One Month After Pulse, 10 Activists Arrested at Rubio Sit-In

Ten activists were arrested on Monday for staging a sit-in outside Sen. Marco Rubio's office in Orlando. Singing "This Little Light of Mine," the protesters were gathered to push meaningful gun reform following the Pulse shooting, which claimed the lives of 49 people, while injuring 53 more, on June 12.

Today marks a month since the attack on the gay nightclub, and the protesters claimed the Florida senator has done little to stop another attack from taking place. In a statement, organizers claimed that Rubio, a Republican, "[terrorizes] Orlando's LGBTQ communities of color by adhering to a platform of so-called 'conservative values,' which discriminates, dehumanizes and denies access to the American dream."

Ida Eskamani, the spokeswoman for Equality Florida, told the Orlando Sentinel, "This is just a group of concerned citizens in Orlando who came together to say that a month has gone by now, and we've seen nothing but more violence and discrimination."

"We are here because we are saying that we want a ban on assault rifles, military-grade guns, and high-capacity magazines," Yulissa Arce added in an interview with NBC News. "We want to make it clear that these guns are too easy to get, especially here in Florida. We are here for the communities -- typically those of color -- that have disproportionately battled gun violence for decades."

In addition, the Orlando protesters "presented Rubio's staff with a list of demands," as the Sentinel reports.

These included imploring the senator to "reject financial contributions from the National Rifle Association; impose universal background checks; enact legislation making it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon or large-capacity ammunition-feeding device; and allow federal research on gun violence."

The demonstration was a coordinated effort from groups like Equality Florida and Planned Parenthood, and in total, 60 protesters took part in total. The group read off the names of each of the victims killed in the Orlando attack, while chanting "No Justice, No Peace!"

Using the Twitter hashtag #SitInForThe49, the group planned to stay one hour for every person that died in the tragedy. Unfortunately that goal was cut short around 7 p.m., nine hours into the protest.

Police arrived on the scene and ordered the protesters to leave, as the New York Daily News reports. "This building is no longer open to the general public," said one law enforcement official. "We're asking you to leave now. If you do not leave, you're subject to arrest."

Protesters who wouldn't vacate the premises were peacefully apprehended by local police, who tied zip-ties around their hands to restrain them. Those arrested included Geoffrey Paquette, Frederick Velez, Maria Bolton, Jill Giese, Joan Erwin, and Apostle Robin Harris, all of whom will face misdemeanor charges in court.

Following the incident, Rubio's Washington office put out a statement.

"Senator Rubio respects the views of others on these difficult issues, and he welcomes the continued input he is receiving from people across the political spectrum," the press release stated. "Over the past month, Senator Rubio has supported common sense compromises to make it easier to track individuals who have been on the terror watch list and later try to buy firearms, all while improving due process protections for law abiding Americans."

Protesters, however, argued that the inaction on gun control must end now to stop the violence facing the LGBT community. Activist William Lawson told Florida's WFTV 9, "At this point, we are left with no choice, but to do sit-ins like these and perform public demonstrations for them to do something."