Disability rights advocates arrested as Arnieville moves to Sacramento to protest deadly cuts to in-home services

From KXTV. The Sacramento Bee has a photo slideshow of the protest here.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Fury over state budget cuts brought downtown Sacramento to a standstill August 18 as a protest at the State Capitol forced officers to shut down nearby streets for several hours, ending in 22 arrests.

The protesters, some in wheelchairs, started marching from the north steps of the State Capitol after 1:30 p.m., angry about cuts proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to in-home health care services. They carried an effigy of the governor holding an ax and wearing a sign reading "Cuts Kill."

"We are trying to get them to abandon the cuts only budget," protester Cathy Webster said.

Demonstrators say they were frustrated by the lawmakers' stalemate over the budget and their inability to fix the state's $19 billion deficit.

Event coordinator Mary Ignatius said it was intended to remind policymakers "that real people's lives are at stake" in budget cuts.

The march temporarily clogged downtown Sacramento streets and at least one woman clashed with officers on duty.

Officers say they detained event organizer Jessica Rothaar and issued a total of 22 citations during the demonstration.

Protesters said it was a small price to pay to get their message out.

"The fact that I had to stand in the street with many people in wheel chairs or people who otherwise were disabled, blocking traffic to get the attention of our lawmakers is pretty sad," said Webster, a protester who was released after being cited.

"There are many people suffering from this budget who will suffer more if we don't have a just and responsible solution to the state budget," said Evan Levang of Independent Living Services from Chico.

"I hope people understand that the inconvenience we gave the drivers was so small compared to the message we hope people got," said Jessica Lehman, a protester who was also arrested and released.

The march forced police to reroute downtown traffic away from l Street. They re-opened the street just before 5 p.m. in time for rush hour traffic.