D.C. Mayor Vince Gray arrested on Capitol Hill protesting budget deal

by Guest Tue Apr 12, 2011 1:37 am

D.C. Mayor Vince Gray arrested on Capitol Hill

By JOHN BRESNAHAN & JAKE SHERMAN | 4/11/11 6:48 PM EDT
Updated: 4/11/11 8:52 PM EDT

Washington Mayor Vincent Gray and other top city officials were arrested on Capitol Hill on Monday during a protest of the budget deal House Republicans cut with President Barack Obama.

A crowd of about 200 to 300 gathered near the Hart Senate Office
Building in opposition to a budget bill passed last week because it
places new limits on the city. One measure prevents Washington from
spending government funds, even local money, on abortion services.

Capitol Police say they arrested 41 protesters for unlawful assembly,
for “blocking passage” on Constitution Avenue near the Capitol.

Capitol Police officers also arrested City Council Member Muriel Browser
and City Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown. Other city officials who were
arrested included Council members Yvette Alexander, Tommy Wells,
Michael Brown and Sekou Biddle. A Capitol Police spokesman said the
department is monitoring the situation.

Protestors chanted “Free D.C.” and “We can’t take it no more.”

Tensions have long run high between D.C. officials and congressional Republicans for years. The GOP has largely opposed the District’s effort to gain a full-voting member in the House. The district’s member of Congress, currently Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat, can vote only in committee.

The Republican-sponsored abortion provision in the 2011 spending bill
has won some Democratic congressional support in the past, and Speaker
John Boehner (R-Ohio) worked feverishly to secure its inclusion this
year.

The budget also includes a provision that allocates money for vouchers
for low-income students to attend private schools, a project spearheaded
by Boehner. Gray opposes the measure.
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