Hundreds Gather For Rally And March in Downtown Birmingham

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2016/07/FullSizeRender.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:640;s:6:"height";i:480;s:4:"file";s:26:"2016/07/FullSizeRender.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:10:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"FullSizeRender-336x252.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:252;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"FullSizeRender-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:24:"FullSizeRender-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"FullSizeRender-600x338.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"FullSizeRender-600x480.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:480;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"FullSizeRender-415x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:415;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"FullSizeRender-353x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:353;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"FullSizeRender-600x400.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"FullSizeRender-600x480.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:480;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"FullSizeRender-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_imagify_optimization_level] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:206502;s:14:"optimized_size";i:144140;s:7:"percent";d:30.199999999999999;}s:5:"sizes";a:8:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:54:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/07/FullSizeRender.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:143116;s:14:"optimized_size";i:97508;s:7:"percent";d:31.870000000000001;}s:9:"thumbnail";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:6:"medium";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:62:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/07/FullSizeRender-600x338.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:63386;s:14:"optimized_size";i:46632;s:7:"percent";d:26.43;}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}}}
        )

    [_imagify_status] => Array
        (
            [0] => success
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => Sherrel Wheeler Stewart
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => WBHM
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

)
1675759345 
1468060022

In a week that saw five police officers killed in Dallas, and black men killed by police in Minnesota and Louisiana, approximately 300 people showed up for what turned out to be a peaceful rally in downtown Birmingham.

On a very warm Friday night at Kelly Ingram Park, people of different races, ethnicities and faiths called for justice, peace and unity. Some people came with signs to raise awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement. Others carried signs calling for an end to gun violence.

“This moment is not about anger, but it is about frustration,” said Birmingham City Council president Johnathan Austin. “It’s about frustration with a system that  has continued to discriminate and allow black men and women in America to be discriminated against.”

Austin made note that he was speaking at the same park where large-scale demonstrations were held during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s — protests that changed America more than 50 years ago.

Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper spoke, and then the group marched about three blocks from the park to Birmingham Police Headquarters.

Black Lives Matter – Birmingham and the National Action Network organized the event.

 

 

 

Mariah Carey, coffee makers and other highlights from the Olympic opening ceremony

NPR reporters at the Milan opening ceremony layered up and took notes.

Trump’s harsh immigration tactics are taking a political hit

President Trump's popularity on one of his political strengths is in jeopardy.

A drop in CDC health alerts leaves doctors ‘flying blind’

Doctors and public health officials are concerned about the drop in health alerts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since President Trump returned for a second term.

Photos: Highlights from the Winter Olympics opening ceremony

Athletes from around the world attended the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Milan.

Alabama sets execution for man in auto parts store customer’s death

Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday set a March 12 execution using nitrogen gas for Charles “Sonny” Burton. Burton was convicted as an accomplice in the shooting death of Doug Battle, a customer who was killed during an 1991 robbery of an auto parts store in Talladega.

Trump posts racist meme of the Obamas — then deletes it

Trump's racist post came at the end of a minute-long video promoting conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. 

More Front Page Coverage