Some Protesters Arrested With Mayor Gray Go To Trial In September

June 29, 2011 - A number of protesters that were arrested with Mayor Vincent Gray and other city officials after Congress passed a budget deal detrimental to the District in April will take their case to trial in September, the Associated Press reports.

Council Member Yvette Alexander handcuffed at a protest over the federal budget deal April 11. Some of the protesters arrested alongside her have opted not to pay the fine and take the case to trial.Courtesy of: Patrick Madden

The federal budget deal that narrowly avoided a government shutdown included language restricting the District's use of public funds for abortion, and lawmakers at the time also threatened to use the budget to restrict needle exchange programs in the District.

More than 100 people gathered on Capitol Hill April 11 to protest the budget. But most of the 40 people arrested during the protest that day paid a fine and were done with it.

Several of them said they wanted to keep the attention on the issue of District autonomy, however, and opted for a trial. A judge yesterday set the trial date for the remaining demonstrators for September 19.