Mourners Spontaneously Gather Outside Supreme Court To Honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg (barf alert, photos)

NPR ^ | 9/19/2020 | Jenny Gathright

[simpson96]

On the steps of the Supreme Court building, soft cries and the low murmur of chirping crickets filled the air as hundreds of people grieved the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Occasionally short bursts of clapping broke out before the crowd resumed its silence. At points, the crowd sang "Amazing Grace," "America the Beautiful" and "Imagine" by the John Lennon.

Shawn Boykins, 35, said a friend texted him about the news as soon as it happened. He was in the neighborhood and thought to visit the court to pay his respects.

"I can't help but think about the political implications, but I'm trying to set that aside," Boykins said. "It just reinforces that a lot's at stake in the election with so much happening, with the fires, climate change and everything."(snip)

Nairika Murphy said she was one of the first people to show up at the Supreme Court to pay her respects. She was on a walk when her family texted her the news. Not too long after she arrived, the crowd swelled into the hundreds.

"I think that this country is in a really dangerous place, and I think the fact that we're still questioning climate science and women's reproductive rights, it's unbelievable to me," Murphy said.

[jmcenanly]

These things have all the spontaneity of a Royal Coronation. they’ve probably been prepped for months for this.