A Church Protest Ends Quickly, but the Anger Is Likely to Endure

[struggle4progress]

http://graphics8.nytimes.com.nyud.net:8090/images/2007/02/14/nyregion/14church.1902.jpg

By JAMES BARRON
Published: February 14, 2007

Carmen Villegas did not expect the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York to send burly guards into her church, Our Lady Queen of Angels, but it did. She did not expect to be at the center of a chaotic scene, shouting at church officials and flinging open the front door of the church, but she was.

She did not expect to be arrested, but she was, after she refused to leave.

And she did not expect the archdiocese to close her beloved East Harlem church, two weeks early, but late Monday night, that is exactly what it did ...

Ms. Villegas and some fellow parishioners occupied the sanctuary for about 28 hours, protesting the archdiocese’s plan to shut down Our Lady Queen of Angels on March 1. Late Monday, police officers led Ms. Villegas and five other parishioners out of the red-brick church in plastic handcuffs. They were given summonses for trespassing ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/14/nyregion/14church.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin