This morning The Encampment to Stop the War went into the Rayburn Building to confront the Democrats as the House Appropriations Committee holds their first meeting to fund the continuation of the slaughter in Iraq. 10 Encampment members were arrested. A few of us were the first in line in the hallway outside the chamber where the meeting is now taking place. The balance of Encampment members picketed the outside of the building.

In the hallway outside the chamber they lined us up for entrance into the chamber. After waiting for about an hour, the Capital Police opened up a door on the other end of the hallway to bring a large number of staffers in. The police then told us that there would not be enough room for us to attend the public meeting. The time was 8:56, 4 minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin. About a dozen Encampment members and several members of Code Pink began to chant:

"LET US IN - IT'S THE PEOPLES' HOUSE!"

Gael Murphy being cuffed in the hallway immediately outside the door of the House Appropriations Committee Meeting. (Photo: Axis of Logic)

As Encampment members became louder demanding their right to attend this public meeting. The police arrested 3 members of the Encampment in the hallway:

GAEL MURPHY
RALPH LOEFFLER
MEL STEVENS

Gael, Ralph and Mel sat down on the floor and refused to leave as everyone loudly demanded their right to attend this important meeting. The police forced them face down on the floor, handcuffed them and took them out. The protest in the hallway became louder and the House Appropriations Committee were forced to delay their meeting by about a half hour because of the growing disturbance directly outside the chamber doors.

Mel Stevens being taken away by the police (Photo: Axis of Logic)

Following these arrests, 6 more Encampment Members were arrested for blocking the front door of the Rayburn Building:

SHARON BLACK
SARA FLOUNDERS
DUSTIN LANGLEY
LARRY HOLMES
LORIE BLANDING
BOB NASH

They are now being held in jail by the Washington DC police department pending charges. Encampment to Stop the War attorneys, Buddy Spell and Ann Wilcox held a press conference shortly after the arrests and are now working to secure their release.

More photographs of the arrests, details of what happened this morning and new developing information will be published on this story within the next hour or so on Axis of Logic.

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