Civil rights activists were arrested arrested Tuesday during a sit-in at the Mobile, Alabama, office of Republican Senator Jeff Sessions.
The sit-in, organized by the NAACP, drew about two dozen people concerned over Sessions’ nomination as U.S. Attorney General. Sessions has long held controversial views on race. During a 1981 murder investigation, Sessions said he thought the KKK was okay until he discovered some were “pot smokers.” (He later claimed to be joking.)
As a 39-year-old U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, Sessions prosecuted Black political activists who sought to improve Black voter turnout throughout Alabama. Then, in 1986, President Reagan nominated Sessions for federal judgeship. During the confirmation hearings, one of Sessions’ colleagues, J. Gerald Herbert, reported that Sessions accused the NAACP of being “un-American.”
The Senate ultimately rejected Sessions for the judgeship – only the second time it has done so in 50 years – due to his controversial comments and perceived racism.
But Sessions now has the favor of another President. And his potential impact on American law and criminal justice have far-reaching consequences.
In 2011, Sessions’ home state of Alabama enacted strict voter ID laws that disproportionately prevent racial minorities from voting. And in 2015, the state closed 31 offices of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which issues driver’s licenses in Alabama. The closures left 28 counties – many of which were home to majority-Black populations – without a single office where citizens could obtain a photo ID. Similar measures are expected to go into effect elsewhere if Sessions becomes Attorney General.
In all, six people were arrested in Mobile, including NAACP President and CEO Cornell William Brooks.
#ThingsIWontApologizeFor the @NAACP breaking a law 2 insure civil rights laws are enforced for everyone. #stopsessions @washingtonpost pic.twitter.com/MfQkJxpWbi
— Cornell William Brooks (@CornellWBrooks) January 4, 2017
“[Sessions] does not acknowledge the reality of voter suppression while mouthing faith in the myth of voter fraud.”
The protesters did not resist arrest and were charged with second-degree criminal trespassing.
The NAACP is not the only group to protest Sessions for Attorney General. Other progressive advocacy organizations – including People for the American Way, the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, and the Alliance for Justice – have called on the Senate to reject Sessions. And Tuesday also saw the publication of an open letter signed by over 1,300 faculty of 177 law schools urging the Senate not to confirm the nomination.
Sessions’ confirmation hearing is scheduled for Jan. 20. Watch the video below for more on yesterday’s sit-in:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYt7JqkEqxE
Featured image via YouTube video.
