Eight Arrested in Pelosi Protest at Capitol
A little before noon today, July 28, eight individuals associated with Get Equal, who had been taking an ordinary tour of the U.S. Capitol, began a protest once they reached the Capitol Rotunda. As statues of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and others surrounded them — including a bust of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. — the eight were arrested within an hour for “Unlawful Conduct – Demonstrating in the Capitol Building,” according to the U.S. Capitol Police.
At first, the eight stood silent in the middle of the Rotunda with signs serving as a “reminder” to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) that she had promised a vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act this year. As the Rotunda was being cleared of visitors and media because of the protest, the eight sat down, began pounding the marble floor and chanting for a vote on ENDA.
“Speaker Pelosi, I am somebody,” the eight chanted, “And I deserve job protection, right here, right now.”
Those arrested, according to Get Equal, were Orelia Busch, Charles Butler, Sean Carlson, Shannon Cuttle, Robby Diesu, Erica Knepp, David McElhatton and Zack Rosen of the blog The New Gay.
[PHOTOS: Get Equal protests in the Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday, July 28. (Photos by Chris Geidner.)]
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