OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
New York Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman was arrested outside the U.S. Capitol building on Thursday during a protest over voting rights.
Hunger strikers in Washington refusing to eat until Democrats pass election reform legislation blocked a barricade outside the U.S. Capitol, leading Capitol Police to arrest 23 protesters after three warnings.
Bowman was among those arrested.
Marcus Frias, Bowman’s director of communications, said the congressman “was arrested alongside at least 20 others, including faith leaders and youth who have been hunger striking for our democracy.”
“Today, Congressman Jamaal Bowman joined a voting rights non-violent direct action at the North Barricade of the U.S. Capitol Building and was arrested by the U.S. Capitol Police,” Frias said in a statement. “We will provide more information and updates as we gather them.”
“The Capitol Police said in a statement posted to their Twitter feed that they began making arrests because demonstrators had “started blocking one side of the North Barricade outside the U.S. Capitol” shortly before noon and “refused to move out” after three warnings,” The Washington Post reported.
“They made a total of 27 arrests for “crowding, obstructing or incommoding” and one arrest for violating a crowd-control regulation, according to the statement. A Capitol Police spokesperson did not specify whether Bowman was among those arrested,” the WaPo report added.
BREAKING: Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) was arrested Thursday alongside at least 20 others during a voting rights protest, for blocking one side of the North Barricade of the U.S. Capitol building. pic.twitter.com/sF7hcLkN1a
— The Hill (@thehill) January 20, 2022
“Among the arrests at a voting rights protest today: Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY). His office says he ‘was arrested alongside at least 20 others, including faith leaders and youth who have been hunger striking for our democracy,'” Newsy reporter Nathaniel Reed tweeted.
Among the arrests at a voting rights protest today: Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY). His office says he "was arrested alongside at least 20 others, including faith leaders and youth who have been hunger striking for our democracy." https://t.co/C0Yrdek3sg
— Nathaniel Reed (@ReedReports) January 20, 2022
Rep. Jamaal Bowman was arrested outside the Capitol as part of a voting rights protest, per his spox: pic.twitter.com/HXOAi9rcqf
— Nicholas Wu (@nicholaswu12) January 20, 2022
Rep. Jamaal Bowman arrested in election reform protest at Capitol https://t.co/HteUfVPpwV pic.twitter.com/9NfGLfd5ug
— New York Post (@nypost) January 20, 2022
On Wednesday night, Democrat Sens. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia blocked the Democrats’ desperate attempt to gut the Senate filibuster.
Democrats attempted to bully their way into passing two election overhaul bills this week — the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.
The Senate filibuster requires 60 votes for measures to be passed, which requires some bipartisan support.
Democrats needed all 50 Democrat senators to vote in favor plus Vice President Kamala Harris casting a tie-breaking vote to give them 51 votes to end the Senate filibuster so they could pass their radical bills with a simple majority.
Both Manchin and Sinema refused to get on board with their own party’s attempts to alter or throw out the filibuster.
Their refusal has effectively brought Joe Biden’s agenda to a standstill in the Senate because without their votes — plus Harris breaking the inevitable tie — Democrats can’t move any bills through the 50/50 Senate.
