Important Updates from Today

As the organizers of the women’s rights protests we sensed the outrage in the community and wanted to help focus it in a productive way. Our goal was to provide a platform for Virginians to take coordinated and individual action and speak out against these injustices whether through their voices, their bodies or through their silence. We appreciate the diversity of tactics taken at today’s protest and are amazed with the overwhelming response we received.

At this time there are 28 out of 34 arrestees still in custody. We have received reports of inhumane treatment during the over 4 hours in holding. We urge the police to drop all charges and release everyone immediately. As the protest organizers, we believe that all Virginians can exercise their First Amendment rights to peaceably assemble. The fact that this infringement of our rights took place on our own state capital is a constitutional atrocity.

We sent the clear message, to the legislators and Governor McDonnell, that we will not accept these laws now, next year, or ever and if they continue this assault on women’s rights, they will be met with an even stronger, wiser and more organized force.

We also have a WebPay online donations account for the arrestees at today's protest. Any left over funding will be donated to the Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project or the Capitol Area Women's Health Network.  Here is the link to the WebPay account: 

https://www.wepay.com/donations/legal-fund-for-m3-speak-loudly-with-silence

Thanks everyone!!! 

10 Things You NEED to Know Before Saturday's Protest

On Saturday, March 3rd, we're putting out a call out for over a thousand to march on Capitol Square. This will be a similar style of protest as Feb 20th, with some new tactics included. Some stuff you should know before heading downtown:

• Please plan to show up at or before 12:00, near the bell tower on Bank Street. We will likely be doing a short march near the capitol grounds, and we'll need critical mass before mobilizing.
• Bring a sign for the march. We'll be putting them down on the sidewalk when we enter the Capitol grounds.
• Parking will be free and unlimited all over the city on the streets.
• If you have experience in legal, medical, or protest management, please email us at speak.loud.with.silence@gmail.com
• This event will end at THREE O'CLOCK, not four as listed on the Facebook event. Facebook won't allow us to change the time for some reason.
• It is likely to rain, so ponchos/umbrellas are recommended. Feel free to decorate them! Bring extras to share if you can. Please don't let rain be an excuse for not coming. There's millions of women out there counting on us.
• Bring cameras, both film and photo! We'll be posting the Tumblr link soon.
• We will have a police liaison who is authorized to speak to the police on our behalf. We ask that you let the police liaison be the primary contact for communication with the police- this will help us avoid any possible miscommunications. 
• Wear RED armbands if you can. Point People will be wearing WHITE armbands. Legal aids will be wearing green hats.
• Bathrooms will be available at the Library of Virginia, the Capitol building, and numerous other restaurants and buildings around the area.

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**ATTENTION PLEASE READ** We love you all and have been so overwhelmed by your passion and spirit! We want you all to always be safe and informed of the actions we take. The organizers that make up Speak Loudly with Silence are experienced activists who are extremely devoted to the causes that we organize around. We consult with legal consultants and utilize every resource and opportunity to do things safely, orderly, and legally. At times we will challenge laws that are purposely put in place to limit our freedom of speech and assembly. At any time we decide to challenge these laws, we will inform you. We will always provide multiple alternatives based on risk level and present those alternatives to everyone upon assembly. If at any time you feel uncomfortable, we encourage you to message or come up to an organizer/point person and let us know. We always want to hear from you! But keep in mind: "Well-behaved women seldom make history."

Our final stand

Today, February 28th, the Senate Finance Committee voted to pass by HB 62 indefinitely, thus putting an end to one of the most vicious and cruel pieces of legislation I can ever recall. This was a sick bill that should haunt Delegate Cole for the rest of his career.

With HB 62 out of the way, we were left with one final bill: HB 462- the other ultrasound bill. It was clear that the Republicans wanted this one bad. We've managed to defeat every single one of their anti-choice attempts thus far and they knew they couldn't go home without a single one passed.

After a longer than planned recess, the two parties came out fighting. There was some excellent arguments made by Senators Lucas, Saslaw, McEachin and Northam, and they did all they could to water down and kill the bill. Unfortunately each one of their amendments reached a 20-20 split vote, with Bill Bolling having the deciding vote each time to kill the amendments. Finally it came down to the final vote: 21-19 in favor of the bill. Here's a list of those who voted:

YEAS--Black, Blevins, Carrico, Colgan, Garrett, Hanger, Martin, McDougle, McWaters, Newman, Norment, Obenshain, Puckett, Reeves, Ruff, Smith, Stanley, Stosch, Stuart, Vogel, Wagner--21.
NAYS--Barker, Deeds, Ebbin, Edwards, Favola, Herring, Howell, Locke, Lucas, Marsden, Marsh, McEachin, Miller, J.C., Miller, Y.B., Northam, Petersen, Puller, Saslaw, Watkins--19.

Now the bill goes back to the House to be voted on one more time (due to the amendment). It is unlikely that anything will kill it there. Once it's passed, McGovernor has 7 days to act on this bill. At any point he can sign it after the House approves, so do NOT wait to email or call Governor McDonnell- tell him to stop this abomination of law!

Use this form: http://www.governor.virginia.gov/aboutthegovernor/contactgovernor.cfm
Use this number: (804) 786-2211
Use this address:

Office of the GovernorPatrick Henry Building, 3rd Floor 

1111 East Broad Street 

Richmond, Virginia 23219

Why are you still reading this? GO NOW!

Press Release in Response to the Overwhelming Police Presence at Tonight's Vigil

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SWAT AND RIOT COPS DEPLOYED OVER PEACEFUL CANDLELIGHT VIGIL

February 27, 2012 – Richmond, Virginia

To whom it may concern:

Attendees of a peaceful, quiet candlelight vigil tonight were greeted with well over 40 police officers of the Capitol and State forces. Among them were SWAT officers complete with an armored RV while over 30 officers carrying riot gear and riot shields waited inside the Patrick Henry Building. Blogger “The Richmonder” reported and photographed the situation:

“ There have only been a handful of times since I started blogging six years ago that I've covered a story that made me really, deeply, viscerally angry. Tonight is one of those times. Tonight I attended the "TAKE BACK THE RIGHT: Candlelight Vigil & Speak Out for Women" at Virginia's Capitol Square near the Governor's Mansion. It was a small, well behaved and completely peaceful demonstration, as the following photos prove…

 …The peaceful, unarmed protesters were separated from the Governor's Mansion by a five foot tall stone wall topped by an eight foot tall wrought iron fence topped by spear points. But the 50-100 uniformed Capitol Police and the thirteen foot tall barrier presented by the wall and the fence still weren't enough to make Bob McDonnell feel secure…

…What I saw tonight at the State Capitol was a massive over-reaction by Capitol Police and a really disturbing attempt by the McDonnell administration to use the State Police SWAT team to intimidate peaceful protesters through the display of overwhelming force. Were it not for the armored car, the body armor, and the automatic weapons, this use of massive armed police power against a small and peaceful group of protesters would seem kind of pathetic. It certainly shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the political situation Bob McDonnell finds himself in. This is not Iran, and "Taliban Bob" McDonnell can't muzzle the voices of free Americans. ”

http://www.the-richmonder.com/2012/02/bob-mcdonnell-deploys-state-police-swat.html

All of these officers were likely paid overtime to hover over and intimidate peaceful protestors gathering on public sidewalks along public land. This continued overreaction by police in Virginia must stop. The organizers of Speak Loud With Silence have repeatedly emphasized that all actions taken will be peaceful, organized, and within our first amendment rights as citizens. The extremely large police presence around the protest forces us to ask the question: what has become of our country and this state so that people cannot peacefully assemble without the presence of riot and SWAT police?  In our direct contact with police they have always been courteous, state their presence is for OUR safety.

Speak Loud with Silence is currently organizing another protest for Saturday, March 3rd, at the Capital.  We call on the Governor to tell the Capitol and State Police to not only show restraint, but to live up to their duty and word to protect and support the people.  This means supporting peaceful protest on capital grounds and stopping the harassment of peaceful activists- no matter what side of the issues they are on. 

#M3 Organizers
Speak Loud with Silence

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Why this fight is not over

Rachel Maddow beautifully explains why the February 20th protest, and the extraordinary turnaround is not the end of the line. The number of anti-abortion bills have skyrocketed over the past few years, and most of the bills we have defeated, or will defeat, this year are coming back again next year. Watch this video clip below:


[If the video fails to load, go here and skip to 8:30]

In decade before 2011, there were 19 votes on abortion in the General Assembly. That's an average of less than two a year. After Republicans took control of the House in 2011, there were 34 votes on abortion in that year.

This is why it's imperative that we do not give up now. The anti-choice legislators are taking a bet on us walking away thinking that we have won the war. We have not won this yet, and if we decide to sit back now, we will have succeeded in nothing but a delayed defeat.

February 20th proved something to thousands of people- that protesting and demonstrating DOES work. But most fights aren't won with just one punch. Join us on Monday night at 6:00 for a quiet vigil outside the Governor's Mansion. Then on Saturday March 3rd, bring your friends, your family, and some comfortable shoes back to Capitol Square for a final stand to tell VA legislators that enough is enough and that we will not take this anymore!

So... where are we now?

This week is coming to a close, and what a hell of a ride it was. After Monday's protest, the spotlight from the national news made the 'anti-choicers' run for cover. [Sorry, I refuse to call them 'pro-lifers'.] SB 484 and HB 1 have met rather dramatic deaths, HB 462 has been neutered, and now all eyes are on HB 62. HB 62 is the intentionally cruel bill that singles out the most poor and helpless women being toted by Del. Cole and Del. Marshall.

"[Repealing] Funding for certain abortions.  Repeals the section authorizing the Board of Health to fund abortions for women who meet the financial eligibility criteria of the State Plan for Medical Assistance in cases in which a physician certifies that he believes that the fetus would be born with a gross and totally incapacitating physical deformity or mental deficiency." http://www.richmondsunlight.com/bill/2012/hb62/

Really Delegates? Does your zealotry know no boundaries? Last year the state spent about $10,000 in all on funding this procedure- so this is HARDLY a budgetary concern.

But believe it or not, there have been some good bills have been introduced this session. Delegate Patrick Hope's "anti-shackling bill" would have banned the shackling of female prisoners during labor. It died in subcommittee at the hands of Delegate Ben Cline and the Militia, Police, and Public Safety subcommittee despite many passionate pleas for it's passing.

One that is not dead yet, but on it's way to the guillotine is the decades-old Equal Rights Amendment Ratification bill (SJ 130). Believe it or not, Virginia has yet to ratify the 1972 amendment guaranteeing equal rights for all. This bill will likely be heard next Friday at 9:00am in the House Privileges and Elections Committee.

The pro-choice members of the General Assembly are the most energized I've seen them all session. Before Monday, they were all but certain to leave the 2012 General Assembly in defeat. The tide has turned and now they need our help to not only stop these bills this session, but to send the message to the anti-choice legislators that stomping on and threatening women's rights will no longer go unanswered.

WOW.... what a day!

This morning the Senate Education and Health Committee voted 8-7 in favor of both HB 1 and HB 462, with amendments to both. In response, hundreds of pro-choice protesters rallied outside in a spontaneous protest after the passage of the bills.

After things calmed down and everyone went back home or to work, we got notice that the Republicans were pulling a cheap trick by quietly substituting the day's Senate agenda to include the bills for passage on the Senate floor. We made an emergency attempt to get people mobilized out there, but then the most shocking thing of all happened... it was recommended that HB1 was to be sent back to the Senate Committee for the year, and the motion was approved. Ladies and gentleman, HB 1 is dead. For this year, at least.

But we can not stop here. HB 462 and HB 62 (a truly sick bill) are still alive. WE ARE WINNING THIS FIGHT. This is the time that we need to hit the hardest. The General Assembly has been trying to do this for decades- forcing pro-choice groups to waste millions of dollars in defense of a woman's fundamental right and enabling the harassment of abortion-seeking women. THIS. ENDS. THIS. YEAR. 
Join us by the thousands on Saturday, March 3rd, to tell the Governor and the General Assembly that we will NOT forgive them for this. Visit the Thousands Against the Assault on Women's Rights event page, and together we can finish this fight.