Problems, Protests Continue at Etowah County Detention Center

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2016/04/protest-etowah.png
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:460;s:6:"height";i:305;s:4:"file";s:26:"2016/04/protest-etowah.png";s:5:"sizes";a:5:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"protest-etowah-336x223.png";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:223;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"protest-etowah-140x140.png";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:24:"protest-etowah-80x80.png";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"protest-etowah-400x265.png";s:5:"width";i:400;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"protest-etowah-125x125.png";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}}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] => Cody Owens
        )

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

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

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

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:778617;s:14:"optimized_size";i:274015;s:7:"percent";d:64.810000000000002;}s:5:"sizes";a:6:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:54:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/04/protest-etowah.png";s:13:"original_size";i:243599;s:14:"optimized_size";i:84595;s:7:"percent";d:65.269999999999996;}s:9:"thumbnail";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:62:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/04/protest-etowah-140x140.png";s:13:"original_size";i:40002;s:14:"optimized_size";i:14648;s:7:"percent";d:63.380000000000003;}s:6:"medium";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:62:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/04/protest-etowah-336x223.png";s:13:"original_size";i:132300;s:14:"optimized_size";i:46837;s:7:"percent";d:64.599999999999994;}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:62:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/04/protest-etowah-300x300.png";s:13:"original_size";i:151484;s:14:"optimized_size";i:52917;s:7:"percent";d:65.069999999999993;}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:62:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/04/protest-etowah-400x265.png";s:13:"original_size";i:178649;s:14:"optimized_size";i:63115;s:7:"percent";d:64.670000000000002;}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:62:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/04/protest-etowah-125x125.png";s:13:"original_size";i:32583;s:14:"optimized_size";i:11903;s:7:"percent";d:63.469999999999999;}}}
        )

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

)
1677493400 
1460052755

Protesters gathered again last weekend at the Etowah County Detention Center, one of the nation’s most notorious holding pens. The center houses immigration detainees awaiting possible deportation. It’s been under fire in recent years for poor conditions and treatment of prisoners, and some even engaged in a hunger strike last year.

“The food is garbage,” one former Etowah detainee told WELD. “The portions are so small that you’re hungry 30 minutes after you eat…The inside looks proper, but we get locked down in cells for 16 hours a day. There is no sunshine in that place. There is no fresh air. Medically speaking, that can harm human beings. That kind of long-term detention will affect anyone. We didn’t know when we would be getting out. I’ve seen grown men cry. These aren’t criminals and they are being punished as slaves.”

Nick Patterson, editor of the weekly newspaper WELD, joins us for more on how current and former detainees describe conditions inside the facility.

 

US military used laser to take down Border Protection drone, lawmakers say

The U.S. military used a laser to shoot down a Customs and Border Protection drone, members of Congress said Thursday, and the Federal Aviation Administration responded by closing more airspace near El Paso, Texas.

Deadline looms as Anthropic rejects Pentagon demands it remove AI safeguards

The Defense Department has been feuding with Anthropic over military uses of its artificial intelligence tools. At stake are hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts and access to some of the most advanced AI on the planet.

Pakistan’s defense minister says that there is now ‘open war’ with Afghanistan after latest strikes

Pakistan's defense minister said that his country ran out of "patience" and considers that there is now an "open war" with Afghanistan, after both countries launched strikes following an Afghan cross-border attack.

Hillary Clinton calls House Oversight questioning ‘repetitive’ in 6 hour deposition

In more than seven hours behind closed doors, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton answered questions from the House Oversight Committee as it investigates Jeffrey Epstein.

Chicagoans pay respects to Jesse Jackson as cross-country memorial services begin

Memorial services for the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. to honor his long civil rights legacy begin in Chicago. Events will also take place in Washington, D.C., and South Carolina, where he was born and began his activism.

In reversal, Warner Bros. jilts Netflix for Paramount

Warner Bros. says Paramount's sweetened bid to buy the whole company is "superior" to an $83 billion deal it struck with Netflix for just its streaming services, studios, and intellectual property.

More Front Page Coverage