Bans Off Our Bodies Rally: Saturday’s event draws nearly 1,000 to Willard Park

Bob Perkoski Tuesday, May 17, 2022
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About 1,000 protesters on Saturday, May 14 showed their concern over the potential that the U.S. Supreme Court could overturn its historic 1973 Roe v. Wade decision to protect a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy.

The group met at Willard Park near the Free Stamp for the Bans Off Our Bodies Rally, hosted by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, and comes after the recently leaked draft of the Supreme Court decision in Mississippi’s request to overturn Roe V. Wade, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The decision is not yet final.

Pro Life advocates were nearby, also voicing their opinions, but they were drowned out by a bagpiper before Cleveland Police made the group move to East 9th Street.

Planned Parenthood is currently circulating a petition to protect a woman’s right to choose.

FreshWater managing photographer Bob Perkoski attended Saturdays’ rally and documented the protest.
Bob Perkoski
Bob Perkoski

About the Author: Bob Perkoski

Bob is managing photographer with FreshWater as well as a Cleveland freelance photographer. His photographic approach is rooted in the art of storytelling. Whether freezing the energy of an event, encapsulating the magic of a performance, or astutely anticipating the decisive moments, his work displays an innate ability to distill the essence of any scene or subject into a single frame or series of work. In addition, Bob is the official photographer for LAND studio and Holden Forest and Gardens and has worked with various Cleveland organizations. In 2019 he published a book of his photos Rust Belt Burlesque. He's had work published in other books like LGBTQ Cleveland by Ken Schneck, Rust Belt Chic: The Cleveland Anthology, Rust Belt Chic: The Pittsburgh Anthology and Moon Cleveland by Douglas Trattner. Previously he was co-founder/art director for Balanced Living Magazine. You can view his versatile portfolio of work, which includes news coverage, portraiture, architectural and fine art at Perkoski Photography. Originally from Conneaut, Ohio, Perkoski now lives close to the city in Parma. He has been Fresh Water's managing photographer since the publication's September 2010 inception.

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