Skip to content
View Featured Image

More Arrests At US Capitol As Democracy Spring Meets Black Lives Matter

Above Photo: From RT.com

Dozens of protesters have been arrested at the US Capitol during the third day of ‘Democracy Spring’ demonstrations. In addition to demanding an end to corporate money in politics, today’s sit-in is about racial justice.

US Capitol Police separated those who staged a sit-in at the steps of the building from the main body of the protesters, and proceeded to detain them.

In addition to the overall demands to remove corporate money from politics and ensure fair elections, on Wednesday ‘Democracy Spring’ focused specifically on “racial justice” for the African-American community, calling for “intentional investment” there.

One of the protesters refused to go along, and was subdued by multiple officers. Most of the arrests were peaceful, however.

One difference between today’s protest and the preceding marches on Monday and Tuesday is that the tourist area of the US Capitol was cordoned off from protesters by police tape, RT’s Caleb Maupin noted.

“Rich people are the source of poverty and oppression… of black people” in the US, one protester told RT, adding that democracy was the key to dismantling white supremacy in the American South.

“We need a democracy in which Black Lives Matter,” Democracy Spring organizer Kai Newkirk said on Twitter.

While the arrests were going on, US Secretary of State John Kerry presented the annual ‘Country Reports on Human Rights Practices’ at the State Department.

The week-long protest campaign began Monday, when over 400 activists occupied the steps on the east side of the Capitol building in order to bring attention to the problem of corporate funding for US politicians. Monday set the record for the largest number of arrests in a civil disobedience protest at the Capitol, according to the organizers.

Scores of elderly protesters were detained on Tuesday. As they were being released, the main body of the activists proceeded to picket the Congressional Republican headquarters.

Urgent End Of Year Fundraising Campaign

Online donations are back! Keep independent media alive. 

Due to the attacks on our fiscal sponsor, we were unable to raise funds online for nearly two years.  As the bills pile up, your help is needed now to cover the monthly costs of operating Popular Resistance.

Donate Here

Urgent End Of Year Fundraising Campaign

Online donations are back! 

Keep independent media alive. 

Due to the attacks on our fiscal sponsor, we were unable to raise funds online for nearly two years.  As the bills pile up, your help is needed now to cover the monthly costs of operating Popular Resistance.

Donate Here
Sign Up To Our Daily Digest

Independent media outlets are being suppressed and dropped by corporations like Google, Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our daily email digest before it’s too late so you don’t miss the latest movement news.