A black man's dilemma

Politics | Clenard Childress has been a Democrat, a Republican, and now is running as an Independent. And he’s still looking for a party to address the real issues African-Americans face | Alisa Harris

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MONTCLAIR, N.J.—During the Democratic National Convention this year, Clenard Childress attended a pro-life protest that took a humorous turn. An African-American pastor from Montclair, N.J., Childress and the other protesters left their signs against a gate at Denver's Planned Parenthood while they prayed in the Martin Luther King Jr. Park across the street.

"And all of a sudden I hear Alan Keyes, who had been driving away, running down the street, yelling at the top of his voice, 'Thief! Thief!'" Childress remembered. Keyes rushed onto Planned Parenthood's grounds and wrestled two of their signs away from a security guard. The other protesters followed.

"There was a standoff now: security and us," said Childress. "Flip Benham steps out on the grounds, points his finger at security and says, 'We can do this two ways. Either you can go get the signs and give them back to us or we're going to get the signs.'"