Congresswoman Joyce Beatty Arrested On Capitol Hill
Ohio Congresswoman Joyce Beatty the Congressional Black Caucus chairwoman, was arrested on July 15, 2021.
She was arrested along with several other activists because they were protesting on Capitol Hill.
Beatty was put in handcuffs after showcasing voting rights in the atrium of a Senate office building.
After her arrest, Beatty wrote on Twitter saying, “You can arrest me. You can’t stop me. You can’t silence me.”
The group of protesters entered the building chanting phrases in regards to the protection of voting rights.
They were shouting: “free the vote,” “end the filibuster,” and “fight for justice.”
Capitol Police posted a stated a statement on Twitter reiterating that protesters were warned three times to stop before they were arrested for violating a D.C. law.
This is because the law disallows demonstrators to resume engaging in a demonstration after being instructed by a law enforcement officer to cease engaging in a demonstration.
Why Is This So Important To Beatty?
Beatty and many of the other protesters were calling on the Senate to pass the For the People Act. This is a wide-ranging and elections reform bill that was blocked last month.
Activists have called on Senate Democrats to eliminate the filibuster. This is important because this would allow legislation to advance with a simple majority.
However, that rule change would require support from all Democratic senators, and at least two have reiterated their opposition to ending the practice.
Why Are People Against This Act Of Change?
One of the most outspoken opponents of eliminating the filibuster, Senator Joe Manchi, met on Thursday with a group of Texas House Democrats.
The Democrats fled their state in an effort to block controversial bills restricting voting rights.
The Texas legislators have been meeting with lawmakers in Washington to convince them to pass federal voting rights protections.