Youngstown Community Protests For Adi’s Freedom

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Dozens of community members gathered in Youngstown over the weekend in protest of the incarceration of local business owner Amer Othman Adi.

Family, friends and community members gathered at the Downtown Circle Deli, which Amer Adi owns, Saturday afternoon. They proceeded to the Federal Courthouse, chanting “Free Al Now!” as they walked.

Another protest was organized Sunday across the street from the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center, where Amer Adi is being held.

Amer Adi was taken into custody during his routine visit to the Brooklyn Heights Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office. He has lived in the United States for 39 years and has been battling to remain in the United States since the ‘80s.

Lina Adi, Amer Adi’s daughter, opened the second protest, demanding the immediate release of her father.

“Today we stand together as my father’s voice, to fight for his freedom and to fight for other families who are going through the same struggle,” she said.

Youngstown Mayor Tito Brown said seeing the community come together like this is what democracy and the city of Youngstown is all about.

“We don’t look at race, we don’t look at color, we don’t look at gender,” Brown said. “We look at right and wrong, and we today are all standing on the right side for this gentlemen here who was part of a resurgence of Youngstown. He’s part of the economic development. He’s part of our family.”

 

 

Photos by Alyssa Kosis and Jordan Unger