Power

Capitol Police Arrest Millennials Demanding Paul Ryan Disavow Trump

“We don’t look at Trump as an aberration that’s different from [the] GOP,” said Max Berger, an organizer with the #AllOfUs2016 campaign that protested outside House Speaker Paul Ryan's office on Tuesday.

The sit-in outside House Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) Capitol Hill office marked the campaign’s launch, Max Berger, an organizer, told Rewire in an interview. #AllofUs2016 will continue to call upon Republican leaders to revoke their support of Trump “for the good of the country.” michelle johnsen / YouTube

A millennial-led sit-in demanding that the top Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives withdraw his endorsement of GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump culminated in the arrest of a dozen activists affiliated with the new #AllofUs2016 campaign.

The sit-in outside House Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) Capitol Hill office marked the campaign’s launch, Max Berger, an organizer, told Rewire in an interview. #AllofUs2016 will continue to call upon Republican leaders to revoke their support of Trump “for the good of the country.”

“We don’t look at Trump as an aberration that’s different from [the] GOP,” Berger said. He echoed an #AllofUs2016 press release calling on Ryan to “disown the 50 years of dog whistle racism that led to Trump’s nomination.”

The sit-in began around 9:45 a.m., said Todd Zimmer, a volunteer assisting the campaign with communications. The 25 multiracial young leaders could be seen sitting on the floor and singing, “They tried to stop us, but we keep coming back,” among other protest chants, in videos posted to social media, including #AllofUs2016’s Twitter account. Capitol police had cleared the space in front of Ryan’s office by 10:30 a.m., but as of 1 p.m., Zimmer said all 12 activists remained in custody.

Ryan’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.

Berger said the campaign’s work will continue in two additional phases. In the lead-up to Election Day, #AllofUs2016 activists will encourage young people to vote—specifically, for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, even if she doesn’t fully align with the campaign’s progressive vision. Berger prioritized defeating Trump, “a candidate who could end democracy in America.”

After Election Day, the activists will put “Wall Street Democrats” on notice, backing primary challengers with a “much bolder, more progressive vision of what it means to be an American.”

Though not yet working directly with lawmakers, the campaign has relationships with many established progressive organizations, including the Communications Workers of America, the Working Families Party, and 350.org, Berger said.

The goals underscore the campaign’s origin and ongoing mission.

“We wanted an opportunity to express the values of our generation in politics,” Berger said.