September 12, 2007
Video of Rev. Lennox Yearwood's Arrest on Capitol Hill
Those of you who watched the Joint Hearing of the House Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committee know that the hearing itself was disrupted several times, both by technical issues and by protesters in the room. You may not have been aware that there was a ruckus in the hallway outside the hearing as well.
This video shows U.S. Capitol Police speaking with Hip Hop Caucus President Reverend Lennox Yearwood, Jr. on Monday after they have pulled him out of the line to get into the hearing room. Yearwood asks why he was singled out, and the police tell him that he wasn't in line. After a few minutes of argument, the police tell Yearwood that he was under arrest. Yearwood says, "No, I'm not being arrested," appears to resist the police, and is tackled to the ground outside the hearing room in the Cannon House Office Building.
People in line for the hearing start yelling, "take it easy," and "he's a minister," as the police handcuff Yearwood. Chants of "Arrest Bush, Not Rev." rise from bystanders as Capitol police clear the area around Yearwood, who appears unable to get up from the floor because of a hurt ankle. According to a press release from Hip Hop Caucus, Yearwood was taken to George Washington Hospital, where he was treated for a broken leg. He has been released, and is being charged with disorderly conduct and assault of a police officer. Yearwood claims he was prevented from entering the hearing room because he was wearing a button that said "I love the the people of Iraq." The Post has a report on the arrest, but here's the video so you can see what went on. What do you think? Overzealous police, or disorderly conduct?
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Overzealous police, or disorderly conduct?
Why does it have to be either/or?
Not sure if he did cut the line or not, but either way let this be a lesson to all future line cutters. YOU WILL BE PENALIZED.
Looks like he lunged so I am not about to judge the Cap police on this one. Curiously, you would think that the Hip Hop Caucus could afford a lobbyist or two to accompany the man and defuse these situations. Sucks that our Congress has come to that point but its the way things work...
BTW - I love how the surrounding officers are primed to pull their guns throughout the ordeal. Yes, it may be basic training, but the guy is both a Reverend and within the main security perimeter.
I know the capital police don't have an agenda; but, at some level the whole thing, when I'm watching the video like any armchair quarterback, feels oppressive and like another brick in the wall of political intolerance. Maybe I'm a hippy or something, but I like debate.
"...but the guy is both a Reverend..."
...and Reverends have never been known to do anything illegal, violent, immoral, etc.
hmmm, he clearly resisted arrest. but, assuming he cut in line, do we really arrest people for that these days? cutting in line seems to warrant evil glares or even a scolding.
I have to say, that's pretty much how I'd act in that situation. I'd argue that I stood in line like everyone else and I'd probably pull away if the police started to close in on me.
And did they really need FIVE officers to subdue him? Cripes. Watching them dog-pile on top of him was just awful.
Who cares if he's a "reverend" or not. He got arrested. He resisted arrest and the officers had to use force to subdue him. Its not like they were beating him.
Not beating him? They broke his leg! Does it really matter?
It seemed excessive.
When the police surround me and tell me to do something, I comply. If you don't comply to the police's orders and then lunge at them, you get a beat down. Seems pretty simple to me. There's a reason I've never received a beat down from the police...
Disclaimer: I can't watch the video due to restrictiond here at work, so I can't really make this point with absolute certainty.
I was at the hearing later in the afternoon, and watched it earlier on TV when it began. I find it extremely unlikely that he was singled out because of a Button.
Give me a break. Did anyone see the whacky stuff some of the protestors were wearing? It must have been something else.
I'd say they were incredibly quick to arrest the guy--and on very questionable grounds. Yes, he resisted arrest, but didn't assault any of the officers. I don't think the force was excessive for someone resisting arrest, but he shouldn't have been arrested to begin with--certainly not after 2 minutes of non-threatening discussion.
Camera and background "commentary" seemed a little too ready and primed. Could it be that a protest group would stage a disruption?
As an aside, can you call it being arrested for cutting the line. Looked at first as if they were just going to throw him out of line or make him go to the back...he refused to move then it went up to arrest. May have been that. Not saying it was, but lets give the cops some benefit of common sense as well.
Guest 4: Perhaps the debate going on should be between committee members to be productive. When it is from onlookers, it is not debate, it's just disruption and Congress has golf and any number of holidays to take their focus. If the members of Congress do not seem to be asking the right questions or fighting for anything that matters to the people they reprsent...and they don't, maybe the protesters would be better served working on influencing the electorate that keeps putting these morons and lifelong cronies in office again and again.
People in line for the hearing start yelling, "take it easy," and "he's a minister," as the police handcuff Yearwood. Chants of "Arrest Bush, Not Rev." rise from bystanders.
Call it what it is: Codepink.
Did anyone notice that the lady who yelled "Arrest Bush Not Rev" was also arrested?
When line cutting is outlawed, only outlaws will cut lines.
I've worked with the Capitol police at protests before and they're very good at what they do, but also have a bit of a short fuse in the tolerance department for compliance with orders.
That being said, the guy made a lunge like he was going to run into the hearing room with a group of officers surrounding him. Not the smartest thing.
If the purpose of this post is to assign blame, then both sides and the situational aspects contributed to the problem.
I'd say being a 'minister' is grounds enough for arrest, if for no other reason than being a 'minister' is quite often a huge tax evasion scam and a stage for moralistic BS that the rest of us only dream of being able to utter with impunity.
But, then, that's just me.
The post has no purpose other than news; we aren't assigning blame to anyone.
Monkey@1: It doesn't have to be either/or, it can be both or none.
if you think he was resisting arrest you are an idiot! When did they say you are under arrest? DCist is just brimming with middle ages white dudes with too much time on their hands.
Whether or not it was right to deny him entry, it's clearly visible that he refused officers' orders to move away, and even tried to push by them after being told he wasn't admitted. By attempting to push by the officers, he entered their space and even made contact with them, which is assault.
From what little the video shows, I don't think he should have been denied entry, but it was wrong for him to disobey officers' orders and to charge towards them.
I'm against the war in Iraq, but resisting arrest and making sudden moves after being told to do something by a police officer isn't the way to go about change.
If cutting in line equals disorderly conduct, then shit, I'm gonna start pulling out the citizen's arrest on people who cut at eastern market, gallery place cinema, and hell, the beltway. cool.
I've broken my leg before, and I have never felt such pain in my life. I'm just amazed that he wasn't screaming or crying like a baby.
As the Post reported recently, it is standard procedure to pull people out of line if they are not a supporter of the war. Only supporters of the war are allowed to go in. Reverend Lennox Yearwood is clearly not a supporter of the war, and that is why he was pulled out of line. The video shows him arguing that he was in line to get in the building - which he was - until they decided he wasn't a supporter of the war. He still wanted to convince him he should be let in - that's why they broke his leg and sent hime packing. The fact is that outsiders who don't support the war will sooner get their legs broken and thrown out, rather than be let in the building.
Are you a supporter of the war? If not - they'd do the same thing to you.
It seems that none of the people commenting on this article understand that he was PULLED OUT OF LINE - WHY? - BECAUSE HE DOESN'T SUPPORT ENDLESS WAR IN IRAQ. The reason they arrested him and broke his leg, was because he didn't think that non-support of the war was a sufficient reason to be banned from a goverment building which everyone supposedly has transparent access to.
Maybe we should be asking if it is really reasonable to turn away anyone who does not support the current policies in place?
take that ya hippie
It was wild, his leg actually broke in half and is flying everywhere. I bet the cuffs broke a wrist or two.
lwatkins, you're an idiot. Those hearings are FULL of people who are against the war. The Capitol Police routinely admit people who are decked out in pink, knowing they're going to eventually cause a disruption, but they don't do anything because those people have a constitutional right to sit in the hearing as long as they're respectful.
This guy didn't get his legs broken because he was against the war, and you know it. And being against the war isn't a courageous position any more. Most of the country thinks the war was a bad idea and wants it over. The president and others who led us into the war are routinely ridiculed on late night TV and (rightfully) criticized every day in the press.
Yearwood is yet another attention-hogging radical who makes it next to impossible for this country to have a serious and level-headed discussion about how to fix the situation we've gotten ourselves into. If this debate continues to be dominated by people who appeal to pure emotion (on both sides), we're going to be still fighting this war amongst ourselves long after our last soldier leaves Iraq.
I have talked to Yearwood before and he is a very nice and gentle man. The people of Hip Hop Caucus represent young black people - who have virtually no voice in our goverment whatsever. These are people who are seeking accountablility in our goverment, and fostering participation among those who are poorly represented.
Yearwood is a nice, patient minister who was waiting in line until he was pulled out of line, harrased, arrested, and phsically broken. He is not a radical unless you consider non-support of the war to be a radical position. Is fostering a voice for the needs of young black people in goverment a radical concept? Is it hogging your attention?
Why is it that evertime someone attempts to represent young black people they get pulled out of line, harrased, arrested, and their bones are broken? I was just wondering? Apparently other posters will think I'm an idiot for asking these questions.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=O4t0vImR4ag
http://youtube.com/watch?v=O4t0vImR4ag
lwatkins...I don't think you're an idiot. But I do think you're a bit narrow-minded. Yearwood may be a nice guy. But he argued with the Police and resisted arrest in a government building where security and tensions are high to begin with.
And your concept that this is somehow a conspiracy to limit the voice of young black people is a bit odd. What does one anti-war nutjob resisting arrest have anything to do with the voices of young black people? As a young black male, Yearwood does not speak for me regarding our Iraq policy. And as a young black male (I'm 23), I have just as much right to attend those hearings as anyone else.
Fight for your cause with truth or don't fight it at all.
"And your concept that this is somehow a conspiracy to limit the voice of young black people is a bit odd."
He did not say that!
The man was in line. And was asked to leave for no good reason. He felt singled out, and any innocent person would rightly protest. If you feel to be right then you stand you ground or be taken advantaged of.
"Anti-war nutjob?" He's a nut because he doesn't agree with the war in Iraq? He seemed to be acting pretty rationally until he was curiously surrounded by the police.
If you watch the tape, other people in line directly behind him confirm that he was in line as they step around him and are admitted into the hearing. Odd that they didn't mention that he took cuts, huh?
I never thought I'd be this ashamed and, quite frankly, scared to be an American. The slow, steady, government-endorsed erosion of our rights makes almost anything seem possible.
Another typical example of the pigs beating down someone because they don't like the way they look or what they have to say.
He was completely nonviolent throughout the confrontation, and does it really take 6-8 cops to 'subdue' one man?
If you watch the video you can hear others waiting to enter the hearings telling the cops that the Rev had in fact been in line.
This kind of behavior by cops is disgusting, but really, what do you expect? It's D.C., and the capitol no less.
another story of a non-local to the DC area who doesn't know that capital hill police will I repeat will KNOCK YOU THE F U C K OUT!!
they don't need any reason but they feel like it to take you off the grounds and or take you to the jail in the basement before they send you to DC jail for the night.