Revs. Jesse Jackson, William Barber arrested in protest urging Manchin to nix filibuster

The Rev. Jesse Jackson and social justice activist the Rev. William Barber were arrested Wednesday during protests to urge Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to end the filibuster and pass a sweeping voting rights bill, according to CNN.

Jackson, a civil rights icon, and Barber, a social justice activist, were two of 21 people overall who were arrested this week near the U.S. Supreme Court for obstructing and crowding, according to the network. 

Barber participated in the “Moral March on Manchin and McConnell” rally with the nonprofit organization group the Poor People’s Campaign at the steps of the Supreme Court. The demonstration aimed to put pressure on Manchin and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to end the filibuster. 

There has been increased pressure on moderate Democrats including Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) to end the legislative filibuster after Republican legislatures across the country introduced bills that would tighten voting restrictions following the 2020 election. 

Progressive Democrats have called on their moderate colleagues to nix the filibuster before GOP lawmakers blocked the For The People Act, this week, a major piece of voting legislation that would affect federal elections. 

In a video, both activists were seen marching toward the Hart Senate building where Capitol police officers began to warn demonstrators that were engaging in “illegal demonstration activates,” according to CNN. 

Afterward, authorities began to escort the protesters to the sidewalk. 

Barber told CNN’s Chris Cuomo that new voting restrictions would hurt all Americans. 

“When you start rolling back voter registration, rolling back early voting, undermining mail in balloting, putting limits on people even being able to get water, doing racist gerrymandering, class-based gerrymandering, you hurt Black people, you hurt white people, you hurt Asians, Natives, Latinos, young people and the disabled.” 

The Hill has reached out to Manchin, McConnell and the Capitol Police for comment.