Birmingham City Leaders Discuss Race, Community After Dallas Shootings
The American flag that hangs outside Birmingham City Hall was already flying at half-mast to honor the 49 victims in the Orlando nightclub shooting that happened almost a month ago. City officials say the flag will probably stay that way.
Esther Ciammachilli,WBHM
The flag at City Hall was already flying at half-mast honoring the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting that happened almost a month ago.
Birmingham Mayor William Bell and Police Chief A.C. Roper met today to address three separate shootings this past week involving black men and law enforcement.
Police killed a black man in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Tuesday night and another black man was shot and killed by police near St. Paul, Minnesota, on Wednesday. This sparked a peaceful protest in Dallas Thursday night that ended in the deaths of five police officers. Dallas Police Chief David Brown says the suspect, a black man, told authorities he was upset about the police shootings and wanted to kill white people, namely white police officers.
Mayor William Bell says incidents like these involving African-Americans and the police can potentially lead to stigmatizing generalizations about both groups.
“And part of the community relationship is to get people to understand that there’s a bigger picture out there,” Bell says. “That we should not paint with a broad brush all police officers. [And] Police officers and the general public should not paint all African-Americans with that same brush.”
Bell says that, as black men, he and Chief Roper understand the challenges facing African-Americans.
Roper commented on how, he says, the Birmingham Police Department was once on the wrong side of history. Racially charged incidents like the ones this week are why the department strives to strengthen its relationship with the communities it serves, he says.
“We cannot be successful without community support. As chief, I fully understand that. Our officers understand that,” says Roper. “And so, we have to build that bridge between the community and the police department.”
The group Black Lives Matter will hold a solidarity protest tonight at Kelly Ingram Park. Roper says the police will be present at the event despite the incidents in Dallas. But police can’t be everywhere and citizens are also responsible for public safety, Roper adds. He says if someone sees suspicious behavior they should say something.
For a girl-group veteran, love and fame are the same battlefield
Jade conquered the world with Little Mix, then watched the quartet burn out. On a kinetic solo debut, she puts romance in the ring with her first love: performance.
Trump says he disagrees with Starmer’s decision to recognize Palestinian state
President Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer talked about foreign affairs privately for about an hour, including the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
Care close to home: how a rural doctor meets medical needs in Alabama’s countryside
Doctors are harder to come by in rural Alabama than in big cities. That’s why Cahaba Medical Care developed a residency program that both trains and then hires doctors in rural clinics.
Federal judge orders Jefferson County to redraw racially gerrymandered districts
U.S. District Judge Madeline H. Haikala ruled the county map was unconstitutional because race was the predominant factor when the Jefferson County Commission drew districts.
To save its unique and rare birds, New Zealand is turning to AI and genetic research
New Zealand is planning to eradicate millions of invasive animals that prey on the country's rare birds. The goal may not be possible, unless new technology can be developed to do it.
UC Berkeley professor warns of ‘unprecedented crackdown’ on academic freedom
UC Berkeley told 160 faculty, staff and students that their names were included in files shared with the federal government related to "alleged antisemitic incidents." We hear from one of them.
