Three protesters, including the Concord City Democrats chair, were arrested on Tuesday after they refused to leave a New Hampshire legislative committee room while lying on the floor and staging a “die-in” to protest Medicaid cuts in the proposed state budget.
“That is a Medicaid die-in because that’s what’s going to happen,” said Concord City Democrat chair Lisa Beaudoin, 54. “When New Hampshire’s Medicaid system gets slashed, people will die.”
Beudoin, along with Sarah Chapman, 44, of Nottingham, and Juliana Good, 25, of Newmarket, were arrested after allegedly refusing to leave a committee room in the Legislative Office Building and attempting to stay in the room after hours.
The protesters were part of the ‘Hands Off Medicaid’ campaign and attended the committee meeting, which was considering a budget that might include changes to Medicaid, such as work requirements for recipients.
At around 4:00 p.m., as the committee was nearing recess on budget issues for the day, the protesters reportedly stood up from their seats and walked toward committee members. They proceeded to then lie down on the floor as part of their “die-in” protest against Medicaid changes.
A recording of the committee meeting shows (at 6:12:01) the three protesters walking in and lying on the floor before, seconds later, the video feed is cut.
According to a police press release, NH state troopers reported that the capitol building’s security team had been trying to secure the committee room at the end of the day and discovered the three protesters who refused to leave despite repeated requests.
Law enforcement eventually took the three women into custody.
Each of the protesters was charged with one count of disorderly conduct and released on bail.
Good was seen wearing a mask during the protest and was wearing a shirt that said the fates of “queer liberation” and “reproductive rights” are intertwined.
In addition to serving as the Concord City Democrats’ Chair, Beaudoin serves as the interim executive director for the NH Council of Churches and is the founder and principal consultant at Strategies for Disability Equity.
According to the NH Journal, Beudoin made a Facebook post Tuesday night announcing that she had been released on bail.
“I’ll have something more eloquent to say tomorrow, but for now, know this: I would go to jail 1,000 times if it meant no one else would die from a lack of health care access. No cuts to Medicaid. No job loss penalties. No monthly premiums. We will not rest until this is the reality in New Hampshire,” she reportedly said.
The post linked in their article has since been deleted, so The Maine Wire cannot independently verify its contents.
