Candlelight vigil honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg held in Huntington Beach

More than 100 people gathered in Huntington Beach on Sunday night for a candlelight vigil honoring the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Friday at the age of 87.

Participants were passed electric candles and then walked from Triangle Park south toward the Huntington Beach Pier, said organizer Bethany Webb, a Huntington Beach resident.

The vigil was organized by local left-leaning progressive group HB Huddle, of which Webb is a member.

“We didn’t get one angry [motorist], there were no counter-protesters, there was no negativity at all,” Webb said. “It was just a beautiful, peaceful homage to an amazing woman who lived an amazing life and did a lot of really unbelievably good things for women.”

Obituaries

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, liberal giant of the Supreme Court, dies

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court and the first to become a pop culture icon.

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The walk didn’t quite reach the pier due to outdoor dining currently in place downtown on Main Street, Webb said, although some of the restaurant patrons applauded in support. It turned around at Orange Street, and when the participants got back to Triangle Park, there was a moment of silence for Ginsburg.

It started after dusk out of respect for the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, which ended at dusk on Sunday. Ginsburg, known as a legal giant and fierce women’s rights activist, was Jewish.

Huntington Beach resident Amanda Shepherd said she attended the vigil with her husband, Bruce, and their 13-year-old son, Luca.

“[Ginsburg] was so important for equal rights and just such a pioneer,” Shepherd said. “She was so graceful in her approach, and my life would be so different if it wasn’t for her work, even in things like time off for pregnancy.”

Huntington Beach resident Connie Garver, who also attended, said it was important for her to show support.

“‘RBG’ was pretty iconic,” Garver said. “I think she did a lot for democracy and a lot for women’s rights. I think it was good that we honored her.”

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