Meeting delayed for 35 minutes, protesters leave peacefully. Updated from earlier at 2:35 p.m.
By Eric Boehm | PA Independent
HARRISBURG — Shouting “this is what democracy looks like” and “we are the 99 percent”, a group of several dozen members of the Occupy Harrisburg and Occupy Lancaster movements on Friday disrupted and delayed a public hearing of the state legislative redistricting commission.
The crowd chanted and clapped for more than half an hour as state Capitol police, legislative staffers and the five-member commission looked on.
The hearing began about 35 minutes late, with scheduled testifiers attempting to speak over the shouts of the protesters, who eventually left the room without incident.
Protesters said they were upset about the redistricting process, which they said put political interests above the concerns of the people. They also said they were upset about Friday’s hearing, which they said did not include everyone who wanted to speak.
“Everyone has a voice, everyone should be heard,” the protesters chanted in unison, reading from a prepared statement.
There were 49 people scheduled to testify at Friday’s public hearing on the newly announced state Senate and state House district maps. The testifiers represented state and local governments, but also included residents and members of nonprofit organizations.
The state legislative maps are redrawn every 10 years following the national census to reflect shifts in population and keep the number of residents in every legislative district balanced.
The state Legislative Reapportionment Commission consists of Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Chester; Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Allegheny; House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny; House Minority Leader Frank Dermody, D-Allegheny; and former state Superior Court Justice Stephen McEwen, a Delaware County Republican who was appointed by the state Supreme Court to be chairman of the commission.
“How long do you expect this to go on?” asked McEwan as he attempted to call the meeting to order a few moments after the protest began.
It continued for quite some time.
“This process leaves voices unheard,” the protesters said, because the process to testify discriminates against the homeless and those who are not involved in politics.
“We the people are here to stay. Governments don’t pick us. We pick governments,” they chanted. "Are these new district borders absolutely necessary? Is this in the interest of the people or the politicians?"
THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED. CLICK HERE
