Left-Wing Activists Arrested After Sit-In In Schumer’s Office
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54 people were arrested on Thursday after staging a sit-in in Chuck Schumer’s office.
Video posted by the left-wing Sunrise Movement shows protesters chanting “Hey hey, ho ho, Schumer has got to go” and holding signs that read “The filibuster kills.”
According to US Capitol Police, protesters were charged with crowding, obstructing, and incommoding.
Dozens of young left-wing activists were arrested Thursday after staging a sit-in inside Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) Washington office, demanding that Democrats replace their longtime leader and abolish the Senate filibuster when they take control of Congress in January.
The Sunrise Movement, a left-wing youth climate organization, said 54 protesters were arrested after hundreds of demonstrators traveled to Washington for the action. Another 150 activists visited the offices of every Democratic senator to deliver letters demanding a new direction for the party, the group said.
U.S. Capitol Police confirmed 54 arrests at Schumer’s personal office in the Hart Senate Office Building, saying the protesters were charged with crowding, obstructing, and incommoding.
Video posted by the organization showed protesters sitting on the floor of Schumer’s office and chanting, “Hey hey, ho ho, Schumer has got to go!” Demonstrators held signs reading “The filibuster kills,” “Stop the climate crisis,” and “Schumer: Step up or step aside.”
Chuck Schumer is facing challenges to his being re-elected as Senate majority leader.
Chris Van Hollen is running against him for the role.
As Senate Democrats prepare to vote on a majority leader for the upcoming Congress, they’re wrestling with how to navigate what feels like a clear mandate for anti-establishment voices from communities historically underrepresented in federal office to step into leadership. Several Democratic senators have said they will not support Schumer for the position, including Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, as well as several members of the freshman class, like Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed and South Carolina’s Annie Andrews.
Some have backed Maryland’s Chris Van Hollen as a challenger, including Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota’s senator-elect, and 50501, one of the major groups behind the No Kings protests.
