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Numerous community organizations called on the Albertville City Council Monday not to begin enforcement of certain zoning ordinances limiting the number of families per household.
The consideration of those ordinances has come to light after residents witnessed charter buses recently picking up and dropping off people in the city, which led some to believe Haitian immigrants were being bused into Albertville.
Instead, the buses were chartered by Pilgrim’s Pride in Russellville to pick up and drop off workers for its expanded plant.
But the conversations sparked by the confusion led to another idea that some immigrants living in Albertville could be in violation of existing zoning ordinances by having more than one family to a home.
“We, the undersigned, are writing to express our concerns about the proposed enforcement of Zoning Ordinances 1454-15/897-08,” wrote Unique Morgan Dunston, founder of local organization Reclaiming Our Time. “The enforcement of these ordinances would clearly be directed toward migrants living together for survival. The enforcement measures as they are being proposed are inherently discriminatory and threaten not only the people directly impacted, but our city as a whole. Albertville should take pride in their ability to welcome new people, love our neighbors, and invest in our community.”
The ordinance, updated in 2015, sets a maximum number of two adults per bedroom.So for a two-bedroom house, only four adults could live there; six adults to a three-bedroom, and so on. Some residents say these ordinances have not been enforced and should remain dormant.
“We understand Albertville is facing challenges. It is hard for families from all walks of life to find housing,” Dunston continued in the letter. “The cost of living keeps increasing. Reclaiming Our Time serves hundreds of Albertville residents every month. We see the needs up close on a regular basis. Some people in this community are pushing the baseless idea that our new neighbors, particularly those from Haiti, are to blame for the challenges we all face. Putting our hardworking neighbors on the street will not make our housing more affordable. It will not make the cost of living go down. It will not decrease crime. Our new neighbors are not the source of our challenges and scapegoating them will only hurt us all.”
Numerous groups and individuals signed onto the letter including the ACLU of Alabama, the Alabama Coalition of Immigrant Justice, the Fair Housing Center of Northern Alabama and more.
The letter came ahead of Monday’s city council meeting, although nothing on the agenda dealt with the zoning ordinance. Dunston spoke out at the meeting, reinforcing her letter. Gerrilynn Hanson, the organizer of a recent meeting of residents to discuss their concerns, also spoke.
“I started out this whole movement because I’m seeing our rooms be filled, our schools be filled up, seeing our houses be filled up,” Hanson said. “I don’t think anybody was ignoring this situation; we just missed it. I drive these streets every day, and I missed it … Because it wasn’t designed for us to see what they’re doing to our city.”
Hanson blamed the poultry plants for the increase in the immigration population and said “this isn’t about race.”
“We’re for everybody to live in Albertville city limits, not just the old-school people who’s been here all their lives,” Hanson said. “There’s over 10,000 Haitians here and over 20,000 Hispanics here; I think it’s time for us to welcome them in our community and start coming together to understand what’s being done to our community.”
Hanson said the companies are involved in human trafficking and slave labor of the immigrant population, and making them live in poor conditions.
“I’m not saying get rid of the poultry plants, I’m saying make them play fair to their employees like everybody else,” Hanson said. “These people have come here for a better life; they’re not getting it. The things they’re doing to these immigrants are appalling.”
Albertville mayor Tracy Honea said it’s important for the community to come together and rise above any hate.
“There’s nobody in this room or this community that deserves to be in fear of anything,” Honea said. “If it’s in school or work. I don’t care what color you are, folks. We’re better than what some of us have shown in the past few days.”
