By: Ellie Hagen
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – In recognition of International Women’s Month, Fayetteville community members gathered outside the Washington County Courthouse, aiming to bring awareness to the victims of the ongoing case involving the Jeffrey Epstein Files.
Indivisible NWA, a local nonprofit democracy organization, held the event on International Women’s Day, March 9.
Fayetteville protesters and local women’s groups made signs and stood along College Avenue, calling for the continued release of the Epstein Files. Demonstrators said their goal was to support victims and highlight ongoing questions surrounding the investigation.
“Why haven’t we done any movements for the Epstein Files and prosecuting them, and turning files into trials?” One demonstrator said.
The investigation is related to an alleged sex-trafficking operation that involved women and underage girls over many years. Jeffrey Epstein was arrested back in 2019, in relation to the sex-trafficking charges, but later died after being in police custody while awaiting his trial.
In January, more than 3 million pages were released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Donald Trump signed in November. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, over time, more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 photographs have been released along with the pages of documents.
The Department of Justice had more than 500 attorneys and reviewers who helped release the initial case files. The millions of pages were recovered from five primary sources, including the New York cases against Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Along with the release, the Department stated that “no victim identifying information would be produced unredacted as part of the public production.” The statement concerns protecting the privacy of the potential victims named in the files.
Protesters stated that their goal was to bring awareness to the national headlines here in Fayetteville. Some of the signs read “women’s rights = equal rights”, “justice for the victims”, and “stop the coverup.”
Demonstrators said they were happy with the public engagement they received during their appearance. Passersby who were driving or walking past were seen honking their horns and rolling down their windows to yell.
“It feels very good to know that we are not alone and that people recognize us. You can see from all the honks that we’re getting, people care.”
As the event ended, organizers said that they hope their effort will continue to bring light to the case and help the women and girls involved.