in danger. Wisconsin clinics have halted all abortions.
On June 22, two days before the Supreme Court ruling, state senators ended after less than a minute a special session Gov. Tony Evers called to overturn the state law.
Monday's rally, organized by local activists and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization - Wisconsin (FRSO) started at Houdini Plaza before protesters marched to nearby Jones Park.
MORE: Hundreds protest Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade at Appleton rally
A downpour later in the day didn't deter the crowd from holding up signs and chanting as organizers shared their abortion experiences.
An organizer of the rally, Dylan Carrier, told the crowd how an abortion procedure saved her life. She said she's angry people will no longer have that right.
"It took (the Wisconsin Senate) less than a minute to take away the right to my own body," she said at Monday's rally.
Demonstrator Jasmine Johnson told the crowd at Houdini Plaza she cried when Roe v. Wade was overturned as she mourned the loss of her rights.
But even as she's scared for the post-Roe world, Johnson said the turnout of Monday's event made her hopeful.
"They have messed with the wrong generation," she said. "We will not be silent."
Organizers of the event emphasized the need to elect representatives who will support abortion access.
"We need to vote for the representatives who represent us," Roska told demonstrators Monday.
The FRSO also is asking that Winnebago, Outagamie and Calumet counties pass a non-enforcement resolution to make enforcing the state's 1849 abortion ban in these counties the lowest priority.
The FRSO also asked that a man who struck a demonstrator with his car at a June 27 rally be held accountable for the action.
Demonstrators have been frustrated with the Appleton Police Department for citing some participants for noise violations and traffic obstructions and not maintaining a presence at rallies after reports of violence.
Many demonstrators said Appleton police have been disrespectful of their attempts to fight for abortion rights.
Sophia Voight can be reached at svoight@postcrescent.com or 920-993-7102. Follow her on Twitter @sophia_voight.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Appleton abortion-rights supporters protest decision to overturn Roe
