Seven Anti-War Demonstrators Arrested At House Hearing
Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 1:59PMSeven anti-war protesters were arrested by Capitol Police Thursday after repeatedly interrupting the testimony of Defense officials at a House Armed Services hearing.
The anti-war demonstrators, who have been identified as part of the Occupy DC movement in Freedom Plaza, teamed up with Code Pink and shuffled their way into the crowded hearing room that was expected to hear testimony from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin Dempsey.
According to a statement released by October2011.org, an advocate website for the Occupy DC movement, one of the demonstrators arrested was 21-year-old veteran Michael Patterson, who was deployed to Iraq as an interrogator at the age of 18.
Patterson interrupted the testimony of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and was eventually arrested and escorted from the hearing room by two Capitol Police officers.
“You are murdering people,” Patterson shouted. “I saw what you do to people in Iraq.”
Demonstrators who failed to infiltrate the hearing room continued to shout, “We are the 99 percent and we don’t support these wars,” throughout the hallways of Rayburn House Office Building.
The seven demonstrators were arrested and charged with disruption of Congress.
VIDEO: DC Occupiers Take Aim At EPA
By Lisa Kellman
Occupy Washington DC protestors carried crosses and laid three wreaths in front of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) building Thursday to mock memorialize the death of clean air and environmental justice.
Protestors accused the EPA of supporting the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline and failing to fully implement regulations within the Clean Air Ac.
“The environment is central to everything we’re fighting for,” said Occupy Washington DC organizer Kevin Zeese. “The government’s corruption and lack of oversight is letting the EPA get away with mucking up the environment.”
The protestors blamed EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and President Obama for bowing to corporate pressures and failing to protect the environment.
They blew whistles and chanted, “Blow the Whistle on Lisa Jackson.”
The changes proposed to the Clean Air Act would regulate cross-state smog pollution and other environmental hazards. However, reforms have stalled in Congress.
Republicans and some Democrats from energy-producing states have argued that new rules would destroy millions of jobs. Such lawmakers have instead called for boosting domestic oil production, a move the protestors said would do more harm to the environment then create jobs.
“They’ll be hiring 2,000 people in each state to do work for about three months…the figures on employment are totally wrong on that [Keystone] pipeline,” said Ann Wright a protestor and retired U.S Army Colonel.