Pelosi Office Sit-In Protestors Arraigned In DC Court

4/6/10-By Paula Brooks
Four Get Equal activist arrested last month during a sit in at Speaker of The Office Nancy Pelosi’s office on Capitol Hill were arraigned a District of Columbia court today.

All four pleaded not guilty to the charges stemming from the March 18 protest. The case was then sent to an immediate status hearing and all were order by the judge to stay away from the Capitol and related buildings.

Known as the ENDA 4, Jay Carmona, Samantha Ames, Chas Kirven, and Michelle Wright, staged their protest as members of the direct action group Get Equal, to bring attention to the Employment Non-discrimination Act and to demand that Pelosi move the bill out of committee and onto the House floor for a vote. The legislation has been jammed up in a House Committee since last year and promise action to bring the bill to the House floor for a vote in March failed to materialize.

The activist were arrested and charged with misdemeanor illegal entry after they refused to leave the House Speaker’s office following a scheduled meeting with her staff.

Among those in attendance at today’s hearing was Dan Choi. Choi was arrested the same day after he handcuffed himself to the White House fence in a separate Get Equal protest calling attention to “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”