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DC Residents Protest AZ Representative Franks

Protestors gathered outside the D-C office of Arizona Republican Congressman Trent Franks today. The group is upset with the congressman’s effort to ban abortions in DC after twenty weeks.

Protestors accused Congressman Frank of trying to play mayor by meddling in D-C’s abortion policies. So D-C residents collected a list of other local issues for the congressman to take care of, which they plan to pass on to his staff. Theatrics aside, the group of pro-choice activists is upset Franks is trying to pass legislation banning abortions in D-C after twenty weeks of pregnancy. Ilir Zherka helped spearhead the protest.

“Our view is that he shouldn’t be involved in local issues at all," said Zherka. "But if he wants to get involved in local issues, vis-a-vis this abortion issue, then he ought to hear from constituents in the District of Columbia and get involved in all these local issues.”

With the House in recess Congressman Franks isn’t even in D-C this week. Word of the protest got out and his staff locked the doors and turned off the phone lines. Attempts to reach Congressman Franks and his staff weren’t returned by deadline. But in the past Franks has argued the Constitution gives Congress complete control over local issues in the nation’s capital.

Based on Capitol Hill, Matt Laslo is a freelance reporter who has been covering Congress, the White House and the Supreme Courtfor more than five years. While he has filed stories for more than 40 local NPR stations, his work has also appeared in The Atlantic, The Chattanooga Times Free Press, National Public Radio, The Omaha World-Herald, Pacifica Radio, Politics