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Representative Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, was arrested Thursday afternoon at the United States Capitol as she demonstrated in favor of voting rights legislation.
Beatty, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, was part of a small group urging the Senate to pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, federal legislation that would reduce restrictions on voting and gerrymandering at the level of the state. .
Speaking on the Hill before his walk into the Hart Senate office building, Beatty compared the moment to the mid-20th century civil rights movement, saying, “We might as well have the dogs and the pipes because that we don’t have the Voting Rights Act and that’s why we have to walk these streets, we have to walk like those who were the followers of Martin Luther King and John Lewis.
Beatty added that she hoped she would be arrested.
“That’s what it’s about today: it’s about fighting for everyone,” Beatty said. “It’s about fighting for justice. It’s about fighting for you.
Within an hour of speaking, Beatty was tied up by the United States Capitol Police.
“Let people vote. Fight for justice, ”tweeted the MP’s official Twitter account with two photos of her arrest. He then tweeted “Good trouble,” a reference to the late depicting John Lewis, a civil rights icon.
It is not known exactly why Beatty was arrested. Joyce released a statement which said “in solidarity with black women and their allies across the country in defense of our constitutional right to vote. We have gone too far and we have fought too hard to see everything systematically dismantled and restricted by those who make us shut up. Rest assured this is just the beginning. “
As of June 21, 17 states had enacted 28 new laws this year that restrict access to voting, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. At least 61 bills with restrictive provisions pass through 18 state legislatures, while 31 have been passed by at least one chamber. Earlier this month, a Supreme Court ruling by the six Republican-appointed justices dealt another blow to voting rights law in a case involving Arizona laws, to which Beatty has referred to in his remarks Thursday afternoon.
The House passed the For the People Act in March, but it was blocked by the Senate filibuster, which requires 60 votes to move forward. President Biden spoke about the importance of protecting voting rights on Tuesday, but came under intense scrutiny from civil rights leaders and many Congressional Democrats for failing to call for the ‘elimination of filibustering, which would allow the bill to pass by a simple majority of Democratic votes.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday called the filibuster a “process of legislative procedure that is up to the Senate to determine the way forward” and said there was currently no the consensus among Senate Democrats needed to support its removal.
“I know we’re focusing on one or two,” Psaki said, probably referring to Mid-Sense Joe Manchin, DW.V. and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Arizona, “but there is certainly more than that about the individuals who oppose the filibuster changes because of the story.”
Beatty and his walking companions chanted “End the obstructionBefore their arrest.
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