BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Cooper Green Mercy Hospital supporters intend to protest and possibly boycott some events planned to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the civil rights movement in Birmingham, just as the city is kicking off events to show how much has changed since the disturbances of 1963.
Members with the Committee to Save Cooper Green - a group made up of hospital advocates - say they plan to "protest" outside the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity breakfast Jan. 21 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.
The matter could embarrass the city which is expecting in 2013 hundreds of thousands of visitors and national media to see about how much progress has been made going forward.
"We are going to protest the 50th anniversary until we get something done about the indigent care here in Jefferson County," said Birmingham lawyer Emory Anthony, a staunch Cooper Green supporter. "We have said if it takes boycotting we will do that, but that will be the last alternative."
The King breakfast attracts hundreds of business, civic and community leaders annually.
Calvin Woods, president of the Birmingham chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, has asked Cooper Green supporters to not boycott the breakfast.
"I share their concerns, but I felt this was not the place to completely address it because some of us have been wearing ourselves down trying to keep the hospital open," said Woods, whose group is co-sponsor of the event. "We are a part of the Unity breakfast and it would appear the picketing was directed toward us . . . I respect their rights to picket, but I asked they would not do it at this venture."
Hospital supporters want more leaders in the community to show support for the county-owned hospital for the poor, Anthony said.
"We believe there are certain people who have not stepped up to the plate," Anthony said. "Ironically, we're celebrating Martin Luther King's birthday for his leadership, his involvement . . . for the 'least of us,' and right now we have come 50 years, we've had black mayors, black elected officials in Montgomery, black council people and we are calling on them to become more involved."
Anthony said some of the issues Cooper Green supporters are fighting for were present decades ago.
Cooper Green supporter Melvin Howard protests outside the courthouse after the weekly meeting of the Jefferson County Commission back in August. (File)
"Fifty years and we are still dealing with trying to make sure that 'the least of us' get the proper health care, that jobs are not just taken away from individuals 'unfairly,'" he said. "We are sure that Fred Shuttlesworth, Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights activists would be on our side protesting and considering whether or not to boycott."
State Reps. John Rogers and Mary Moore, D-Birmingham and Jefferson County Commissioner George Bowman have been among the most visible elected officials fighting on behalf of the hospital.
Other vocal supporters have been Citizens Advisory Board President Sheila Tyson and patient advocate Maralyn Mosley.
Last month, supporters sent out an email dated Dec. 21 asking patients and others to contact state Senators Rodger Smitherman and Linda Coleman, of Birmingham and U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham asking "why they have not come out in support of saving Cooper Green Mercy Hospital."
Sewell, Smitherman and Coleman all say they have worked behind the scenes to help find a solution for Cooper Green.
Smitherman said he was not one to call press conferences. "I get the job done. I'm not one to look for credit. I look to serve the citizens," he said.
Nevertheless, Smitherman said he has worked to get legislation passed that would set up a healthcare authority for the hospital.
"We have to make sure the board itself is representative of the citizens and provide a hospital for the indigent," Smitherman said. "We passed a bill last year in the Senate setting up the healthcare authority but the House did not act on it."
Sewell pointed out that she hosted a community forum last fall at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church about the future of Cooper Green Hospital and inpatient services in Jefferson County attended by national activist the Rev. Al Sharpton.
Sewell said she has also sent letters to all of the Jefferson County Commissioners and County Manager Tony Petelos expressing her commitment to protect the health and well-being of the community.
"I asked the county to consider participating in a forum with me that will seek to address the community's concerns and outline the transition to ensure that there is input, transparency and clear communication during this critical time," Sewell said.
Coleman said she was fighting for the hospital long before Cooper Green supporters formed their group.
She said lawmakers would back any reasonable plan crafted by hospital advocates.
"You're not going to get it done with people shouting at each other," Coleman said. "I want to see progress. I want to see something come out of it, not just meeting for the sake of meeting.
Coleman said the county is cash-strapped and hospital advocates have to understand that "the money is not there. When the finances change, things have to change," she said.
Coleman said the city is celebrating 50 years of civil rights and "the civil rights movement was all about change