150 attend Auburn demonstration to honor RBG, denounce rush to replace her

Sep. 29--About 150 people gathered near the Cayuga County Courthouse Sunday to honor the life and legacy of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg after her passing Sept. 18 at the age of 87.

The silent demonstration also protested the efforts of President Donald Trump and Republicans to fill Ginsburg's seat before November's election, flouting the "rule" Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell invoked in 2016 to deny then-President Barack Obama nominee Merrick Garland a hearing. Trump announced on Saturday his selection of Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacant seat.

It's a "gluttonous grab" for power by Trump and the Republicans, said Melina Carnicelli, who organized the 40-minute demonstration with the Cayuga County Young Democrats. The former mayor of Auburn and current organizer of the annual Women March in Seneca Falls worked with the youth group's president, Jane Oliver, a senior at Auburn High School.

In keeping with the silent theme, no speakers were scheduled at Sunday's event. The 150 participants -- a mix of young and old, men and women, Carnicelli said -- merely held signs voicing their sentiments, many of which appropriated Ginsburg's signature lace collar into an image with the words "I dissent." Other signs voiced support for abortion rights given Barrett's opposition to them.

Carnicelli said the demonstration came together in a few days. She hopes a similar event will take place Oct. 17, when Women's March will lead a demonstration against Trump in Washington, D.C.

"It was a peaceful demonstration," she said. "Although it was a silent protest, people's voices were heard loud and clear."

Lake Life Editor David Wilcox can be reached at (315) 282-2245 or david.wilcox@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @drwilcox.

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