12.15.11

Kelly Ann Collins - @kellyanncollins

occupy-under-cover-2011-12-15

Several young Washingtonians have been on a dangerous hunger strike since Dec. 8, 2011.

They are so weak that they have to travel via wheelchairs, but say they will not stop their "peaceful protest" until Congress does something about the District of Columbia's "taxation without representation."

Well, we definitely hate paying taxes -- and would like representation -- so, we wanted to see what this was all about.

Glittarazzi's Jed volunteered to go out into the field to get the scoop.

From an altercation with security and navigating the Capitol subway system to a visit with Sen. Harry Reid's staffers and a failed meeting with House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), we learned a lot about what the Occupy activists are doing. We also saw how they're treated while they're out, fighting for our rights.

Read the full story (below) and watch our video, which we filmed undercover in the Hart Senate Office Building and the Rayburn building -- and tell us what you think. Are Washington, D.C., residents being treated fairly? Are the hunger strikers being given the respect they deserve?

Full story (updated):

Frail Hunger Strike Occupiers Target Capitol Hill In Wheelchairs

occupy-hunger-strike-capitol-hill-dc-2011-12-12

Several Occupiers in Washington, D.C., have been on a dangerous hunger strike since Dec. 8, 2011.

They are so weak that they have to travel via wheelchairs, but say they will not stop their "peaceful protest" until Congress does something about the District of Columbia's "taxation without representation."

Well, we definitely hate paying taxes -- and would like representation -- so, we wanted to see what this was all about. Glittarazzi's Jed volunteered to go out into the field to get the scoop. ...

pull-quote-2011-1212-occupy And, not only are the hunger strikers frail, they are only drinking water and limiting their caloric intake to a mere five per day since that qualifies as "calorie free."

The Occupiers, which Jed met up with at the Rayburn Building Monday morning, were accompanied by a represenative from DC Vote.

They started their day with a trip to House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers' (R-Ky.) office because he voted "no" on granting Washington, D.C.. an Electoral vote and vote in Congress in April 2007. (Why, Hal, why?)

Hours later, when Hal failed to meet with them (his team said he was stuck in meetings), the hunger strikers moved on to the Hart Senate Office Building to try to talk with Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) who is now one of the most powerful people in Congress (think Senate Majority Leader).

"It doesn't really make sense that the capital of our country ... should have this lack of democracy," Hunger Striker Sam Jewler said.

All of the hunger strikers are Occupiers from the Washington, D.C., area, that say they love living in our Nation's Capital. In fact, they are totally craving all sorts of local foods right now (Ben's Chili Bowl is at the top of the list). But, they want to be represented.

The Occupy Hunger Strikers are:

Adrian Parsons
Kelly Mears
Sam Jewler
Joe Gray
Eric Sponaugle

As the group arrived at Hart Building, they were directed to the basement because security didn't want them on the main level. There was some shouting at the group by security in a lower-level hallway -- some of it was caught on camera, but Jed was forced to turn our camera off.

"It was intense," Jed said. "At one point, I thought I was going to be arrested."

Finally, the group was granted clearance and arrived at Harry's office. That's when one of Harry's staffers (pictured, above) said, "we're on your side," as he urged the Occupiers to visit some GOP offices.

They said they will continue to go back to the Hill -- at the top of their list is Harry's office, as well as Rep. Darrell Issa's (R-Calif.) office (Darrell is the chairman of the Committee on Government Oversight and Reform).

pull-quote-2011-1212-occupy-2 Now, we all love living and working in the District, and it would be great to have representation, but we hope the hunger strikers are being very careful because five calories a day is not enough.

According to reports, a patient can be expected to live between 10 and 14 days after being taken off life-support feeding tubes (which varies by a few days, depending on hydration levels). [See calculator: How much water do you need?]

Some people -- take Mahatma Gandhi, the nonviolent campaigner for India's independence, for example -- have lived longer than the standard two weeks.

Gandhi survived 21 days of total starvation by sipping water; and a 1997 article in the British Medical Journal cites documented studies that report long term hunger-strike survival at 28, 36, 38 and 40 days.

This means that if these 20-something activists continue to refuse food they will survive either a few more days or a few more weeks -- and the hunger strikers know this, but they are determined to continue their fight.

They told us they will see a doctor, but they plan to continue to refuse food until Congress gives Washington, D.C., residents the same rights as other Americans -- including the right to have a voting representative in Congress.

"These guys are about to die," Jed told us when he returned to the office this evening. "They are still able to move around, but I don't know if they will make it back. ..."