In response to arrest of Selma City Councilman Samuel Randolph on May 11, Alabama Sen. Hank Sanders (D-Selma) held a press conference with members of Saving Ourselves, or SOS at the Alabama State House on May 17.
“This is a sad day for me because I know that our city council persons do things all the time and don’t get arrested. This is a man who didn’t do anything and got arrested,” said Sen. Sanders, who alleges the charges against Randolph are false. “They had a made up warrant on him and because that is the case, we’re going to have to fight this.”
Selma Mayor Dario Melton and Police Chief Spencer Collier both previously served in the Alabama House of Representatives.
During the press conference Sen. Sanders suggested the police chief overstepped his authority when he arrested Randolph.
‘We’re going to have to fight it in the public arena. We’re going to have to fight it in the community arena. We’re going to have to fight it in the legal arena. We’re going to have to fight it on all fronts,’ Sen. Sanders said.
He said being able to dialogue and have differences of opinion is a part of process.
“When you have a situation where a council person cannot argue with the mayor of a city without the police chief trying to stop him and putting his hand on his gun, we have come to a sad day and that is why I’m sad,” Sanders said.
The senator, along with is former Tuskegee Mayor Johnny Ford, his wife Faya Toure, and others indicated that Randolph’s arrest is part of the nationwide abuse of power by law enforcement when dealing with black men.
“I just see too many instances of people getting charged when there are no charges. I see too many instances of people being tried to hush up when they want to speak up. That’s what this is about,” Sen. Sanders said. “I mean if a council man cannot speak in a council session, it’s a sad day.”
