Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH), who is chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, was arrested Thursday on Capitol Hill for participating in a protest calling on the Senate to end the filibuster and pass Democrat-backed voting rights bills.
Beatty led the protest in the Hart Senate Office Building, according to Politico.
“We will not be turned around. We will keep walking. We will fight for freedom. We will fight for our right to vote!” Beatty tweeted.
We will not be turned around. We will keep walking. We will fight for freedom. We will fight for our right to vote! pic.twitter.com/uyJHXEy8Y0
— Joyce Beatty (@RepBeatty) July 15, 2021
Footage depicts Beatty and the activists chanting.
WATCH:
Activists escorted into Hart by @RepBeatty chant “end the filibuster!” pic.twitter.com/1AedJth37d
— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotnbc) July 15, 2021
Another tweet showed Beatty being arrested.
Let the people vote. Fight for justice. pic.twitter.com/JnEUPl9KJW
— Joyce Beatty (@RepBeatty) July 15, 2021
“The group of around 20 people spent about 20 minutes in the building before Capitol Police delivered several warnings and restrained the protesters with zip ties. The police detained Beatty first, then led her and other protesters outside to waiting Capitol Police vans. The remaining protesters walked out of Hart without being arrested,” Politico reported.
“Today, I stood in solidarity with Black women across the country in defense of our constitutional right to vote,” Beatty said in a statement. “We have come too far and fought too hard to see everything systematically dismantled and restricted by those who wish to silence our voice.”
Politico further noted, “The buildings that make up the Capitol complex are still closed to most visitors, but members and staff can escort guests inside. The group had initially rallied near the Capitol at a church building as part of what participants billed as a ‘Day of Action on Voting Rights’ with Black women leaders, allies and advocates urging the Senate to pass two key pieces of legislation — a sprawling Democratic election reform bill and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.”
As noted by The Hill, “It is believed that the Democrats’ two voting rights bills — the For the People Act and the Johnson Lewis Voting Rights Advancement — would stem the flow of the new voting restrictions, but as it stands, neither have a clear path to President Biden’s desk.”
The Hill noted that “Republicans vehemently oppose the For the People Act, known as H.R. 1, often describing the proposal as a blatant Democratic power grab. The bill passed the House with no GOP support and isn’t expected to garner any in the Senate.”
“The lengthy bill would mandate a federal threshold for certain voting rights, such as universal mail-in voting, early voting and same-day voter registration. It also addresses gerrymandering and campaign finance reform,” The Hill continued.
Despite support from some moderate Republicans for the bills, Democrats lack the requisite number of votes to surpass the filibuster, which doesn’t seem to be going anywhere thanks to Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ).
The group of which Beatty was a part was arrested for allegedly “crowding, obstructing, or incommoding,” according to the Capitol Police.
Beatty was also pepper-sprayed last summer while participating in demonstrations in support of George Floyd, Politico noted.
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