Black Congressional Staffers Stage 'Hands Up' Walk Out On Capitol Hill
In the wake of protests that erupted after police officers were not indicted in the cases of both Eric Garner in New York and the Michael Brown of Ferguson, congressional staff members staged a Capitol Hill walkout.
A mass of black congressional staffers walked out of the Capitol building on Thursday (December 11) at 3:30 pm ET, raising there hands up in the "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" position as they paused united on the building steps. The event was spearheaded by the Congressional Black Associates group, a few congress members joined the protest, including Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., and Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas.
"We're not trying to cause any type of controversy," one staffer told CNN. "We're just trying to highlight this issue, to show solidarity with people who have been affected."
The walk-out drew other minority staff members, including the Congressional Asian Pacific American Staff Association and the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association.
"I believe it's important, because what affects one community really affects the entire country," a staffer said. "It's not just one group of minorities that's affected. How one group is treated affects Asians, Hispanics, women. It's important that we show our solidarity and come together and really speak out about the injustices that are being done."
