Freedom March shut down in Alabama

I've been home for three days and I feel like I'm already five days behind but I want to post this update on Loretta Nall even though it's a few days old. First of all though, send her a positive thought. I think she's in court this morning for the hearing on her appeal.

The Freedom March on the 25th was unfortunately sparsely attended with only about 40 people showing up to protest unjust sentencing laws. You can hardly blame the people for being afraid to protest in that state. The police don't think much about First Amendment rights there and can make their lives miserable at a later time. The local press got that much of the story right. They downplayed the police intervention however which was significant. According to Loretta's account, the cops refused to acknowledge their permit and engaged in active intimidation to shut the rally down.
They did manage to get in some speeches however, with organizer Roberta Franklin leaving her hospital bed to attend. Michael Blain from the Drug Policy Alliance managed to give a speech and so did Loretta before the cops pulled the plug. Loretta tells me:

I just kept on speaking. Loud and clear were my words of freedom, justice and equality. They rang off the surrounding buildings and echoed through downtown Montgomery. People in buildings and homes, people driving down the street and those shopping nearby heard what I had to say.

It's generally believed Loretta's speech was the reason the police shut them down. As one of the other attendees said “That white girl done pissed the cops off!”

The video report is now up at PotTv and more photos are available here. Check it out.