Health-care protesters took their vitriol to new heights in DC yesterday — spitting at and repeatedly hurling racial slurs at black congressmen.
Thousands of demonstrators, including some members of the “tea party” movement, chanted, “Kill the bill” and held up signs that read “Stop the Spending” near the Capitol in hope of pressuring lawmakers to vote against the proposed health-care overhaul.
But the rally turned ugly when some in the crowd yelled the N-word as black legislators exited the building.
“I heard people saying things today that I have not heard since March 15, 1960, when I was marching to try to get off the back of the bus,” said South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, the House’s third-highest-ranking Democrat.
His spokeswoman said a protester spat on Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.).
And as Reps. Andre Carson (D-Ind.) and John Lewis (D-Ga.) — a well-known leader in the civil-rights movement — left their offices, some shouted, “the N-word, the N-word, 15 times,” Carson told reporters.
“It was like going into a time machine,” Carson said. “[Lewis] said it reminded him of another time.”
A man shouted a homophobic slur at Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who is openly gay, the Web site Politico reported.
Plus, when President Obama’s motorcade passed the furious assembly, many booed and held their thumbs down.
Police held back the demonstrators as they chanted at the president and the congressmen, “You work for us!”
Some went so far as to make their anger known inside the Capitol.
“These protesters are running around, yelling and banging on all the doors of Democratic lawmakers,” a staffer said. “It’s really loud and getting kind of intense in here.”