Loving the People of Iraq Can Get You Arrested -- OR -- They Hate Us for Our Free Speech . . .
Rev. Lennox Yearwood was arrested by the Capitol Police while he was standing in line to get into the hearing room where General Petreaus was giving testimony. Apparently, the Reverend's crime was the free speech on the button he was wearing. It said: "I Love the People of Iraq." Not as bad as "Impeach Bush," but still enough to get you roughed up and arrested.
Rev. Yearwood has a broken leg and is being charged with disorderly conduct and assaulting a police officer. I must have blinked when he did that, but next time I go to Capitol Hill, I'm staying away from the police lest they view my free speech as an assault and break my leg too.
WASHINGTON - September 10 - Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr., president of the Hip Hop Caucus, was attacked by six capitol police today, when he was stopped from entering the Cannon Caucus Room on Capitol Hill, where General Petreaus gave testimony today to a joint hearing for the House Arms Services Committee and Foreign Relations Committee on the war in Iraq.
After waiting in line throughout the morning for the hearing that was scheduled to start at 12:30pm, Rev. Yearwood was stopped from entering the room, while others behind him were allowed to enter. He told the officers blocking his ability to enter the room, that he was waiting in line with everyone else and had the right to enter as well. When they threatened him with arrest he responded with “I will not be arrested today.” According to witnesses, six capitol police, without warning, “football tackled” him. He was carried off in a wheel chair by DC Fire and Emergency to George Washington Hospital.
Rev. Yearwood said as he was being released from the hospital to be taken to central booking, “The officers decided I was not going to get in Gen. Petreaus’ hearing when they saw my button, which says ‘I LOVE THE PEOPLE OF IRAQ.’”
Capitol Police are not saying what the charges are, but an inside source has said that the charge is assaulting a police officer. Rev. Yearwood is scheduled to be transferred to Central Processing to be arraigned tomorrow morning.
Firedoglake: The Capitol Police work for the Speaker’s Office. I’m calling the Speaker’s office to “discuss” this and I hope you will too. Her office number is:(202) 225-0100.
Lennox Yearwood Hip Hop Caucus Petraeus Bush News Politics Free Speech Capitol Police
