A quick primer on John Lewis' history of sit-ins and arrests while he has been in Congress [View all]
Some here on DU are unfamiliar with the history of civil disobedience that John Lewis has in political life.
He's been arrested five times during his time in Congress.
In 2013, Lewis and fellow Congressmen Joe Crowley, Raul Grijalva, Luis Gutierrez, Jan Schakowsky, Keith Ellison, Al Green, Charlie Rangel joined more than 100 activists and started a "peaceful sit-in blocking a street in the front of the Capitol." The protest was part of the Camino Americano Rally for Immigrant Dignity and Respect, an effort to restart immigration reform in Congress.
In the 80's he was arrested twice at the South African embassy protesting apartheid, and in 2006, twice at the Embassy of the Sudan protesting genocide in Darfur.
It should then surprise no one that John Lewis inspired and led this sit-in in in the wake of the Orlando shootings, a hate crime against the LGBTQ community, and the resulting congressional inaction in the face of the worst mass public shooting in our history. He has always challenged the status quo when it was unacceptable.
http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives/2013/10/08/congressman-john-lewis-adds-arrest-no-45-at-least-to-rap-sheet
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