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D.C. Residents Protest On Emancipation Day

WASHINGTON (AP) --  Dozens of people are using the anniversary of the day President Abraham Lincoln freed slaves in Washington to call for more independence for the city, and three have been arrested.

Protesters gathered on Capitol Hill on Friday for a protest to rail against Congress' control over the city, chanting "Free DC!"

Three men were arrested, including one of the city's shadow senators.

Washington leaders and residents have spent the past week demonstrating against a federal budget deal that puts new restrictions on the city. The deal bans the city from spending money to pay for abortions for low-income women and also imposes a school voucher program. Congress was able to use the city as a bargaining chip during budget negotiations because lawmakers oversee the city's budget and laws.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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