LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Angry demonstrators pounded their fists on Gov. Mike Huckabee’s vehicle Tuesday after he fled a conference that they crashed.
About 250 protesters, complaining that ex-welfare recipients haven’t been able to find jobs, stormed the hall where Huckabee was scheduled to talk, but the governor left the Southwest Regional Civil Rights Conference rather than speak with them in the room.
The protesters charge that ex-welfare recipients haven’t been able to find jobs since being dropped from the welfare rolls. The number of welfare recipients in Arkansas has fallen from more than 21,000 last June to fewer than 14,000 last month.
The protest was organized by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Huckabee left the hotel as protesters called on him to speak on the welfare issue.
Huckabee’s office called the protest an insult to the civil rights workers at the conference. About 900 conference participants from Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas attended.