Thread: Tea party activists turn out against Illegal Immigration

'Tea party' activists turn out for immigration, taxes protest in Decatur

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By KENNETH LOWE - H&R Staff Writer
Friday, April 16, 2010 12:01 am
Comments 14


Pam Johnson of Decatur speaks during a rally by the local tea party group Restore Our Constitution outside of the Macon County Courts Facility. Herald & Review/Stephen Haas

DECATUR - Nearly 100 people turned out to march on the Macon County Courts Facility on Thursday afternoon to protest federal immigration reform.

The local "tea party" group Restore Our Constitution organized the event. Vice President Pam Johnson led the crowd along Eldorado Street as they marched with American flags and banners bearing serpents and the Colonial motto "Don't Tread On Me."

"It is time that we, the people, have a say in what goes on in Washington, D.C.," Johnson said to the crowd on the courthouse steps.

Johnson said protesting the immigration reform currently under consideration by Congress is important because of the large tax burden its passage could have on citizens.

Before and during the event, Johnson stressed to all attendees that the group's protests should remain respectful. "We can do it in a good, civil manner," she said.

The crowd spread out across the steps and sidewalk on the north side of the building, surrounding the statue of Abraham Lincoln. Macon County sheriff's deputies were on hand to keep participants out of the roadway, and the event went off without incident.

State Sen. Kyle McCarter,

R-Lebanon, spoke at the event about his efforts to cut wasteful spending in Springfield. Afterward, he said it was good to see citizens getting out and standing up for their ideals, and elected officials such as him shouldn't always be blamed for the shortcomings of their colleagues.

"We tend to write off everyone in office just because they're in office," McCarter told the Herald & Review after speaking publicly. "I expect to be held accountable like everyone else."

Jerry Stocks, Macon County Republican Party chairman, was an observer. He said though the shots hit both sides of the aisle, Republicans would do well to listen up.

"(The group is) motivated by a dissatisfaction and frustration with government," Stocks said. "Republicans need to pay attention and give audience to a group like this. Government has failed, irrespective of whose hands it has been in."

Mathew Bradshaw, 21, a Decatur native and political science student at Richland Community College, said his frustration with government corruption motivated him to come out.

"It's time to put in some people who actually listen to what we have to say rather than just going on their partisan line and doing what they want to do," Bradshaw said.

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