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A gay ex-soldier from Sandusky, Ohio was arrested Thursday in Washington, D.C., after handcuffing himself to the fence in front of the White House.
At about 1:55 p.m., James Pietrangelo II, 44, who moved to Sandusky in the summer of 2009, was arrested by U.S. Park Police along with Dan Choi, 29, a gay Iraq war veteran from New York City, officials said.
Pietrangelo and Choi said nothing as park officers removed their handcuffs using a skeleton key of sorts and took them into custody, said Sgt. David Schlosser, a park police spokesman.
“They were very cooperative,” Schlosser said. “This was classic demonstration-type stuff. They were looking to make their point, not cause destruction, violence, mayhem or anything like that.”
Dressed in military uniforms, the pair were charged with failure to obey a lawful order, a misdemeanor offense, which generally carries punishments ranging from reprimands to a stint in jail, Schlosser said.
U.S. Park regulations require protesters to remain in motion while demonstrating, a caveat which Pietrangelo and Choi clearly violated, officials said.
They were taken to the city’s central cell block. Pietrangelo had a court hearing Friday where he was arraigned.
Officials say Pietrangelo and Choi carried no signs and did not vocalize their motive for shackling themselves to the fence, but an article in the New York Daily Post says the pair were surrounded by protesters who chanted, “’Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ has got to go.”
Numerous videos and photos posted on CNN.com, YouTube and on various gay-rights blogs show two men in military uniform identified as Choi and Pietrangelo walking with chanting protesters, standing in front of the White House fence, or talkng in front of a federal courthouse after their release.
Pietrangelo and Choi are fervent opponents of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which prevents gay and lesbian soldiers from openly declaring their sexual preferences.
Last year, Pietrangelo tried to legally challenge the constitutionality of the policy, but the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his case.
Pietrangelo and 11 other petitioners contended their military discharges violated their free speech, due process and equal protection rights under the First and Fifth Amendments, court records show.
But the lower courts dismissed their challenge, the appeals court upheld the lower court’s decision, and the Supreme Court rejected the case.
Two soldiers — presumably Choi and Pietrangelo — spoke earlier on Thursday at a rally organized by the Human Rights Campaign to decry “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
The stunt in front of the White House allegedly was an extension of that rally.
The Daily News article says that Choi is contesting the New York National Guard’s attempts to kick him out for openly declaring he’s gay.
In a 2009 interview with Time magazine, Pietrangelo condemned President Barack Obama for failing to live up to his promise to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
Pietrangelo joined the military in 1991 as an infantryman, but was kicked out in 2004 for openly declaring he is homosexual, according to the Time article.
Calls made to Pietrangelo’s cell phone went directly to voicemail and relatives could not be reached for comment.
In an unrelated case, Pietrangelo is suing the Sandusky Library and a couple of Sandusky police officers for allegedly violating his civil rights by kicking him out of the library and barring him from the public entity.
In all of his legal endeavors, Pietrangelo represents himself
At about 1:55 p.m., James Pietrangelo II, 44, who moved to Sandusky in the summer of 2009, was arrested by U.S. Park Police along with Dan Choi, 29, a gay Iraq war veteran from New York City, officials said.
Pietrangelo and Choi said nothing as park officers removed their handcuffs using a skeleton key of sorts and took them into custody, said Sgt. David Schlosser, a park police spokesman.
“They were very cooperative,” Schlosser said. “This was classic demonstration-type stuff. They were looking to make their point, not cause destruction, violence, mayhem or anything like that.”
Dressed in military uniforms, the pair were charged with failure to obey a lawful order, a misdemeanor offense, which generally carries punishments ranging from reprimands to a stint in jail, Schlosser said.
U.S. Park regulations require protesters to remain in motion while demonstrating, a caveat which Pietrangelo and Choi clearly violated, officials said.
They were taken to the city’s central cell block. Pietrangelo had a court hearing Friday where he was arraigned.
Officials say Pietrangelo and Choi carried no signs and did not vocalize their motive for shackling themselves to the fence, but an article in the New York Daily Post says the pair were surrounded by protesters who chanted, “’Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ has got to go.”
Numerous videos and photos posted on CNN.com, YouTube and on various gay-rights blogs show two men in military uniform identified as Choi and Pietrangelo walking with chanting protesters, standing in front of the White House fence, or talkng in front of a federal courthouse after their release.
Pietrangelo and Choi are fervent opponents of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which prevents gay and lesbian soldiers from openly declaring their sexual preferences.
Last year, Pietrangelo tried to legally challenge the constitutionality of the policy, but the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his case.
Pietrangelo and 11 other petitioners contended their military discharges violated their free speech, due process and equal protection rights under the First and Fifth Amendments, court records show.
But the lower courts dismissed their challenge, the appeals court upheld the lower court’s decision, and the Supreme Court rejected the case.
Two soldiers — presumably Choi and Pietrangelo — spoke earlier on Thursday at a rally organized by the Human Rights Campaign to decry “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
The stunt in front of the White House allegedly was an extension of that rally.
The Daily News article says that Choi is contesting the New York National Guard’s attempts to kick him out for openly declaring he’s gay.
In a 2009 interview with Time magazine, Pietrangelo condemned President Barack Obama for failing to live up to his promise to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
Pietrangelo joined the military in 1991 as an infantryman, but was kicked out in 2004 for openly declaring he is homosexual, according to the Time article.
Calls made to Pietrangelo’s cell phone went directly to voicemail and relatives could not be reached for comment.
In an unrelated case, Pietrangelo is suing the Sandusky Library and a couple of Sandusky police officers for allegedly violating his civil rights by kicking him out of the library and barring him from the public entity.
In all of his legal endeavors, Pietrangelo represents himself
