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Editor’s note: Below are excerpts from a statement that Senator Hank Sanders, Faya Rose Toure’s attorney and husband, made at the Alabama State House press room on July 18. While earlier complaints of death threats against Faya Rose were ignored by police, they tailed her to prevent justice in the recent elections. City officials removed signs of Black candidates, leaving those of white candidates untouched. City ordinance prohibits political signs on public right of way. Toure gave notice she would remove the signs, but when she removed a sign in front of Tabernacle Baptist Church, birthplace of the 1960s voting rights movement, she was arrested. For the full statement, visit peoplestribune.org.
MONTGOMERY, AL — On July 16, 2018, Faya Rose was driving by Tabernacle Baptist Church with our 11-year-old granddaughter, and there was a sign right in front of the Church on a public right of way. She stopped the car, got out and removed the sign. A Tabernacle Church Deacon thanked her for removing the sign. He said they had objected to the sign being there to no avail, but because it was on a public right of way, they had not removed it.
As Faya Rose left Tabernacle, someone in an unmarked vehicle followed her, and, when he turned on flashing lights, she decided not to stop until she was in a location where other people were. When she stopped, she was in front of the campaign office of the African American candidate for probate judge, Jimmy Nunn, who is now Probate Judge-elect for Dallas County, AL.
Because she had ensured that the community’s “Vote or Die” campaign [targeted to get as many people as possible out, especially young voters] was in no way affiliated with any individual’s campaign, Faya decided to move her car and circled the block to an area where more people were. She pulled into a parking spot at the corner of Selma Avenue and Broad Street. Eventually, nine or so policemen came en masse to arrest one 73-year-old Black woman.
Because she had our 11-year-old granddaughter with her, she asked if she could call someone to pick her up. The police refused, and they left our 11-year-old granddaughter alone downtown with people she did not know. Faya also told the police that her wrist had been broken and was still painful. She asked them to put the handcuffs on in front of her instead of behind her so her injury would not be aggravated. Instead, they put the handcuffs on behind her back and forcefully tightened them.
The police report states she was arrested for shoplifting in the fourth degree for removing a sign illegally placed on a public right of way in front of Tabernacle Baptist Church. When I learned of her arrest, I went to the site of her arrest and got our granddaughter and made sure she was safe. Our car was still there, so I asked the police if I could move it to our law office. They said it was evidence and refused to allow me to move it. However, they did not take it to the police station but had a tow truck come to move it to a tow yard. One of my daughters immediately went and paid $150 to get it.
Update: Faye Rose Toure was released from jail. She still faces trumped up charges of shoplifting.
