"Lights for Liberty" vigil held at Courthouse steps on Friday

Local citizens gathered throughout the day on Friday at the Winneshiek County Courthouse steps as part of the "Lights for Liberty" vigil.

Hundreds of vigils were scheduled across the United States, and other countries, on Friday, as advocates and concerned citizens called attention to treatment of immigrants in detention centers. The events were organized under the Lights for Liberty organization.

Lights for Liberty is a loose coalition of grassroots activists, with support from long-standing immigrant rights organizations (such as Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services) and other organizers who are "dedicated to human rights, and the fundamental principle behind democracy that all human beings have a right to life, liberty and dignity."

Former Director of NE Iowa Peace and Justice Center Mike Blevins visited from Waukon