Washington DC—William Barber III led scores of clergy in a Moral Monday action with a walk to the Supreme Court in opposition to the spending bill presently being considered in the Senate. He warned Congress that they would be inextricably tied to “policy murder” if they passed their “morally corrupt” budget bill poised to be voted on within days, if not hours.
The towering civil rights leader was dressed in jet black, reflecting the solemnity of the moment, except for his vestment, gold and brown, with black and white cloth. As he spoke from the Supreme Court sidewalk, a single vocalist sang “Walk With Me, Lord.”
He led scores of clergy from many churches across the country in a procession carrying 50 life-size cardboard coffins with placards attached to each showing the number of people who would be victims of the loss of Medicare benefits in each of the 50 States. The estimated number of deaths from loss of Medicare were projected to be 51,000 in the first year alone. The coffins also showed the numbers of people from each state that would lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Each coffin also bore a sign stating, “This coffin represents policy murder.”
“There’s something evil when you’ve got power and you’ve got free healthcare simply because you got elected to office but then you want to block the people from having healthcare,” said the Reverend, ripping Congress for its “greed” and “wickedness.”
Barber further blasted NC Senator Tom Tillis, who yesterday came out in opposition to the budget bill when he said, in effect, his party was “making a “mistake” by supporting the bill. Barber spoke with conviction when he told the audience, “This is not a mistake. This is policy violence. This is policy murder. That’s why we brought these caskets today.”
Reverend Barber pointed out that Congress already knew there would be a projected 51,000 deaths in the first year alone due to the Medicaid cuts, and since Congress already knew that, their goal to enact the bill, could not, by definition, be a mistake.
“The reason it is evil and wicked and mean and bad is because it is all rooted in money and the love of money.” He repeated the Biblical precept “The love of money…,” and a woman nearby him finished “…is the root of all evil.”
He urged the media to stop repeating Trump’s talking points because Trump was calling press conferences “to distract us anytime the news is talking about what is really going on.”
Barber also urged media to not call the bill by the name given it by Trump. “It’s not a ‘beautiful bill’, it’s a big, ugly, damnable, dangerous, deadly, destructive bill,” he said.
It was clear that Reverend Barber had moral sway over the many hundreds assembled at the rally. As he spoke, their rapt attention to his words, plain but powerful as they were, provided a sort of soothing calmness to the audience, despite the oppressive heat and the dangerous moment of social injustice hanging before them.
After several speakers gave testimonials of what losing healthcare and SNAP benefits would do to their families, Reverend Barber led dozens of clergy towards the U.S. Capitol in an act of defiance and against police orders to not proceed onto Capitol grounds.
U.S. Capitol police began to swarm around the slowly marching group of clergy as they neared the entrance to Capitol grounds. The protesters laid the coffins on First Street in an even row and lined up in prayer. The group of about 50 were given three warnings from Capitol police over a bullhorn. Police then arrested them.
Reverend Barber was not arrested. He remained on the sidewalk and spoke to the remaining group of supporters, telling them that other protesters were then inside the Capitol Rotunda and protesting the bill at that very moment. They, too, were arrested. Barber remained on the sidewalk for a time singing with those assembled there before leaving to return to a nearby church to get out of the heat.
The budget bill, as “damnable and dangerous” as it is to the working class and citizens dependent upon benefits, extends far beyond that in scope and destruction of the ‘New Deal” and liberal socity envisioned by Franklin Rosevelt. The extent of the damage it may cause to democratic institutions may not be known for some time, as amendments and changes to the bill were still ongoing in the last week. What is becoming clear is what this bill collectively represents: the greatest transfer of wealth from the middle class to the billionaire class, in the history of the United States.
