Key Takeaways
- Supporters demand the release of Rodney Taylor, a disabled barber detained by ICE in Georgia.
- Taylor, a double amputee, has been in custody since January after arriving from Liberia as a child.
- His fiancée, Mildred Pierre, expresses gratitude for community support and highlights family unity during this crisis.
- Protests for Taylor’s release also occurred in Columbus, Georgia, showing widespread solidarity.
- Family claims he is not receiving adequate medical care in detention; ICE has not commented.
A group of supporters called for the release of Rodney Taylor, a disabled Georgia barber detained by federal immigration officials outside of the Atlanta Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office Friday.
Taylor has been in ICE custody at South Georgia’s Stewart detention center since January. The 46-year-old Atlanta-area barber and double amputee arrived in the U.S. from Liberia when he was 2 years old for medical care.
Mildred Pierre, Taylor’s fiancée, said their family is leaning on each other and praying for his release.
“We’re all affected, somewhere, somehow,” she said. “So it shows that, you know, there’s unity in this space. I feel like, you know, the support is overwhelming, and I’m grateful for everybody that took their time to be here.”
A similar protest also took place Friday in Columbus, Ga.
Taylor’s family says he is not receiving proper medical care in detention. A spokesperson for ICE did not respond to a request for comment.
This story comes to The Georgia Sun through a reporting partnership with GPB a non-profit newsroom focused on reporting in Georgia.
How to Read and Understand the News
Truth doesn’t bend because we dislike it.
Facts don’t vanish when they make us uncomfortable.
Events happen whether we accept them or not.
Good reporting challenges us. The press isn’t choosing sides — it’s relaying what official, verified sources say. Blaming reporters for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.
Americans have a history of misunderstanding simple things. In the 1980s, A&W rolled out a 1/3-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. It failed because too many people thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If we can botch basic math, we can certainly misread the news.
Before dismissing a story, ask yourself:
- What evidence backs this?
- Am I reacting to facts or feelings?
- What would change my mind?
- Am I just shooting the messenger?
And one more: Am I assuming bias just because I don’t like the story?
Smart news consumers seek truth, not comfort.
Sarah Kallis | GPB
Sarah Kallis is the Politics Reporter at GPB. She is also the capitol correspondent for GPB's Lawmakers.
