The Rev. William J. Barber II, a prominent civil rights activist and pastor, was arrested Monday in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda while praying in protest of a Republican-led budget proposal. Barber, joined by the Rev. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and Steve Swayne, was charged with crowding, obstructing, and incommoding, according to U.S. Capitol Police.
The trio was part of a demonstration organized by Repairers of the Breach, a nonprofit founded by Barber, following an interfaith gathering at the U.S. Supreme Court. The group aimed to draw attention to proposed budget cuts that Barber said would remove 36 million people from Medicaid and millions of children from school lunch programs while blocking living wage increases. “We were praying for love and justice, not lust for money,” Barber told reporters after his release.
The arrests occurred about 15 minutes after the group began praying, with dozens of officers issuing warnings before clearing the Rotunda, including credentialed press. Barber, a leader of the Poor People’s Campaign and the Moral Monday movement, called the response “unusually dramatic” and vowed to continue nonviolent demonstrations.
Barber, 61, has a history of arrests during protests, including in 2021 for voting rights and in 2017 for health care advocacy. Monday’s action marked the start of a planned series of Moral Monday demonstrations against the budget.
Capitol Police said demonstrations, including group praying, are prohibited in congressional buildings. The incident drew attention on social media, with supporters calling it an overreach by authorities.
