Associated Press: The almost daily protests in Montgomery over Alabama's tough immigration law turned to civil disobedience Thursday when six protesters kneeled at the entrance to the state Senate chamber and refused directions to move.
Police handcuffed the six and led them away, but did not charge them.
One of the protesters, the Rev. Fred Hammond of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Tuscaloosa, said the group chose the National Day of Prayer so "they could lift up everyone suffering under this law." He said the six would have drawn more attention had they been charged "because we would have been in jail for a while."
Opponents of Alabama's tough immigration law have gathered at the Statehouse almost daily since the Legislature convened in February. The events have grown larger as the legislative session nears an end, with more than 300 opponents forming a ring around the building on Tuesday. Four men and two women took their protests to a new level Thursday when they kneeled, sang religious songs and prayed for repeal of the law as senators entered the Senate chamber to begin their work Thursday morning. All wore white T-shirts saying, "Repeal Alabama's Pain."
When the six refused security officers' repeated requests to move aside from the entrance, police handcuffed them and led them away. They were detained in the Statehouse for about an hour and then released.
Two Democratic senators, Quinton Ross of Montgomery and Bobby Singleton of Greensboro, kneeled with them but were not handcuffed or detained even though they urged police to take them with the protesters.
Secretary of the Senate Pat Harris, who oversees the floor of the Statehouse where the Senate chamber is located, said no charges were filed because "they weren't disturbing the peace. If they had gotten any louder, we probably would have."
Harris said the public is welcome at the Statehouse to express views, but doorways can't be blocked.
Hope Hamilton Schumacher of Birmingham held her six-month-old son, Amos, until police started to handcuff her and then she handed him to her husband, who was not part of the protest. "For all mothers that have been separated from their children," she shouted while being led away.
Ryan Schumacher said he and his wife had written letters and talked to people about the law since its passage, but his wife decided to risk arrest because the law is forcing the separation of mothers who don't have legal residency from their children who do.
Luis Robledo of Birmingham said his mother, Clemencia Robledo, was one of the six detained. He said the family moved to the U.S. from Colombia in 1989 without the proper documentation and worked for 11 years to get citizenship. He called it "an incredibly long and incredibly expensive process" that the family could not have completed if his father were not a physician.
"My mother is here to fight for the people like us who were once undocumented," he said.
After the six were led away, Singleton told the Senate he was troubled that immigration protesters having a peaceful demonstration were handcuffed on the National Day of Prayer.
"I hope today that while you pray, your prayer includes all people of all colors," he said.
One of the authors of Alabama's immigration law, Republican Sen. Scott Beason of Gardendale, said he has no problem with people protesting the law, but "they don't have a right to block access to the Senate chamber."
He said the law enjoys widespread support in spite of protests. "We are not going to repeal our anti-illegal immigration law," he said.
Gov. Robert Bentley, who signed the law, said that when he was a doctor in Tuscaloosa, he never asked people if they were legal or illegal, but protesters must follow the law.
"If they read what I read in the Bible, the Bible says you always obey the law," he told reporters while attending a National Day of Prayer observance.
Hammond said the group has no other activities planned at this time.
Alabama's immigration law, enacted in June 2011, allows police making traffic stops to detain people suspected of being in the country illegally and provides penalties for knowingly aiding or hiring illegal immigrants. The Legislature is considering some changes to address provisions that were put on hold by federal judges and that caused long lines at courthouses as people tried to prove their legal status to renew businesses licenses and get drivers' licenses and car tags.
Police handcuffed the six and led them away, but did not charge them.
One of the protesters, the Rev. Fred Hammond of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Tuscaloosa, said the group chose the National Day of Prayer so "they could lift up everyone suffering under this law." He said the six would have drawn more attention had they been charged "because we would have been in jail for a while."
Opponents of Alabama's tough immigration law have gathered at the Statehouse almost daily since the Legislature convened in February. The events have grown larger as the legislative session nears an end, with more than 300 opponents forming a ring around the building on Tuesday. Four men and two women took their protests to a new level Thursday when they kneeled, sang religious songs and prayed for repeal of the law as senators entered the Senate chamber to begin their work Thursday morning. All wore white T-shirts saying, "Repeal Alabama's Pain."
When the six refused security officers' repeated requests to move aside from the entrance, police handcuffed them and led them away. They were detained in the Statehouse for about an hour and then released.
Two Democratic senators, Quinton Ross of Montgomery and Bobby Singleton of Greensboro, kneeled with them but were not handcuffed or detained even though they urged police to take them with the protesters.
Secretary of the Senate Pat Harris, who oversees the floor of the Statehouse where the Senate chamber is located, said no charges were filed because "they weren't disturbing the peace. If they had gotten any louder, we probably would have."
Harris said the public is welcome at the Statehouse to express views, but doorways can't be blocked.
Hope Hamilton Schumacher of Birmingham held her six-month-old son, Amos, until police started to handcuff her and then she handed him to her husband, who was not part of the protest. "For all mothers that have been separated from their children," she shouted while being led away.
Ryan Schumacher said he and his wife had written letters and talked to people about the law since its passage, but his wife decided to risk arrest because the law is forcing the separation of mothers who don't have legal residency from their children who do.
Luis Robledo of Birmingham said his mother, Clemencia Robledo, was one of the six detained. He said the family moved to the U.S. from Colombia in 1989 without the proper documentation and worked for 11 years to get citizenship. He called it "an incredibly long and incredibly expensive process" that the family could not have completed if his father were not a physician.
"My mother is here to fight for the people like us who were once undocumented," he said.
After the six were led away, Singleton told the Senate he was troubled that immigration protesters having a peaceful demonstration were handcuffed on the National Day of Prayer.
"I hope today that while you pray, your prayer includes all people of all colors," he said.
One of the authors of Alabama's immigration law, Republican Sen. Scott Beason of Gardendale, said he has no problem with people protesting the law, but "they don't have a right to block access to the Senate chamber."
He said the law enjoys widespread support in spite of protests. "We are not going to repeal our anti-illegal immigration law," he said.
Gov. Robert Bentley, who signed the law, said that when he was a doctor in Tuscaloosa, he never asked people if they were legal or illegal, but protesters must follow the law.
"If they read what I read in the Bible, the Bible says you always obey the law," he told reporters while attending a National Day of Prayer observance.
Hammond said the group has no other activities planned at this time.
Alabama's immigration law, enacted in June 2011, allows police making traffic stops to detain people suspected of being in the country illegally and provides penalties for knowingly aiding or hiring illegal immigrants. The Legislature is considering some changes to address provisions that were put on hold by federal judges and that caused long lines at courthouses as people tried to prove their legal status to renew businesses licenses and get drivers' licenses and car tags.
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