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YSU alum among Yale protesters on Capitol Hill Monday
YOUNGSTOWN
A Youngstown native was among the more than 100 Yale University students who traveled to Washington D.C. Monday to protest Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination.
Jacob Schriner-Briggs, Youngstown State University alum, was also one of two Yale students arrested during the peaceful protest outside of senators’ offices on Capitol Hill.
The Washington Post reported it’s unlawful to demonstrate inside any of the Capitol buildings, and 128 activists were arrested and charged with “crowding and obstruction.”
“If you believe in something, you should stand up for it,” Schriner-Briggs said.
The protesters asserted that the judicial confirmation process should be extended to thoroughly investigate sexual-assault allegations made by women against Kavanaugh, who is a Yale law-school alum.
Schriner-Briggs and his classmates spoke to senators about their concerns with Kavanaugh’s nomination and the lack of investigation into the women’s claims.
“The biggest elements of the protest were to call for neutral fact-finding, a better process and respect for women who bring forward these credible claims,” he said. “Primarily, the goal was to demonstrate solidarity with women.”
Hundreds of other Yale students stayed in New Haven, Conn., and staged a sit-in.
“We are talking about someone who, if confirmed, will receive the highest court appointment in the United States. So it’s certainly not too much to ask that the committee doesn’t try to sweep under the rug the possibility the allegations are true,” Schriner-Briggs said.
The student-organized protest was in conjunction with other organized protests outside senators’ offices on Capitol Hill.
Schriner-Briggs said he and his classmate Jesse Tripathi felt if they were arrested, it wouldn’t be as high-risk for them as it might be for others, such as women or people of color.
When you become part of an elite institution, “if you see injustice, it’s incumbent upon you to address it in a bold way,” he said.
Some of his female classmates also told their personal stories during the protest, which Schriner-Briggs described as humbling.
“I’m proud of everyone who participated and stood up for what is right in regards to this nomination,” he said.