7 Arrested During 'Resist Trump Tuesday' Protest Of Trump Cabinet Appointments

By aaroncynic in News on Feb 1, 2017 4:40PM

Seven people were arrested during rush hour Tuesday at the Kluczynski Federal Building for civil disobedience. They were protesting to put pressure on Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth to oppose various controversial cabinet appointments by President Donald Trump, including the appointment of billionaire Betsy Devos for Secretary of Education.

"When public eduction is under attack, what do we do? STAND UP FIGHT BACK!" #ResistTrumpTuesdays turning up on the heat on VOTE NO TO DEVOS pic.twitter.com/2HZ46Rf9VB

— Resist Trump Chicago (@ResistTrumpTues) January 31, 2017

“We got your back, we got your back!” #ResistTrumpTuesdays protesters chant supporting students risking arrest at Federal Building pic.twitter.com/zlo5eVrkLR

— Resist Trump Chicago (@ResistTrumpTues) January 31, 2017

“DeVos has financial interests in a student debt collection agency that has done business with and is seeking a renewed contract with the department of education and she has a multitude of investments in for-profit education companies,” Nadia Perl, a member of The People's Lobby Education Institute, the group which organized the demonstration, said in a press release. According to the Chicago Tribune, some 300 demonstrators rallied outside the building while the students sat in the lobby.

Earlier in the day the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension committee approved Devos in a 12-11 vote, amid accusations of alleged plagiarizing answers to questions from Senators.

“This nominee is being jammed through with corners being cut and with the minority being brushed aside,” Sen. Patty Murray told the Washington Post. “We just received responses to hundreds of written questions yesterday, less than 24 hours before this scheduled vote, and with no time to fully review and ask any follow-up questions. Though, I will say, upon initial review, many of the responses look copied and pasted from previous statements or are simple reiterations of the law and no true responses at all.”

Earlier in the afternoon, separate groups of education activists delivered letters to Durbin and Duckworth’s offices with the similar messages.

Devos has faced harsh criticism from many for her preference for school privatization and alleged lack of knowledge of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

“Neither DeVos nor her children have ever attended public school,” said Camila Gonzalez, another member of The People's Lobby Education Institute. “As a billionaire, she has no need for or experience with the system of public education that she has been nominated to lead.”

Tuesday morning, Duckworth also said Devos was “not qualified to lead the Department of Education:”

“After reviewing Ms. DeVos’ record and recent Senate testimony, it is abundantly clear that she lacks the necessary experience and expertise that every Secretary of Education must possess, coming up short in two particular areas: her commitment to public education and her understanding of our nation’s civil rights laws.”