JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.— Twenty-two religious leaders were spared from jail August 18 but still could face fines after being convicted of trespassing during protests in the Missouri Senate in support of expanded Medicaid coverage for low-income adults.
The religious leaders, many of whom are black, were among hundreds of clergy and other activists who filled the Senate gallery in May 2014, singing hymns and chanting for lawmakers to expand Medicaid eligibility as envisioned by Democratic President Barack Obama’s health care law. Missouri’s Republican-led Legislature has declined to do so.
Police arrested 23 protesters, who became known as the “Medicaid 23,” when they failed to leave the chamber. One person wasn’t present for jury selection earlier this week and will be tried separately.
Jurors on August 17 convicted the 22 religious leaders of first-degree trespassing but acquitted them of charges of disrupting government operations. They could have faced up to six months in jail and up to a $500 fine. But it took jurors only about 10 minutes the following day to decide against jail time and instead recommend a fine.
Cole County Circuit Judge Dan Green said he would determine the amount of that fine at an unspecified future date. A typical fine for trespassing in Jefferson City is about $100, said attorney Nimrod Chapel Jr., president of the Missouri NAACP, who helped represent the defendants.
The religious leaders gathered for a group photo Thursday on the steps of the Cole County Courthouse but deferred questions to their attorneys. Chapel said they were considering whether to appeal.
“This tough-on-crime stand, that we’ve got to hammer down on traditional American values, is ridiculous,” Chapel told reporters. “There’s no need for us to impose a stiff sentence, to prosecute people talking about their First Amendment rights.”
