10:18 AM
Protesters gathered downtown in the parking lot by Jack’s Saturday to talk about the immigration bill HB 56 and protest outside the jail. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I headed over to the protest. The first thing I saw were a couple of opposition protesters across the street.
Counter protesters James Snyder, left, and Tim Hudson stand in opposition as protesters speak out against Alabama House Bill 56 and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement program December 3, 2011 near the Etowah County Detention Center in downtown Gadsden, Ala. (Gadsden Times, Sarah Dudik)
When I got to the parking lot around 11:30 a.m. there weren’t too many people. Those who were there were getting organized. They set out snacks and water, made signs for the protest, set up audio and made Christmas cards for the inmates at the Etowah County Detention Center.
Trish Rice, seated, Birmingham, makes a sign as protesters speak out against Alabama House Bill 56 and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement program December 3, 2011 near the Etowah County Detention Center in downtown Gadsden, Ala. Members of Occupy Birmingham organized the protest. (Gadsden Times, Sarah Dudik)
Slowly, more and more people started showing up in the parking lot. Many of the protesters were Hispanic, but many were not. There was a group of women wearing headscarves and I chatted for awhile with an Indian doctor. The majority of the protestors seemed well-spoken and polite.
Several speakers shared their heartfelt stories of being undocumented immigrants in Alabama.
Jocelyn Martinez, 13, Pelham, talks about how her mother, stepfather and younger sister left Alabama because they were scared of the consequences of the law as protesters speak out against Alabama House Bill 56 and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement program December 3, 2011 near the Etowah County Detention Center in downtown Gadsden, Ala. Martinez is staying behind with her uncle for now. (Gadsden Times, Sarah Dudik)
Sana Mohammad, Birmingham, shares the story of how she and her son were arrested and detained as protesters speak out against Alabama House Bill 56 and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement program December 3, 2011 near the Etowah County Detention Center in downtown Gadsden, Ala. To her left is Luis Robledo, who is translating her story into Spanish, and to her right is William Anderson, one of the organizers of the protest. (Gadsden Times, Sarah Dudik)
Victor Palafox tells the story of how he has grown up in the United States since he came here at the age of 6 as protesters speak out against Alabama House Bill 56 and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement program December 3, 2011 near the Etowah County Detention Center in downtown Gadsden, Ala. Palafox was unable to attend college despite having scholarships since he is an undocumented immigrant. (Gadsden Times, Sarah Dudik)
The police were all around the area, but in a supervisory capacity. Most kept their distance from the parking lot. When the protesters left the parking lot and headed to the Etowah County Detention Center, law enforcement aided in traffic control.
Some of the inmates at the detention center started pounding on the windows and shouting when the protesters went by the jail.
In one window a sign reading “DETENTION=INJUSTICE” could been seen briefly before it was taken down.
The demonstrators circled around the block and stopped outside the detention center a few times, shouting words of encouragement like “You are not forgotten,” “Feliz Navidad!” and “We love you!”
Then, the protesters headed back down to the parking lot where they took some more photos and began to disperse and I came back to the office to work up my pictures from the day.
It was a beautiful day for a protest.
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