During a protest at the Nebraska state Capitol on Friday, a state trooper was assaulted and six individuals were arrested, causing disruption to a legislative debate. The Nebraska State Patrol reported that the disturbance began when several observers in the opponent’s balcony started yelling, followed by two individuals throwing objects from the balcony onto the legislative floor.
The State Patrol identified the two individuals who threw the objects as Lucia Salinas, 24, from Omaha, and Maghie Miller-Jenkins, 36, from Lincoln. They were arrested on charges of obstructing a government operation and disturbing the peace. In addition to these arrests, several other protesters were taken into custody for refusing to leave and resisting arrest.
As troopers were attempting to apprehend one of the protesters, a woman approached and attempted to push past a trooper. The trooper managed to restrain her, but she then punched the trooper in the chest. The woman, identified as Sara Crawford, 33, from Lincoln, was immediately arrested for obstructing a peace officer.
The Nebraska State Patrol shared video footage of the incident on social media, showing the woman pushing into the officer and then striking him in the chest. Fortunately, no injuries were reported during the altercation.
The protesters in the video were seen displaying signs with messages such as “Defend Trans Kids,” “Keep Hate Out of Healthcare,” and “Stop Attacks on Trans Youth.”
The protest occurred as Nebraska passed the “Let Them Grow Act,” a bill that imposes restrictions on gender transition procedures for individuals under the age of 19 and prohibits abortions after twelve weeks.
