![Florida Man Lands Gyrocopter On U.S. Capitol Lawn As Protest](https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMjgwMzA5MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc0MjgwMDE3MX0.8OSw8z4GOrfK4Y83PBK-3cEq3wSwSc068M_B6YWkGsE/img.jpg?width=980&quality=85)
A 61-year-old man landed a small gyrocopter on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol Wednesday to protest the permissive campaign finance system enabled by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.
The pilot, Doug Hughes, is a mailman from Florida. He was immediately arrested upon landing the aircraft.
The Tampa Bay Times has published an in-depth profile of Hughes. He was first driven to political action two and a half years ago when his 24-year-old son committed suicide by crashing his car into another man, killing both men.
His plan involved flying the copter at a low altitude and a mere 45 miles per hour — too close to the ground and too slow to be overtaken by any airplane — while wagering that government officials wouldn’t actually shoot down a 61-year-old who had publicly declared his non-violent intentions.
“I’m not promoting myself,” Hughes previously told the paper. “I’m trying to direct millions of people to information, to a menu of organizations that are working together to fix Congress.”
(Video viaTampa Bay Times).