(Courtesy of Democracy Spring)

Chanting “democracy is not for sale, we’re not too old to go to jail” and “money out, votes in!” hundreds of elderly protesters took up the mantle of the Democracy Spring sit-in this afternoon. About 85 people were arrested outside the Capitol, according to the U.S. Capitol Police.

Following a 10-day walk from Philadelphia, a coalition of progressive groups has pledged to take part in demonstrations this entire week. Yesterday, the first in the series of protests, more than 400 people were arrested and charged with “crowding, obstructing, or incommoding.” Police had to bring in buses to process the arrests off-site.

The groups are demanding “immediate action” to end the influence of money in politics and “to ensure free and fair elections in which every American has an equal voice.” To that end, they are pushing for five bills: the Government by the People Act, the Fair Elections Now Act, the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015, the Voter Empowerment Act of 2015, and the Democracy for All Amendment. More than 1,900 people have signed a MoveOn petition in support of the legislation.

Today’s sit-in was billed as the “Elders Standing for Democracy Spring,” and included members of the groups Elder Activists and the Conscious Elders Network.

“As ‘elders’ we have a moral imperative to care for and speak for future generations. We aim to use our wisdom and life experience to guide our actions, and stand together to create our legacy and reclaim our democracy,” they write.

Younger activists placed chairs and helped out their older brethren, some of whom had difficulty walking.

“It was pretty impressive to see those people standing up for this,” says Lee Camp, the host of Redacted Tonight on RT. The comedian was among the 85 arrestees; like himself, Camp estimated that about half of them weren’t elderly.

“I had planned to likely get arrested with Democracy Spring just because money in politics is the heart of all that is wrong with our government. Any issue that anyone cares about comes down to that,” Camp says. He plans to attend other protests this week, though he isn’t looking to get arrested again. “I had more time today.”

Unlike yesterday, Capitol Police were able to process the protesters on site and release them relatively quickly. “The scene was very festive. Those that didn’t get arrested really kept up the energy,” Camp says.

Protesters also congregated at the RNC’s Capitol Hill headquarters, temporarily blocking reporters from entering a press conference, where Paul Ryan emphatically denied that he is seeking the Republican nomination for president.

Tomorrow’s protest is billed as “‘racial justice day,” followed by “labor solidarity day” on Wednesday, “youth and student day” on Thursday, and “climate justice day” on Friday.

Filed Under: arrests, democracy spring, elderly, elders, protest, us capitol,