Activists pay a visit to the office of Congressman Meeks who voted for NSA spying
(UStream video (not live) here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/restore-the-4th-nyc )
Activists storm office of Congressman who voted for NSA spying
By Joshua Kopstein 5 hours ago
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The action is intended to call out Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and the more than 200 other members of Congress that voted down an amendment last week aimed at curtailing the NSA's collection of domestic calling records. The group said they wouldn't leave until Meeks apologizes for his "no" vote and commits to fighting against surveillance programs which collect data on Americans without a warrant or suspicion of wrongdoing.
""Rep. Meeks #Voted4BigBrother and against the 4th Amendment.""
"Representative Meeks #Voted4BigBrother and against the 4th Amendment, his constituents, and the rights of every American," said Ben Doernberg, a Restore the Fourth organizer and one of the sit-in's participants. "Perhaps Meeks’ largest election campaign donor over the last 3 years, AT&T, which charges taxpayers $325 for every wiretap it activates, played a role in his vote." The group also delivered a "thank you" cake to the office of another New York Congressman, Rep. Hakim Jeffries (D-NY), who voted for the anti-spying amendment.
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The sit-in was a change of tactics for Restore the Fourth, which previously organized anti-NSA rallies that took place in over 100 US cities on July 4th. Unlike those previous actions, where organizers instructed participants to not engage in "civil disobedience," members of Restore the Fourth said would not leave the Congressman's office until their demands were met, and broadcasted the event on Ustream while taking questions on Reddit.
The group says its next rally will be held on August 4th as part of "1984 Day" in New York City's Bryant Park.
Update (3:50pm): Rep. Meeks has delayed his flight to Washington, DC and is now meeting with members of Restore the Fourth.
Update (5:15pm): It looks like Restore the Fourth at least got the discussion they wanted. The group has decided to leave Rep. Meeks office after an "intense 20-minute debate," and should be posting a video of their meeting shortly.
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http://mobile.theverge.com/2013/7/29/4568716/activists-storm-office-of-congressman-who-voted-for-nsa-spying
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From Reddit:
We're four protesters with Restore the Fourth New York and we're in the office of a congressman that voted against the Amash Amendment. Ask us anything in the next ~40 minutes we expect we have before the police get here. (self.IAmA)
- Do you guys have plans for more actions like this? Any in California SF Bay Area?
- Did Rep. Meeks let $15,000 from Defense Industry influence his Amash vote?
- When can we expect Rep. Meeks' statement indicating that he will be cosponsoring Rep. Rush Holt's upcoming legislation to repeal FISA and the Patriot Act?
Ect, etc...