Rev. Jesse Jackson, the 79-year-old controversial civil rights figure and former presidential candidate, was arrested by Capitol police in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.
Jackson was leading a “Poor People’s Campaign” protest when he and approximately 20 other protesters were arrested.
Authorities have charged Jackson with “illegal demonstration activity.”
He was fined, but not jailed.
Bishop William Barber II, 57, was also among those arrested during a protest against the Senate filibuster and Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., and Mitch McConnell, R-K.Y., over the failed “For The People Act.” The protesters blocked traffic on a street and were warned by police that they faced arrest, but the crowd refused to disperse.
The protesters held signs that read, “Manchin, stop hurting West Virginia: Stop the filibuster.”
“We come not as an insurrection group, but as a resurrection group,” Jackson reportedly said. He had planned to be arrested as an act of civil disobedience.
“Today we must fill up the jails … if you call yourself a child of God, you oughta act like it sometimes,” he said.
The Democrats’ controversial attempt to completely overhaul U.S. elections was defeated in the Senate Tuesday, blocked by a filibuster wall of Republican opposition.
The vote left Democrats with no clear path forward, although President Joe Biden promised, “This fight is far from over.”
The For the People Act would have impacted virtually every aspect of how elections are conducted. Many in the GOP said the measure represented a breathtaking federal infringement on states’ authority to conduct their own elections without fraud — and was meant to ultimately benefit Democrats.
It failed on a 50-50 vote after Republicans, some of whom derided the bill as the “Screw the People Act,” denied Democrats the 60 votes needed to overturn a filibuster and force a debate under Senate rules.
You can see video of the police arresting Jackson and other protesters here —
Our team reports that @RevDrBarber and Rev. Jesse Jackson (age 79 with Parkinson's) were arrested for "illegal demonstration activity" while protesting in support of voting rights.
They were "field arrested" — processed and given a ticket — and not taken to jail. https://t.co/2n4NNW0Tkw
— Geoff Bennett (@GeoffRBennett) June 23, 2021