10 hours ago
87-year-old's five-word response to being arrested at Trump protest
One of the U.S. military veterans arrested for protesting President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. last week had a short and sweet response when he was asked how it felt to be cuffed at 87 years old.
John Spitzberg was arrested during a veterans' protest against Trump's military parade to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States Army on Friday in Washington, D.C. Footage captured by other protesters shows him being handcuffed by law enforcement outside the U.S. Capitol.
According to local broadcaster WCJB, he and approximately 75 other protesters knocked over a bike rack and crossed a police line, after which many were arrested.
Carolina Lumetta, a reporter for WNG who was at the scene and witnessed the arrest, said that rather than arresting him, police initially just returned back over the police line while other protesters were arrested. Spitzberg reportedly walked back across the line with the aid of his walker and told the offices he would rather stay with the protesters, even if it meant his arrest.
After Spitzberg was released from custody, journalist Chuck Modio caught up with the veteran and asked him how it felt to be arrested at age 87.
"I'm just beginning, my friend," Spitzberg replied.
He added that he needed to "get a little sleep" before he starts protesting again.
Spitzberg, who served in the US Air Force, told WCJB that he doesn't "wanna make more of it than it is," referencing the video of his arrest that went viral.
'All I knew is I had to be with my brothers and sisters who were being pummeled. That's all I knew, that they were being pummeled," he said.
Spitzberg lives in a retirement home in Gainesville and was visiting the nation's capital for a work reunion party. He said he was disappointed to see police arresting the veterans at the Capitol.
'It feels like a betrayal of the Americans and other people who served this country for the purpose of keeping democracy, freedom," he told the broadcaster.
He said he hopes that people who see the video focus less on him and more on the message of the protest.
'I'm really not the issue. The issue is what President Trump is doing,' Spitzberg said. 'I'm not a leader there. I don't wanna be a leader.'
On the day of the protest, approximately 75 veterans gathered outside the Supreme Court wearing shirts that said "Veterans Against Fascism."
Shortly after the group gathered, about 60 marches to the U.S. Capitol, where police had established a perimeter. That was the line that the protesters crossed before they were arrested.
"A few people pushed the bike rack down and illegally crossed the police line while running towards the Rotunda Steps," Capitol Police said. "Our officers immediately blocked the group and began making arrests."
Veterans for Peace explained the protest in a Friday Instagram post that said "approximately 60 veterans and military family members staged a sit-in on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to demand the military get off our city streets from LA to DC, and taxpayer money be directed towards real investments in housing, health care, and food — not political stunts or militarism."
