2,000 Protest Illinois Expulsions
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DECATUR, Ill. — A standoff over the expulsion of six black students for fighting continued Sunday as the Rev. Jesse Jackson led a chanting group of about 2,000 people through the streets and threatened to stage mass civil disobedience.
Jackson told the crowd that he would visit the schools Tuesday morning to demonstrate and force authorities to arrest him. He asked how many would be willing to join him in jail, and hundreds of people raised their hands.
“On Tuesday morning, we’re going to cross the line,” he said. “If Dr. (Martin Luther) King could do it in Birmingham . . . and (Nelson) Mandela could do it in South Africa, we can do it in Decatur.”
Decatur School Board President Jackie Goetter said Sunday night that she knew nothing about Jackson’s deadline.
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