Protestors rally against BP at National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores

Alabama Oil Spill Aftermath Coalition

GULF SHORES, Al.
About 200 feet from the where National Shrimp Festival visitors ate seafood today, about two dozen people stood on the sand with signs warning that the source of much of that food was still polluted after the 2010 oil spill.
The Alabama Oil Spill Aftermath Coalition held a rally near the site of the 40th annual National Shrimp Festival. Under a compromise with the city, the demonstration was held on the beach near the festival site.
Kim McCuiston of Foley, one of the organizers of the event, said the rally was an attempt to tell people that not enough had been done to clean the Gulf since the spill, and that the waters and seafood were still contaminated.
"We’re not against the Shrimp Festival," she said. "We’re against BP and what they’ve done. We’re just trying to educate people, and they can make up their own minds."
She said the Gulf is still polluted from oil and chemicals used to fight the spill in 2010.
Lori DeAngelis, who operates Dolphin Queen Cruises in Orange Beach, held a sign stating that 562 dead dolphins had been found since the spill.
"I don’t think people understand what’s happened and what we’re still facing," she said. "This isn’t just affecting dolphins. It’s affecting people."
DeAngelis said rescue workers at the World Trade Center site did not display symptoms of health problems for years after the buildings were destroyed in 2001, and she’s worried that Gulf Coast residents might show effects years from now.
Drew Landry, a singer originally from New Orleans, said people did not understand the potential risks they still face from the spill.
"It’s been more than a year and it’s still messing people up," he said.