Free Rev. Yearwood!

When Gen. Petraeus testified on Monday, my friend Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr. patiently waited on line for a seat inside the hearing room.

After waiting in line throughout the morning for the hearing that was scheduled to start at 12:30pm, Rev. Yearwood was stopped from entering the room, while others behind him were allowed to enter. He told the officers blocking his ability to enter the room, that he was waiting in line with everyone else and had the right to enter as well. When they threatened him with arrest he responded with “I will not be arrested today.” According to witnesses, six capitol police, without warning, “football tackled” him. He was carried off in a wheel chair by DC Fire and Emergency to George Washington Hospital.

Rev. Yearwood said as he was being released from the hospital to be taken to central booking, “The officers decided I was not going to get in Gen. Petreaus’ hearing when they saw my button, which says ‘I LOVE THE PEOPLE OF IRAQ.’”

You can watch the video here:

It's clear from the video that Rev. Yearwood did absolutely nothing except calmly ask why he was being singled out. The Capitol Police surrounded him and gang tackled him and broke his leg in the process. And now they are charging Yearwood with assaulting an officer and disorderly conduct.

This is an outrage and Speaker Pelosi must get all the charges dropped immediately, personally apologize to Rev. Yearwood, and demand a full report from the Capitol Police.

We will not allow the Capitol to become a police state.