A group of demonstrators gathered Thursday morning, at Graham’s Center for Spiritual Living prior to the court date of nine individuals arrested last year during an anti-ICE protest.
Thursday’s court date stemmed from arrests made during a protest Nov. 24, the "Never Again Alamance" event, in which demonstrators spoke out against the county’s partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Sheriff Terry Johnson is one of several local sheriffs throughout the state who have agreed to work with ICE.
While protests against Johnson’s decision to cooperate with ICE have been ongoing, Never Again Alamance was one of the largest, attracting about 300 people. In comparison, Thursday’s demonstration, which was one part support for the nine defendants and one part protest against the Sheriff’s Office, had what appeared to be several dozen participants.
Organizers of last year’s demonstration attempted to feature a visual element prior to police intervention.
“We were received by officers in riot gear,” said Juan Miranda of Siembra, an immigration advocacy group.
Organizers described it as a “Jewish mourning service” meant to represent those who died in ICE custody.
“Instead of allowing the group to continue with the march and service, the police attacked the protesters and arrested nine of those gathered,” reads a press release describing events at Never Again Alamance.
Xavier Adams, one of the nine defendants, offered comments about that day.
“I took part in this action because of my belief that all people are my neighbors, and I am committed to ideas of love and hospitality that recognize the interconnectedness of humanity by paying particular attention to the most vulnerable in our world,” Adams said.
Ruby Sinreich, another defendant, agreed.
“A little over eight months ago, I joined hundreds of Jews, immigrants, and our friends in Graham, North Carolina, to say ‘no more’ to the cruel, racist, and unnecessary practices of ICE, and to call out Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson’s enthusiastic enforcement of their white supremacist agenda,” Sinreich said. “I was arrested at that demonstration, along with eight other lovely human beings. As Jews we have a special responsibility to remember the horrors of government-backed xenophobia, the dangers of draconian law enforcement, and the nightmare of illegal incarceration and family separation.”
Adams' and Sinreich's sentiments echo those of Siembra NC, Never Again Action and Down Home North Carolina.
"I think that often times the impact of these are targeted attacks, and it’s hard to see how these are interconnected,” Miranda said.
Thursday’s participants marched from the Center for Spiritual Living to the Alamance County Courthouse in a show of solidarity with the nine who were arrested last year.
"There is oppression, but there is also resistance,” Miranda said. “Through collective action we can find inspiration to work together and find what it happening.”
