Local activist Sherrie André began their trial on Tuesday morning amidst a crowd of nearly 50 supporters, who came out in the cold to stand in front of the New Bedford courthouse at 8:30 a.m. to show solidarity.

André is on trial for their actions blocking the Bristol County House of Corrections in North Dartmouth in August 2018.

The UMass Dartmouth student was charged with trespassing and disturbing the peace during the protest, in which members of activist group the FANG Collective chained and cemented themselves to the Faunce Corner Road facility’s gates.

André and the collective were protesting in support of inmates and detainees on hunger strike, conditions in the jail, and the Sheriff’s 287(g) agreement with the federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, which allows the county to detain immigrants there.

They were one of four protesters arrested during the demonstration.

Three of the others pleaded guilty, but André decided to contest the charges to bring more attention to the issues at the jail.

“This was serious action that disrupted jail operations by blocking visitor and first responder access to the Bristol County correctional facility and ICE detention center, and resulted in hours of work by Dartmouth Police, Fire and BCSO officers to restore normal operations and access to the complex,” stated Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Jonathan Darling. “The court system will decide the penalty, if any, for this individual, as the system has already for the others who were arrested that day and found guilty of violating the law.”

On Tuesday the crowd was dressed warmly, stamping their feet and sipping coffee while chatting amongst themselves. Many were from the FANG Collective. Others, like Oz Gerard, were just there to support a friend.

“I’m a friend of Sherrie’s, and I’ve worked with her in the past on different environmental campaigns,” he said. “I’m here for Sherrie.”

The collective provided warm drinks and snacks for those who attended as well as anyone heading into the courthouse that day.

Nick Katkevich of the FANG Collective noted that the action was not a protest. 

“It’s just a gathering to show support,” he said. “We’re giving out coffee and some snacks to folks, our folks and also just folks that are here for court in general, to show community.”

He said that the group also planned a community lunch down the street as well as a dinner in Providence later that night.

“We want to show support for the community and other people impacted by state violence and the police,” he added. “We’re also gonna be helping bail some folks out of jail hopefully today, and paying some folks’ court fines.”

The group is fundraising for that purpose, although Katkevich said he didn’t know how much they had raised.

A large part of the crowd followed André into the courtroom to continue to support them during the process.

The trial will continue on January 8.