The Rev. Fred Shuttleworth and other national civil rights activists joined local protesters Tuesday in a rally against chemical pollution, chemical weapons incineration and the leadership of Anniston's school system.
Those three issues are top priorities for Anniston's black community, according to officials with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a 43-year-old council of black ministers.
"You have my full support," Shuttleworth told a gathering of approximately 30 people at Zinn Park. A veteran of Alabama's civil rights struggle, Shuttleworth said the national SCLC board has adopted a resolution pledging to work with its Anniston chapter to fight pollution.
He encouraged Anniston's two black city councilmen and the Calhoun County Commission to "get in the fight."
Councilman Herbert Palmore said he feels his community is not adequately prepared for chemical weapons incineration, expected to begin in April.
"They still haven't addressed the safety of the community," he said.
Some, including Palmore, said they feel residents who are living on contaminated property
or in close proximity to the incinerator should be given the option of property buyouts.
Thomas Long, a resident of Montrose Street, who has elevated levels of PCBs in dust inside his home, said he wants his house torn down and rebuilt. Regulators have proposed removing the dust from inside his home.
"Scraping the topsoil and sweeping the house is not going to do," said Long, a lead plaintiff in one of the Anniston PCB lawsuits.
"I want it torn down, removed and restored," he said.
The protest brought several SCLC national board members from North Carolina and Montgomery.
It also attracted local incineration opponents and environmental activists from Rome, Ga.
Members of the Coosa River Basin Initiative, based in Rome, handed out noisemakers and held up banners during the speeches.
SCLC's Bennie Roundtree, of North Carolina, told the crowd, "I came because I heard that you were having a problem."
He added, "This is your community
If you don't (fight), nobody else will do it."
