BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Privacy activists are hoping they'll draw some eyes and spark some change Saturday in Five Points South.

The Birmingham chapter of Restore the Fourth, an organization that takes its name from the Fourth Amendment, will protest near the Five Points South fountain Saturday from noon to 1 p.m. on the 12th anniversary of the day the USA PATRIOT Act went into effect.

The rally is in support of the national "Stop Watching Us" rally in Washington D.C., which will present the signatures from an online petition about surveillance -- particularly the programs exposed by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden -- to Congress.

"Logistically, we just couldn't work out getting up there for the DC rally," Christy Johnson, with Birmingham's Restore the Fourth chapter, said. "We just wanted to something to stand in solidarity with those who are marching up there at the Capitol."

The group held a march on July 4 to protest government surveillance programs, and about 50 people showed up at Linn Park, carrying signs and chanting.

A few other chapters across the country are holding their own protests Saturday -- including those in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas -- but the event is not nationwide like the July 4 protest, Johnson said.

Johnson said the group's goal Saturday is to make sure people who were angry when the allegations about the NSA came out earlier this year don't forget about the programs.

"Our attention span as Americans is notoriously short," she said. "So I think in a lot of ways we have collectively become a little numb to the NSA revelations, even though new ones are coming out every day."

Johnson said the group has been active since July, distributing fliers about surveillance issues and meeting with lawmakers. She said she hopes the rally Saturday draws in more people who are dedicated to working for change.

"We get a lot of 'atta boys' and pats on the back when we're out on the street," Johnson said. "Our challenge is to translate that into action for people."

For more information, visit the Birmingham chapter's Facebook or Twitter pages, or email rt4bham@gmail.com.