You know what’s apparently the most dangerous thing during a protest? Elderly people in wheelchairs. At least, that’s what the current administration seems to think, since they had them arrested during a peaceful demonstration on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The whole protest happened because Republicans decided that what people really need right now is Medicaid cuts. If this proposal goes through, millions of low-income Americans could lose access to affordable healthcare. Those who are still lucky enough to have Medicaid would have to jump through even more hoops and requirements just to continue using the program.
Of course, a lot of people are not okay with that, so they decided to hold a peaceful protest on Capitol Hill. More than 33 people showed up to demonstrate. Washington, D.C. police were not having it. They labeled the protest an illegal demonstration and arrested the group for crowding, obstructing, and incommoding. Among those arrested were elderly people in wheelchairs. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the police also put zip ties on their wrists like they were dangerous.
You can see the video for yourself. It was uploaded to Reddit by user WitchPillow. In the footage, you can see disabled protesters being herded away by police. One able-bodied man was also escorted out. The person filming the video was soon spotted by officers and ordered to leave. Police even confiscated the protest banners. Some read “No Cuts to Medicaid” while others said “Kill the Bill.”
The police later defended their actions by claiming the protest took place in the wrong part of the Capitol Grounds. According to them, there are other designated areas where people can demonstrate without being arrested. Not that those arguments made them any more endearing to the public. Many internet users were shocked and outraged by how the disabled elderly protesters were treated.
One user wrote, “Thank God they zip-tied their hands so they couldn’t get away. This is f***ing disgusting.” Others called the protesters heroes for standing up against what they see as a tyrannical Trump administration. Another user commented, “Thank you to these folks for possibly risking their health to protest these devastating cuts.”
Some commenters went as far as hurling insults and curses at the police for their actions. Others stressed the need for people to come together and stop Trump and his allies from turning America into something worse and treating it like their personal playground.
Another user added, “Wait… I thought being in the Capitol building without authorization was an okay thing to do now? I’m sure Trump will issue pardons for these people ASAP.”
