Immigration Protest probably won’t be the last


On March 25, 2014 in the Etowah County Sheriff's Office, county officials inspect signs and equipment used in a protest at the Etowah County Detention Center on Monday March 24, 2014.
Eric T. Wright | The Gadsden Times

By Lisa Rogers Savage
Times Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at 6:28 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at 6:32 p.m.

Sheriff Todd Entrekin said he doesn’t expect Monday’s protest against U.S. immigration policies to be the last.

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Entrekin told Etowah County Commissionmembers Tuesday he has learned more protests around the country are planned in the coming weeks, and he believes the protest in Etowah County was a test for them.

About 100 people converged on the Etowah County Detention Center about 10 a.m. Monday and within a couple minutes, a protest was underway on the steps and walkway of the building. Seven who claim to be in the country illegally were chained to the doors, their arms connected with PVC pipe, wrapped in chicken wire and duct tape.

The protesters say they are demanding that President Barack Obama end the deportation of undocumented immigrants and begin comprehensive immigration reform.

Entrekin said he believes they chose the Etowah County facility because of its relationship with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“Immigration is on the front burner nationwide right now,” he said.

“But I’m not sure that these protesters understand that we don’t have anyone who has just been picked up off the street for being in the United States illegally. Criminal aliens is all we have.”

Entrekin said officials at the Etowah County Detention Center are working with immigration officials on many of the detainees, whose countries refuse to accept them.

“So you mean these are the people who are so bad their own country won’t even take them back?” asked Patrick Simms, chief administrative officer of the Etowah County Commission.

Entrekin said detainees in Etowah County face deportation, but are in custody because of criminal charges in other areas. The detention center has a contract with ICE to house criminal detainees, which are brought to the facility from other parts of the country.

Entrekin said the situation was resolved peacefully and without force, and commended his staff and all the agencies that responded. He also credited those inside the Etowah County Courthouse, which was locked down during the protest.

“This is a testament to the training and dedication of our entire law enforcement community,” he said. His office’s deputies and investigators were assisted by the Gadsden Police Department, Etowah County Drug Enforcement Unit, Alabama State Troopers and the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency.

When the protest began, parking lots at county buildings immediately were shut down and the streets were blocked. Law enforcement officials asked the protesters to move to the sidewalk and out from the front of the building.

The protesters, carrying signs, then marched on the sidewalk along Forrest Avenue, but the seven chained to the doors remained seated and would not move. After a second request, they were assisted in standing up and escorted inside the jail, still connected with the pipe.

Those arrested were charged with failure to disperse and resisting arrest after they refused to stand up and unchain themselves.

They were from Birmingham, Dothan, Alexander City, Russellville, Tuscaloosa and College Park, Ga., and ranged in age from 22 to 50.

“While we respect the right of all citizens to peacefully protest, we cannot and will not allow individuals to disrupt the day-to-day operations of the sheriff’s office, nor will we allow any group to prevent other citizens from conducting business at this office,” Entrekin said.

All seven were released late Monday from the detention center.

Entrekin said it took about an hour for sheriff’s office investigators to remove the pipes from them. He said the group used a fairly sophisticated method to connect themselves.

A piece of pipe about 4 inches in diameter and 4 feet long was wrapped in chicken wire and then in black tape. The protesters’ arms were then in each end of the pipe.

“At first we thought it was soft ventilation pipe,” Chief Investigator Michael Jones said.

Each person had a piece of cloth-wrapped small chain around his or her wrists. The small chain was attached from the wristband to a hook, then the hook was attached to a bolt through the center of the pipe.

Investigators said the nut was released from the bolt to allow each person’s hand to be removed from the pipe. Each person was connected with a section of the 4-foot pipe.

Two of the protesters used large, logging-type chain to attach their bodies to the door. They had the keys to the locks in their socks and one woman had a key in her bra.

Entrekin said ICE officials already had information about upcoming protests planned across the country, but the Etowah County facility was not on the target list.

Organizers of a protest near the jail a few years ago notified the sheriff’s office in advance and obtained proper permits. Monday’s protest was planned, but the sheriff’s office was not notified. Entrekin said the situation was handled professionally even without advance notice.

“As long as they’re peaceful, we’re going to allow them to protest,” he said. “But we’re not going to allow them to shut down operations, and that’s what they were trying to do.”

Scott Hassell, chief deputy of detention, said he was able to watch from a vantage point on an upper floor inside the jail. He said county maintenance crews were offering to help unchain the doors, in another example of people working well together.

“I could see it all come together and see everyone responding from all around,” Hassell said. “It could have gone really bad.”

Commissioner Tim Choate said he also watched from the courthouse parking lot, and it was obvious the situation was handled well.

“They’re experts at what they do,” he said.

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