Several demonstrators including the president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People were arrested yesterday protesting the nomination of Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions as U.S. Attorney General.
The NAACP members were staging a sit-in at Senator Sessions’ office in Mobile. Cornell William Brooks, President and CEO of the NAACP, said they would remain at Sessions' office until they were able to speak with the Senator or they were removed.
Brooks says the group is concerned about multiple aspects of Sessions’ record including his prosecution of African-American activists for alleged voter fraud while he was a U.S. Attorney in Alabama. Brooks says Sessions “can’t be trusted to be the chief law enforcement officer for voting rights”.
The sit-in began at around 11 a.m. yesterday with about 30 demonstrators. Just before 7 p.m., Mobile police arrested the six remaining protestors. All were charged with second-degree criminal trespassing.
A spokeswoman for Senator Sessions released a statement saying the nominee has dedicated his career to upholding the rule of law, ensuring public safety and prosecuting government corruption.