About 1,000 abortion rights advocates marched in the streets of downtown Dallas Friday night to protest the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
Chanting “my choice” and “enough is enough,” they briefly blocked traffic but the demonstration remained peaceful and there were no incidents by Friday evening.
The group first gathered at a park across from the federal building, where speaker after speaker let their feelings be heard.
"Let's be clear tonight. You ought to be mad. You ought to be angry,” one woman shouted into a bullhorn.
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The crowd swelled despite the triple-digit temperatures.
"I'm pretty much shocked and appalled,” said one woman who identified herself only as Alexis. “Well I"m not even shocked -- I'm appalled the government believes they have the right to police what people do with their bodies."
A new temporary security fence was installed in front of the Earle Cabell Federal Building and some windows were boarded up.
Across the street, as the rally started, a couple of counter-protesters drew attention and a small number of police officers made sure the two groups didn’t clash.
In Denton, a group of protesters gathered at the city's courthouse square. Denton police told NBC 5 that there were no arrests there.
Protests played out in major cities across the country Friday night.
“I’m expecting at least tens of thousands of people in outpourings across the country tonight,” Texas organizer Coco Das, a member of the Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights group, told NBC News. Das described the anger felt in Texas as “visceral.”
