A peaceful rally for the Poor People’s Campaign yesterday ended with some people arrested after sitting in the street to block traffic in Montgomery’s Court Square.
Al.com reports the rally was part of a coordinated national effort, with protests planned in 30 states as well as the District of Columbia.
The Rev. Carolyn Foster of Greater Birmingham Ministries says the goal of the event is to "Draw attention to the fact that people are starving, children are hungry, [and] benefits are being cut back in the wealthiest country in the world."
Yesterday’s arrests reportedly appeared to take place without any incident or resistance. They came after police, who had escorted the marchers on their trek down Dexter Avenue, ordered the crowd to disperse about two hours into the demonstration.
Information on the number of people arrested or any charges filed was not immediately available from the Montgomery Police Department.
Yesterday’s event was the start of a planned six weeks of protests leading to a march in Washington, D.C. on June 23.
