Residents and other concerned citizens held a demonstration in Emelle against the Chemical Waste landfill. This demonstration was based on the struggle in Warren County, North Carolina, where the idea of environmental racism and the need for environmental justice emerged. The Emelle demonstration marked the first time that blacks and whites in Sumter County joined together in a public protest over any political issue. Alabamians for a Clean Environment used techniques such as sign waving and name calling to draw attention to their cause. They also had access to the media and Attorney General Jimmy Evans, who became a powerful actor in their cause. Soon they attracted national attention and gained support from larger partisan organizations such as the National Toxics Fund Clearinghouse for Hazardous Wastes, the National Toxics Fund Campaign, the Sierra Club and Greenpeace. They did not achieve their goal of shutting down Chemical Waste Management.