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:applause:Dallas’ Mark Reed, far right, is shown along with the other five activists who disrupted the committee hearing this morning. Reed said he was detained for an hour afterward but not arrested.
" As Chairman George Miller (D-CA) began today’s hearing on reforming the juvenile justice system, an activist with a ‘Get Equal Pass ENDA’ sign came up and asked him to accept a mark-up marker. Miller refused:
MILLER: And to hear from a series of witnesses on the…
PROTESTER 1: With all do respect, Chairman Miller, as a constituent of your state of California, I’m here demanding you no longer delay a mark-up…
MILLER: We’re not delaying the mark-up and thank you.
PROTESTER 1: I would just like to deliver this marker I don’t know if it’s because of the recession that you guys you can’t afford markers, or whatever the issue is, but in our community there are people being fired because they are lesbian, gay, bi and transgender.
MILLER: As you know, we are working very hard on that legislation...I will not accept the marker. We’re working on that as expeditiously as we can, thank you very much. I appreciate it, thank you.
PROTESTER 2: From Texas, Virginia…Chairman, I can be fired for being gay.
MILLER: I understand that, and that’s why we’re proceeding with the legislation.
UNIDENTIFIED LAWMAKER: This is the problem with this. There’s no end to it. You’re never going to satisfy them all.. <...>
MILLER: We are working on it which we expect to bring to mark-up rather quickly. It’s not an easy piece of legislation, it’s a fairly compliated piece of legislation. We want to get it right. But we expect to have it before this committee in the very near future.
more with video:
<http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/04/21/hearing-disruption-enda/>