Citizen's Arrest of Hillary Clinton Fails, Ending Week of Defiant DNC Protests
Steven Nelson
PHILADELPHIA -- Three progressive activists were taken to jail early Friday after they attempted to place Hillary Clinton under “citizen’s arrest” on the final night of the Democratic National Convention.
The citizen’s arrest was farcical from the beginning, with activists singing their indictment. But the sentiment was not a fringe perspective on the streets outside the DNC, which bustled all week with anti-Clinton activism.
It came after crowds numbering in the hundreds chanted for hours taunts such as “lock her up!” and “indict, convict, we’re sick of all your sh--!” at the gates of the convention venue. A sign saying “the Clintons are super predators and must be brought to heel” was attached to a perimeter fence and remained for hours.
Before attempting to climb over a wall of bicycle cops, one of the three self-deputized activists, a man wearing an Occupy DNC T-shirt, offered a call-and-response explanation for their action.
“Yo Hillary, your time has come!” he sang, with an echo from supporters. “To pay for all the crimes that you have done.”
“No this ain’t a simple protest -- We’re here to put you under arrest!”
Activists shared specific charges, which included Clinton allegedly conspiring with the Democratic National Committee to cheat Sen. Bernie Sanders of a fair shot at the party’s nomination. They alleged voter fraud and denounced her support for covert and overt U.S. war efforts abroad.
The female member of the trio belted into a megaphone that Clinton stood accused of “gross negligence in the matter of exposing national secrets for your own f--king convenience!” in reference to Clinton’s use of a private and insecure email server while secretary of state, for which Clinton will not face criminal charges following an FBI investigation.
The activists understood from the beginning it would be them, rather than Clinton, who wound up behind bars. But police officers frustrated their plans, initially shoving them away, resulting in a lengthy sit-in.
Police had just put out a press release saying Thursday saw no arrests and no citations for disorderly conduct. (The running convention total was then 103 disorderly conduct citations, which carry a $50 fine but often come with detentions first that feel like a conventional arrest. And at least 11 people faced a federal charge for climbing or shoving in the perimeter fence.)
But eventually, officers roughly took the three "citizen's arrest" activists into custody and chaotically loaded them into police vans. The city police department said late Friday afternoon they were released with disorderly conduct citations.
“They’re not guilty, she is!” a woman called after the vans.
One police officer not involved directly in the detentions asked what the activists had done. He seemed amused when told they attempted to arrest Clinton.
The night ended as hundreds of progressive activists who remained outside long after Clinton was done speaking welcomed Sanders delegates as heroes.
A large group of delegates marched down Broad St. toward the week’s well-tread protest areas. “We are the 1,900!” they chanted, referring to the approximate number of Sanders delegates, with Massachusetts delegate Maurice Taylor energetically prompting, “who are we?”
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