Howard Students ProtestExecution At White House
WASHINGTON (WUSA) -- Howard University students and alumni protested the pending execution of Troy Davis on Wednesday at the White House. Some of them were arrested during the protest.
The students and alumni joined other protesters who were hoping that President Barack Obama would step in at the last minute and stop the scheduled execution in Georgia.
Some protesters had signs showing support for Davis. They took a moment of silence, sang, and cheered as other protesters were arrested.
Davis' execution is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday.
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Friday, September 23, 2011
A Generation Renewed?
Howard Students ProtestTroy Davis Executionby Jeremy Borden and Clarence Williams | The Washington Post
A total of 13 people from Howard University — one a professor and the rest, students — were arrested outside the White House Wednesday while protesting the pending execution of Georgia inmate Troy Davis.
Soon after protesters arrived, police cordoned off the sidewalk area in front of the White House and moved them into Lafayette Square, students and witnesses said. More than a dozen students, along with a Howard English professor, sat along the fence and refused to move, said Marcus Ware, a third-year law student and one of the protest’s organizers.
The protesters felt strongly about their right to position themselves against the White House fence, other witnesses said.
Police gave the students and the professor three warnings to move, before arresting them, Ware said.
Twelve people were arrested for failure to obey a lawful police order, and the professor was arrested for crossing a police line, said Sgt. David Schlosser, a U.S. Park Police spokesman.
Protesters were later allowed back in front of the White House.
Several Howard student groups had organized protests over the pending execution of Davis, convicted of killing an off-duty police officer. Davis is scheduled to be executed at 7 p.m., and many around the country and world are weighing in, including religious leaders.
“We weren’t being aggressive,” Ware said.
Some students and other activists are hoping the White House will intervene. “We fundamentally believe the death penalty is wrong,” he said.
