Man Arrested After Landing Gyrocopter on Lawn of US Capitol
Nobody in Washington was expecting this. A mailman from Florida named Doug Hughes, shocked onlookers when he landed his gyrocopter in front of the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. The 61 year-old Hughes told the Tampa Bay Times beforehand that he wanted to draw attention to political issues important to him. Hughes had written previously written members of Congress
I’m demanding reform and declaring a voter’s rebellion in a manner consistent with Jefferson’s description of rights in the Declaration of Independence. As a member of Congress, you have three options. 1. You may pretend corruption does not exist. 2. You may pretend to oppose corruption while you sabotage reform. 3. You may actively participate in real reform.
Hughes said his idea was inspired after his eldest son committed suicide. This, he said, caused him to take action on important matters. A reporter who spoke to Hughes, says that Hughes told them that he (Hughes) “needs the show, the very dramatic public act of civil disobedience, to hijack the news cycle and focus the nation’s attention” on campaign-finance reform.
“I’m not promoting myself. I’m trying to direct millions of people to information, to a menu of organizations that are working together to fix Congress.”
The act of protest appeared to be nonviolent, though police on the grounds were using a robot to inspect the gyrocopter.
The airspace around the Capitol and White House is restricted to official aircraft.
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