Case Dismissed
The D.C. Superior Court dismissed assault charges Monday against an anti-war activist who refused to move to the back of the line of people waiting to see the testimony of Gen. David Petraeus on Capitol Hill. [IMGCAP(1)]
The Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. was charged with assaulting a Capitol Police officer after the Sept. 10 incident. Officers first tried to escort Yearwood out of the building, then tackled him after he lunged forward.
Yearwood, president of the Hip Hop Caucus, claimed he had waited for hours to gain entry into the hearing room, only leaving the line for a few minutes to conduct an interview.
In a press release, Yearwood called the incident an example of racism. He still faces charges of disorderly conduct.
“We have an apartheid political system, where democracy while Black isn’t the same as democracy while White,” he said in the release put out by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which represents Yearwood in the case. “These officers and the U.S. Capitol Police must be held accountable by our members of Congress for their horrendous actions.”
Capitol Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider declined to comment on the case.
— Emily Yehle