Lansing — Beginning in front of the Central United Methodist Church, hundreds of students marched around the state Capitol building and past the Michigan Hall of Justice before returning to the steps of the Capitol.
The demonstration was held to call attention to the group's claim that Michigan voters were deceived into signing the petition that will put the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, or MCRI, on the ballot in the November election.
The rally was organized by the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration & Immigrant Rights And Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary, or BAMN.
Jonvonte Porter, a junior at Holt High School, attended the rally and said most Michigan citizens are unaware of the issues surrounding the MCRI.
Porter said he came to the rally because he was upset at the attack on affirmative action, and the state's refusal to address the alleged voter fraud in the petition process.
"People don't understand the depths of this proposal," Porter said. "People don't understand the ramifications of this. It would be a step backwards."
Last week, the Michigan Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by BAMN in a case that could have prevented the proposal from being placed on the ballot.
Officials from the MCRI have maintained that the signatures all were gathered legally.
The petitions were certified by the state, and unless the Supreme Court decides to hear the case after BAMN files a motion to reconsider last week's decision, the issue will be put to Michigan voters in November.
MCRI officials could not be reached for comment on this story.
After the march on Friday, BAMN delivered petitions to an aide of Gov. Jennifer Granholm, asking her to intervene and prevent the proposal from being on the ballot.
The proposal would alter the state Constitution to prohibit state universities and the state government from using "affirmative action programs that give preferential treatment to groups or individuals based on their race, gender, color, ethnicity or national origin for public employment, education or contracting purposes."
Luke Massie, a national co-chair for BAMN, said the group has already collected several thousand petitions to give to the governor.
Participants at the rally were mostly students, many of whom were brought on five buses from Detroit by BAMN.
"Students, are now and have been, at the center of the civil rights struggle in this nation," Massie said. "That is still true today."
State officials are ignoring the issue of the fraudulent way in which signatures were gathered, and BAMN will continue to collect petitions to give to the governor, Massie said.
"This is a fundamental transgression of fairness in elections," Massie said. "It should not be allowed to stand in Michigan in 2006."
