41 Arrested Outside Governor’s Office

SACRAMENTO — Helmeted State Police officers Monday arrested 41 chanting and singing demonstrators for gay and lesbian causes and charged them with illegally occupying the reception lobby of Gov. George Deukmejian’s office.

One woman was hospitalized briefly for tests after a scuffle in which officers tried to push the doors to the lobby closed but were prevented from doing so by demonstrators who blocked the doors with their bodies.

Some witnesses charged that the woman, identified by the hospital as Theresa Brownyard, 39, of Irvine, was kicked by a policeman and thrown against the wall of a Capitol corridor. A State Police spokesman denied the allegation, insisting that “she just fainted.”

“There are no apparent injuries, and she has been released,” a hospital official said.

The noisy but mostly peaceful protest in Deukmejian’s office suite lasted about 50 minutes before police declared it an “illegal assembly” and began ushering demonstrators in groups of three to a booking site in the Capitol basement.

As they were led away, some demonstrators joked with officers, many of whom wore gloves as a precaution against AIDS. In turn, several protesters wore rubber gloves of their own to protect them from “swine flu.”

Police said 31 people were issued misdemeanor citations charging them with failure to disperse, and another 10 were booked into jail on the same charge.

Deukmejian did not appear and was reported en route to Sacramento from Los Angeles.

3 Days of Demonstrations

The occupation of the governor’s reception lobby capped a three-day demonstration at the Capitol by supporters of gay and lesbian rights. About 8,000 people showed up Saturday and were addressed by Democratic presidential contender Jesse Jackson.

State Police Chief Larry Maher noted that the governor’s office has been the site of previous sit-ins but said the 41 arrests Monday probably set a record.

The protesters criticized Deukmejian for vetoing three bills that would have required AIDS education in public schools, increased spending on AIDS research and prohibited discrimination against homosexuals in employment and housing.

They also demanded that more money be spent to combat AIDS and to provide a “standardized level of quality health care” for victims of the deadly virus. In addition, they accused the governor of “slashing AIDS budgets.”

Gubernatorial press secretary Kevin Brett called the demonstration “misdirected and misguided.” He noted that under Deukmejian, California spends more money on the acquired immune deficiency syndrome battle than any other state.

He also noted that since 1985, Deukmejian has signed bills guaranteeing confidentiality to those who are tested for the AIDS virus and providing $10 million for research into developing an AIDS vaccine.

For the most part, the protest was peaceful, with demonstrators chanting, singing and tossing back and forth condoms blown up into balloons. But it grew tense when officers, apparently with no advance warning, tried to push the door shut without first clearing away demonstrators.

Officers gave up when protesters in both the reception lobby and the Capitol corridor refused to move. Afterward, police in riot helmets and carrying batons swept through the corridor, forcing about 40 people outside and locking the doors to the east entrance of the Capitol.