Statehood Lobbyist, Norton Testify at Trial

One of the District's elected statehood lobbyists joined the city's delegate to Congress yesterday in testifying in behalf of activists being tried for a noisy outburst from the House of Representatives gallery protesting federal control of D.C. affairs.

Anise Jenkins, a member of Stand Up for Democracy, and Karen Szulgit, a member of the D.C. Statehood Green Party, face up to six months in jail or a $500 fine if convicted of disruption of Congress. They interrupted a House budget debate July 29 by chanting "Free D.C.!" and "The nation's capital is its last plantation!"

Congress has strict rules of conduct for spectators. The pair were removed from the gallery by a doorman and arrested by police.

Paul Strauss, who was elected to the unpaid position sometimes known as shadow senator to lobby for statehood, told jurors that the shouting was tame compared with conduct on the floor.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) testified earlier in the day. D.C.-rights groups are trying to use the misdemeanor trial in Superior Court to lobby for the District's autonomy.

"This trial is really about the residents of the District, who are denied the rights other Americans have," said Wayne Turner, coordinator of ACT UP, one of many activists involved in the protest.

Read this article online at The Washington Post.