Congressional Black Caucus Chair Joyce Beatty arrested at voting rights rally

Washington DC – Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman and Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty was arrested on Thursday while participating in a voting-rights protest at the US Capitol.

Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty was arrested for participating in a voting-rights protest.
Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty was arrested for participating in a voting-rights protest.  © IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

Beatty joined with 12 activists in a pro-voting-rights march that began outside the Supreme Court and finished inside the atrium of the Senate Hart Office Building, CNN reported.

The protesters, many of whom wore shirts reading "Black Voters Matter" and "Protect Our Voting Rights," sang songs like We Shall Overcome and This Little Light of Mine.

They also demanded the Senate pass the blocked For the People Act as well as end the filibuster, which requires a supermajority of 60 votes to stop debate on most legislation.

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After not heeding a police warning to leave the area, Beatty was the first of the group to be arrested by US Capitol Police. The other activists were subsequently detained as well.

"Let the people vote. Fight for justice," Beatty tweeted following the incident.

I stand in solidarity with the Black women and allies across the country in defense of our constitutional right to vote," Beatty said in another Twitter statement. "We have come too far and fought too hard to see everything systematically dismantled and restricted by those who wish to silence us. Be assured that this is just the beginning. This is Our Power, Our Message."

The US congresswoman's arrest is another troubling sign of coordinated efforts to restrict voting rights, especially those of Black and brown voters, since Donald Trump's 2020 electoral defeat.

Cover photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

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