Protesters gathered outside the Arkansas State Capitol on Sunday afternoon for a demonstration titled “Shame the Abusers,” calling for accountability for sexual abuse and urging greater transparency surrounding the Epstein files.

The event, which began at 2 p.m. on March 8 — International Women’s Day — was organized by a grassroots group called People’s Protests and Marches. 

Speakers at the rally focused on sexual abuse survivors, the justice system’s treatment of women and calls for the release of documents connected to Epstein.

Scott Holladay, a member of the group’s organizing committee, said the demonstration also marked the one-year anniversary of the organization’s first large protest.

“We looked at the calendar and knew March 8 was International Women’s Day,” Holladay said. “It’s also the first anniversary of our first big protest event last year. This year we wanted to come back and focus specifically on women’s issues.”

Organizers said the theme of the protest was chosen after discussions within their planning group.

According to Holladay, members decided to focus on sexual abuse and how institutions often fail survivors.

“Because of it being Women’s Day, we wanted to focus on women’s issues,” Holladay said. “We focused on the Epstein issue and also sexual abuse of women and how law enforcement, the media and others often don’t listen to women or give enough attention to what women have to deal with when it comes to abuse.”

Several speakers addressed the crowd during the rally, including an Epstein survivor who shared her experiences and spoke about the challenges many survivors face when seeking justice. Organizers said the event also included anonymous stories submitted by local survivors whose cases they say were mishandled by the legal system.

Courtney Maxwell, one of the lead organizers of People’s Protests and Marches, said the goal was to provide survivors with a space to speak out.

“Today we wanted to give women a platform where they could speak up against what the system has done, not just at a national level, but also at a local level,” Maxwell said. “We had an Epstein survivor here speak, and we also heard two stories from anonymous submitters whose cases the local system has failed.”

In addition to highlighting survivor stories, some speakers also criticized political leaders and called for the release of additional documents related to Epstein’s case.

Holladay said protesters believe transparency is necessary for accountability.

“Some people are just becoming aware of the issue and realizing they haven’t been told the full truth,” Holladay said. “We want to raise awareness and keep pushing to make sure women get justice and that our law enforcement and justice system are not part of the problem.”

The demonstration included a rally at the Capitol and additional stops near other locations in Little Rock, including the Arkansas Republican Party headquarters, where organizers delivered speeches criticizing political leaders they say have not supported releasing Epstein-related records.

The group began organizing protests last year and have held several demonstrations across Little Rock. 

Maxwell said the organization started with a large Women’s Day march in 2025 that drew hundreds of participants.

“Last year we had around 600 to 800 people for the Women’s March,” Maxwell said. “This year people started asking if we were going to do something again, so we organized this event.”

Since then, the group has continued hosting demonstrations across the city, including weekly protests related to immigration issues and other political causes.

Maxwell said activism often begins with a single issue that motivates people to get involved.

“Find the thing that speaks to your heart the most and start there,” Maxwell said. “When you start showing up for one issue, you begin learning about other people and what they go through, and then you start showing up for them as well.”

Organizers said Sunday’s rally aimed to amplify the voices of survivors and encourage broader conversations about how institutions respond to abuse allegations.

“We wanted to emphasize giving survivors a platform to tell their stories,” Maxwell said.