Protesters Show Solidarity for Hunger-Striking Etowah County Detainees

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2015/12/IMG_4645-e1449704394799.jpeg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:1920;s:6:"height";i:1440;s:4:"file";s:36:"2015/12/IMG_4645-e1449704394799.jpeg";s:5:"sizes";a:13:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"IMG_4645-e1449704394799-336x252.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:252;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:5:"large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"IMG_4645-e1449704394799-771x578.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:578;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"IMG_4645-e1449704394799-140x140.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:12:"medium_large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"IMG_4645-e1449704394799-768x576.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:576;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"1536x1536";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:38:"IMG_4645-e1449704394799-1536x1152.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:1536;s:6:"height";i:1152;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:34:"IMG_4645-e1449704394799-80x80.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"IMG_4645-e1449704394799-600x338.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"IMG_4645-e1449704394799-600x600.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"IMG_4645-e1449704394799-415x311.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:415;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"IMG_4645-e1449704394799-353x265.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:353;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"IMG_4645-e1449704394799-600x400.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"IMG_4645-e1449704394799-600x600.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:36:"IMG_4645-e1449704394799-125x125.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => Esther Ciammachilli 
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => WBHM
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_wp_attachment_backup_sizes] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:8:{s:9:"full-orig";a:3:{s:5:"width";i:3264;s:6:"height";i:2448;s:4:"file";s:13:"IMG_4645.jpeg";}s:14:"thumbnail-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:21:"IMG_4645-140x140.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:11:"medium-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:21:"IMG_4645-336x252.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:252;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:10:"large-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:21:"IMG_4645-771x578.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:578;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:21:"IMG_4645-451x338.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:451;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:23:"wbhm-featured-home-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:21:"IMG_4645-415x311.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:415;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:27:"wbhm-featured-carousel-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:21:"IMG_4645-353x265.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:353;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:19:"post-thumbnail-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:21:"IMG_4645-125x125.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}
        )

    [_imagify_optimization_level] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:2263906;s:14:"optimized_size";i:527769;s:7:"percent";d:76.689999999999998;}s:5:"sizes";a:10:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:64:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2015/12/IMG_4645-e1449704394799.jpeg";s:13:"original_size";i:2259636;s:14:"optimized_size";i:523606;s:7:"percent";d:76.829999999999998;}s:9:"thumbnail";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:6:"medium";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:5:"large";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:70:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2015/12/IMG_4645-e1449704394799-80x80.jpeg";s:13:"original_size";i:4270;s:14:"optimized_size";i:4163;s:7:"percent";d:2.5099999999999998;}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}}}
        )

    [_imagify_status] => Array
        (
            [0] => success
        )

)
1649601000 
1449661230

Protesters in Birmingham today clanged forks and spoons against empty plates and marched in a show of solidarity for the 40 detainees currently on a hunger strike at a U.S. Immigration and Customs detention center in Etowah County. 

Demonstrators wore black tape over their mouths as they marched up and down 11th Avenue South. Written on the tape was the message “Shut Etowah Down.”

“We believe that as one of the cheapest detention centers in the nation and one that has been [designated] by a bunch of human rights organizations as being the worst, the one with the worst conditions in the United States, we are advocating for it to be shut down,” says Lucia Hermos. She’s with the American Civil Liberties Union in Alabama and helped organize the event.

According to the group Detention Watch Network, the average amount spent per detainee at the Etowah center is about forty dollars a day — that includes food and health care. By comparison, the national average is 160 dollars a day.

Detainees have been on hunger strike since Thanksgiving, after joining a nationwide movement to stop alleged abuse.

Yesterday, a federal judge ordered the force-feeding of one Etowah detainee reportedly in deteriorating health.

Calls to detention center officials were not immediately returned.

 

Reflections after 43 years in an Alabama prison

James Jones is one of thousands of men who served life without parole in an Alabama prison. He spent 43 years at the St. Clair Correctional Facility before being released at the age of 77. 

U.S.-Russia ballerina freed in prisoner swap

Ksenia Karelina, jailed over a $50 donation to Ukraine, released after U.S.-Russia prisoner swap.

Healing soup recipes, Part 2: Definitely not your grandma’s chicken soup!

The second installment of our soup-a-thon. Vicky Hallett and Genevieve Villamora, correspondents. Marc Silver, digital editor. Radio interview ran last week. Digital publishing Thursday at 7 a.m.

‘The Amateur’ and 3 more buzzy movies in theaters this weekend

Rami Malek plays a CIA data analyst out of his depth in The Amateur, while Warfare depicts a real-life Iraqi mission, calibrated as a cinematic show-of-force.

Pain pathway in a dish could aid search for new analgesic drugs

Scientists have recreated a pathway that senses pain, using clusters of human nerve cells grown in a dish.

Asia markets soar, after President Trump pauses global tariffs

Asia markets followed Wall Street's gains after Trump announced a pause on higher global tariffs, but investors are still looking to Beijing for reaction.

More Front Page Coverage