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6 plead guilty to trespassing at Capito’s Charleston office

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Six protesters who refused to leave the office of U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) in June have pleaded guilty to trespassing charges.

A judge accepted guilty pleas from Kayla Parker, Joe Solomon, Terry Pickett, Jim Lewis, Bill Price and Paul Dalzell Wednesday in Charleston Municipal Court.

The protesters were arrested June 26 outside Capito’s office located in the United Bank building in Charleston, saying they wouldn’t leave until Capito agreed to vote against the Senate health care bill.

The judge accepted guilty pleas from all six people Wednesday.

Price, one of the six in Capito’s office, said he had no plans to move until he heard from the senator.

“We were insisting that Senator Capito come over and talk to us about her vote on the health care bill. She refused to do that, so we stayed until we were arrested,” he said.

In court, Solomon expressed his frustration with Capito’s decision to vote in favor of a bill to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

“I’m guilty. I plead guilty to believing the Senator wouldn’t vote to hurt us, to believing that the soul of the democracy in America is still alive,” he told the judge.

Outside the courtroom, Solomon told reporters he “felt greatly betrayed” by Capito’s vote.

“If there’s any trespassing, that’s trespassing on the health, dignity and prosperity of West Virginians,” he said.

Capito’s vote is impacting thousands of state residents who depend on the ACA and Medicaid, Solomon said. It’s a decision, he said, that will impact how well she does in the next election.

“I don’t think she understands that West Virginians don’t just vote across party lines. They vote with their heart and they don’t vote for the heartless,” Solomon said. “She’s just showed her true card earlier this summer and I think people are going to remember in 2020.”

Terry Pickett, another one of the protesters, said health care is not a market and that it should be available to all Americans.

“You can choose when to buy a car. You can choose when to buy a house. You cannot choose if you get a horrible disease, if you get run over by a bus. That’s is not our choice, so anybody who says health care is a market is totally diluted,” she said.

The six individuals now have to pay a $162 fine each.

Price said they will continue to fight the issue, if needed.

“We will rise up again and we will, again, hold Senator Capito or anybody responsible that is standing in the way of health care for everyone,” he said.





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