Long Beach marchers to join hundreds of other events nationwide protesting anti-abortion laws • Long Beach Post News

On Saturday October 2nd, Crockett and hundreds of others are expected to march through Long Beach in hopes of encouraging federal action to ensure that all women have safe access to abortions and that “attacks on reproductive rights are not possible “. tolerated, ”said Crockett.

The march takes place two days before the Supreme Court reassigned.

Crockett stated that her great-grandmother died of an illegal abortion and her great-grandfather “died of a broken heart” shortly afterwards. With that, her grandmother, the eldest of the six children they’d left behind, had to find out everything. Crockett doesn’t want any other family to face such an outcome.

“It is really important to me that everyone in this country has the opportunity to make safe choices about how to care for their reproductive health,” said Crockett on Monday.

The march is scheduled to begin in front of the George Deukmejian Courthouse in downtown and end in Harvey Milk Park, which will have speakers and live music.

“Abortion care is an important part of health care,” said Senator Lena Gonzalez, one of the planned speakers, in a press release from the march organizers. “It has to be fair and accessible to everyone, regardless of their socio-economic status. California is a leader in reproductive freedom and we will continue to fight these national attacks that threaten the quality of life for so many people in our state and country. “

Saturday’s march is expected to be one of over 600 held across the country this weekend, including one at the Capitol, in response to Texas Senate law 8 that bans most abortions after about six weeks and allows citizens to do so allows clinics and sue others who violate it.

Crockett, 55, said she applied to host the event without ever planning a march. Her marching career began when she turned 50 when her mother, who was over 80, included her.

She was able to work immediately with her business partner Christine Surgy and Christine’s mother Carol. One of the first questions they asked was who did they know who could help? They reached out to former Long Beach Councilor Jeannine Pearce, who is now one of the main organizers of the event.

Pearce said she knew Long Beach had an appetite for these types of marches, as the city had sponsored bus drivers to similar events in Los Angeles for several years.

This project was personal for Pearce, who is from Texas and said she has had an abortion in the past and knows the challenges of getting around restrictions that are meant to prevent it.

The march is expected to be a sidewalk march, which means the streets will not be blocked, Pearce said, and the event has already received several hundred commitments. The event is looking for volunteers to help set up, clean up, and line up, Pearce said.

“We want this to be a march that really belongs to everyone,” said Pearce.

Crockett said she hopes the march can serve as an educational opportunity for the community, but also as an incentive for the Supreme Court to crack down on state laws aimed at making abortion illegal.

“What is going on in our individual states is wrong,” she said. “We’re more than concerned. In some cases, people are scared.”

A link to RSVP for the march can be found here. The organizers ask participants to wear masks and bring water.