Leada Gore | lgore@al.com
Mark Zuckerberg's Alabama tour
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is spending 2017 touring the U.S.
His first stop? Sweet Home Alabama.
Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, are in Alabama this week, making stops in Mobile, Birmingham and Selma and other spots. Here’s a look at some of their stops and some Zuckerberg sightings.
From Selma
"Today Priscilla and I stopped by some local newspapers as we drove through Alabama. The folks there were working hard over President's Day weekend to keep their communities informed.
It seems like a good time to say thank you to all the journalists around the world who work tirelessly and sometimes put their lives in danger to surface the truth.
I don't always agree with everything you say, but that's how democracy is supposed to work.
I know I join many people in America and across the world in thanking you for your work."
(Contributed photo/Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook)
From Camden
From Mobile
"Dominick (Ficarino)took us on his fishing boat. It has enough capacity to store 100,000 pounds of shrimp. That's more than 1 million shrimp."
(Contributed photo/Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook)
From Mobile
"That's a lot of shrimp. It was -5 degrees in that warehouse."
(Contributed photo/Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook)
From Camden
From Mobile
"Lunch with members of the fishing community in Bayou La Batre."
(Contributed photo/Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook)
From Mobile
From Mobile
Leada Gore | lgore@al.com
From Mobile
Mark Zuckerberg spotted at the The Haberdasher in Mobile (photos courtesy of Richie Gambino)
From Birmingham
"Priscilla and I got into Birmingham tonight and got to meet Anthony Ray Hinton. He spent 30 years in prison on death row for a crime he didn't commit, and was exonerated and released only a couple years ago.
He told us the story of how he was arrested for a murder at a restaurant where the only description of the killer was a black man with lighter skin and a beard. The detective asked if he owned a gun and he said no. The detective asked if any of his family members did and he said yes. They didn't bother to check whether the gun matched the bullets in the crime. The detective told him he was going to get convicted because he was black. The jury convicted him and he was sent to death row.
Years later, Bryan Stevenson at the Equal Justice Initiative started researching his case. He hired experts who proved that the bullets in the crime couldn't possibly have come from Anthony's mother's gun. But Bryan had to get the courts to reconsider Anthony's case given the new evidence. They wouldn't do it for 15 more years despite the clear evidence that would exonerate Anthony. Finally Bryan took the case to the Supreme Court, and they ruled that the evidence had to be considered. The state court immediately dropped the case and Anthony was freed, after 30 years.
He told us that after unjustly locking him away for 30 years, nobody even apologized for that mistake.
When I heard this, I apologized to him -- not because I could have helped in his case, but because it is all of our responsibility to make our society one of justice for all.
As a parting thought, he told us: "I believe that when bad things happen, good people need to stand up and make sure it doesn't happen again."
We have a long way to go, but thanks to folks like Bryan Stevenson and Anthony Ray Hinton we will keep fighting until we get there."
(Contributed photo/Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook)
From Monroeville
From Birmingham
From Mobile
You can read more about the visit here.
From Birmingham
File Photos
From Tuscaloosa
The most powerful man in tech met the most powerful man in Alabama. Alabama Coach Nick Saban talks about his Tuscaloosa visit with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
From Tuscaloosa
From Mobile
At Murder Point Oyster Company.
From Mobile
At Murder Point Oyster Company.
Leada Gore | lgore@al.com
From Mobile
At Murder Point Oyster Company.
Leada Gore | lgore@al.com
From Tuscaloosa
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan visited with Alabama Football head coach Nick Saban at the Mal Moore Athletic Complex. (Contributed photo/Alabama Football)
From Tuscaloosa
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan visited with Alabama Football head coach Nick Saban at the Mal Moore Athletic Complex. (Contributed photo/Alabama Football)
From Tuscaloosa
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan visited with Alabama Football head coach Nick Saban at the Mal Moore Athletic Complex. (Contributed photo/Alabama Football)
From Tuscaloosa
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan visited with Alabama Football head coach Nick Saban at the Mal Moore Athletic Complex. (Contributed photo/Alabama Football)
Leada Gore | lgore@al.com
From Tuscasloosa
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan visited with Alabama Football head coach Nick Saban at the Mal Moore Athletic Complex. (Contributed photo/Alabama Football)
Leada Gore | lgore@al.com
From Tuscaloosa
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan visited with Alabama Football head coach Nick Saban at the Mal Moore Athletic Complex. Zuckerberg and Chan also visited with Alabama football players. (Contributed photo/Alabama Football)
From Tuscaloosa
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan visited with Alabama Football head coach Nick Saban at the Mal Moore Athletic Complex. Zuckerberg and Chan also visited with Alabama football players. (Contributed photo/Alabama Football)
Leada Gore | lgore@al.com
From Tuscaloosa
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan visited with Alabama Football head coach Nick Saban at the Mal Moore Athletic Complex. Zuckerberg and Chan also visited with Alabama football players. (Contributed photo/Alabama Football)
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