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Fairhope Sets Trial for Woman Arrested Over Inflatable Costume at Protest

City prosecutors expanded the case, setting up a test of protest rights.

Overview

  • Fairhope’s municipal court set 62-year-old Renea Gamble’s misdemeanor trial for April 15 after two postponements.
  • Body camera video from October 2025 shows Officer Andrew Babb telling Gamble her outfit was not free speech in a “family town” before tackling and handcuffing her.
  • The city first filed disorderly conduct and resisting arrest counts, then added disturbing the peace and giving a false name after she replied “Aunt Tifa” when asked to identify herself.
  • City Attorney Marcus McDowell cited public complaints about a traffic and safety hazard, and the mayor and city council president defended the case by invoking community standards.
  • Gamble’s lawyer, civil-rights attorney David Gespass, argues her costume and sign were protected expression and says any conviction would likely mean a fine or suspended sentence that could still chill local protests.