Minority Issues

WASHINGTON — A gathering of black congressional staffers and other Capitol employees stood silently on the House steps Thursday and raised their hands in the air to protest the killing of unarmed black men by police.

Congressional staffers walked out of work in protest of the deciisons not to indict the officers involved in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner

Unless it's a part of their job description, Capitol Hill staffers generally shy away from the press. But Thursday afternoon, nearly 150 of them walked out of their offices to participate in a walkout to protest theEric Garner and Michael Brown grand jury decisions and the deaths of other unarmed African-Americans. The walkout took place on a critical day as their bosses struggled to pass a budget in time to prevent a government shutdown.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A gathering of black congressional staffers and other Capitol employees stood silently on the House steps Thursday and raised their hands in the air to protest of the killing of unarmed black men by police.

They bowed their heads as Senate Chaplain Barry C. Black prayed, "Forgive us when we have failed to lift our voices for those who couldn't speak or breathe for themselves" — emphasizing "breathe" in reference to Eric Garner, who died after a policeman grabbed him in a chokehold in New York.

(WASHINGTON) — Over 100 black congressional staffers and several black lawmakers staged a walkout at the Capitol Thursday afternoon, leading a silent protest on the steps of the Capitol over the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner on Staten Island, New York, both black men, at the hands of white police officers.

Reps. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., and Marc Veasey, D-Texas, were among the lawmakers participating in the walkout. Senate Chaplain Barry Black led the group in prayer, saying they were working as a "voice for the voiceless."

In the wake of protests that erupted after police officers were not indicted in the cases of bothEric Garner in New York and the Michael Brown of Ferguson, congressional staff members staged a Capitol Hill walkout.

WASHINGTON -- Members of Congress, staffers and other Capitol employees stood silently on the House steps Thursday and raised their hands in the air to protest the killing of unarmed black men by police.