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SALT LAKE CITY — A protest against Friday's vote advancing U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh briefly turned confrontational outside the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building in downtown Salt Lake City.
A man walking by the group as an organizer urged them to stand closer together to improve the "optics" of the event stopped and criticized them in a loud voice for worrying about how they looked.
As he crossed the street, one of the protesters, Jamie Carter, an organizer for the Utah Democratic Party, jumped in front of him and screamed that he didn't care about women who had been raped, including herself.
"They said it's about optics, not justice. It's ridiculous," the man told a reporter, declining to give his name. He did not express an opinion on whether Kavanaugh should be confirmed despite being accused of sexual assault.
The noontime protest, which attracted several dozen people, came shortly after the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-10 along party lines to advance Kavanaugh's nomination despite hearing detailed testimony Thursday from one of his accusers.
It was that accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, coming forward about an incident at a high school party decades ago that Carter said gave her the courage to talk for the first time about her own memories of being raped some 30 years ago.
"There's so many women that have been through this. It has been a release to me," Carter said.
But she also expressed frustration at Utah GOP Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee, judiciary committee members who both support Kavanaugh's nomination.
"I may have been that I was taking out my frustrations with Hatch and Lee out on this gentlemen because that is exactly the attitude Hatch and Lee have right now. They don't hear us. They don't want to hear us," Carter said.
The organizer of Friday's protest, Cherise Udell of Millcreek, said the event wasn't focused just on trying to sway opinions as participants waved signs at passing cars while calling out "Stop, stop Kavanaugh," and other chants.
"Actually today is not necessarily about changing minds. It is an outlet for people that are really, really frustrated and upset," Udell said, in Utah as well as states around the country where similar protests were held.
Hatch says time to end 'new smears' against Kavanaugh; committee sends nomination to full Senate
Sen. Orrin Hatch said Friday it's time to stop "new smears" and vote on Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.She said she starting putting together the event just a few hours earlier.
"I wanted to make sure Utah was included. We're often seen as a red state, a very conservative state, so I thought was extremely important that we have some representation," Udell said, to show opposition is not limited to liberal states.
Joining the protest was Shireen Ghorbani, the Democratic candidate for the 2nd Congressional District seat held by Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah. Ghorbani, who held a sign reading, "Keep lifting your voice," said she was there to offer encouragement.
"I know that it can be traumatizing for people to watch someone disclose their story of sexual assault and then feel like the actions that were taken by the Senate Judiciary Committee invalidate that experience," she said.
But people shouldn't be discouraged, Ghorbani said. "We have to keep doing the work. We have to keep supporting each other and people can't get disengaged at this point."
Those who have experienced sexual abuse or assault can get assistance from Utah's statewide 24-hour Rape and Sexual Assault Crisis Line at 888-421-1100.
