Hundreds of progressive activists were arrested in Washington DC Monday afternoon as part of “Democracy Spring” which is a coalition of about 100 progressive groups. CNN reports:

“More than 400 individuals have been arrested for unlawful demonstration activity, and are being processed using mass arrest procedures,” the U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement early Monday evening. Those taken into custody will be charged with “crowding, obstructing and incommoding.”

Beginning on April 2 in Philadelphia, participants in the “Democracy Spring” campaign marched nearly 150 miles south to Washington, where the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) said on Monday that rallies and events have been scheduled through the weekend in an effort to “draw attention to our corrupt campaign finance system and rigged voting laws.”

Protesters staged a sit-in at the U.S. Capitol and refused to move even after police warning they would be arrested.

Cops pushing people back unless they want to get arrested at #DemocracySpring pic.twitter.com/eJdND7PgP1

— The Real News (@TheRealNews) April 12, 2016

Adam Green, the co-founder of PCCC was one of those arrested:

PCCC's @AdamGreen arrested at #DemocracySpring, standing up to get money out of politics. H/t @CenkUygur for the pic pic.twitter.com/mDLZoHYcl2

— BoldProgressives.org (@BoldProgressive) April 11, 2016

Former MSNBC host Cenk Uygur was also at the sit-in and was arrested:

My sister is now best buds with Cenk! 🙂 @cenkuygur #DemocracySpring pic.twitter.com/bnDLyXPPUs

— SBruce (@shollybru) April 11, 2016

Protesters cheering for @cenkuygur after getting arrested at #DemocracySpring pic.twitter.com/933Catd8uf

— Louis Barr (@LouisBarr) April 11, 2016

Points for creativity, the Statue of Liberty costume creates and obvious progressive meme:

https://twitter.com/USAProgressives/status/719670837654200322

RT’s Ruptly published this video of the scene:

Democracy Spring is already bragging about the arrests on its website and promises more to come:

This week we began the process of taking back our democracy, with hundreds arrested in our first mass sit-in at the Capitol on Monday April 11. Now day after day through Saturday April 16th we will continue to reclaim the Capitol in a show of hope and for the truly representative democracy we see in our hearts.

It’s not clear how thousands of arrests will create the democracy protesters see in their hearts but the left is always a fan of street theater that gets their activists attention.