Birmingham Mayor Issues Citywide Curfew Due To ‘Civil Unrest’

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2020/06/Cal_Fashion_Mall-scaled.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:6:{s:5:"width";i:2560;s:6:"height";i:1707;s:4:"file";s:35:"2020/06/Cal_Fashion_Mall-scaled.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:12:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:28:"Cal_Fashion_Mall-336x224.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:224;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:5:"large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:28:"Cal_Fashion_Mall-771x514.jpg";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:514;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:28:"Cal_Fashion_Mall-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:12:"medium_large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:28:"Cal_Fashion_Mall-768x512.jpg";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:512;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"1536x1536";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:30:"Cal_Fashion_Mall-1536x1024.jpg";s:5:"width";i:1536;s:6:"height";i:1024;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"2048x2048";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:30:"Cal_Fashion_Mall-2048x1365.jpg";s:5:"width";i:2048;s:6:"height";i:1365;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"Cal_Fashion_Mall-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:28:"Cal_Fashion_Mall-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:28:"Cal_Fashion_Mall-300x300.jpg";s:5:"width";i:300;s:6:"height";i:300;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:28:"Cal_Fashion_Mall-467x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:467;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:28:"Cal_Fashion_Mall-398x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:398;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:28:"Cal_Fashion_Mall-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:{}}s:14:"original_image";s:20:"Cal_Fashion_Mall.jpg";}
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => Miranda Fulmore
        )

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

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

)
1662379217 
1591018287

Birmingham city residents are now under a nightly curfew from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Mayor Randall Woodfin announced the new order and declared a state of emergency Monday morning in response to violence that erupted Sunday evening.

Throughout the weekend, hundreds of protestors gathered to advocate against police brutality and remember the death of George Floyd, a black man who died last week after being arrested by police in Minneapolis. Most of the protests were peaceful, with local leaders calling on activists to take action and remember the city’s history, but events turned violent Sunday night. A group defaced monuments in Linn Park and later vandalized commercial buildings downtown.

Miranda Fulmore,WBHM
Protestors shattered glass doors at the entrance to the Alabama Theater.

According to Woodfin, 14 buildings were burglarized, at least a dozen were damaged with broken windows and looting, and the fire department responded to more than 20 fires. Two local journalists were injured by protestors and 24 people were arrested.

“Birmingham, this is not us,” Woodfin said during a press conference Monday. “This is not how we taught the world how to protest. Violence, looting and chaos is not the road to reform.”

In response to calls for a stronger police presence Sunday evening, Woodfin said police were caught off guard and officers were outnumbered when demonstrators gathered at Linn Park. They did not initially intervene as protestors tore down a statue of former Confederate Navy officer Charles Linn and tried to pull down the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors monument that’s been at the center of a legal battle between the city and the state for years.

Miranda Fulmore,WBHM
Protestors tore down a statue and defaced several others Sunday evening in Linn Park.

Woodfin said the city will bring down the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors monument as soon as possible to avoid more civil unrest. In a statement, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said the state will file a lawsuit if the city removes the structure, but Woodfin said it is worth the potential cost.

The nightly curfew will be in effect until further notice. Woodfin said people who have to work in Birmingham past 7 p.m. should carry proof of employment. He said the city is requesting assistance from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to enforce the curfew. At this time, there are no plans to bring in the National Guard. In a statement, Gov. Kay Ivey said one thousand guardsmen are on standby statewide to respond to violent protests.

Birmingham State of Emergen… by Miranda Fulmore on Scribd

 

Ivey, Ledbetter go to court to try and allow voucher students to participate in athletics

Gov. Kay Ivey and House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter filed the complaint in Montgomery Circuit Court against the Alabama High School Athletic Association. They are asking a judge to block the association's ruling on eligibility and pave the way for the students to participate in athletics this year.

The world’s oldest and largest iceberg will soon be no more

The iceberg, known as A23a, has been on a journey following the current into warmer waters for months. Now, it has begun the predicted and natural process of breaking apart, and eventually melting.

Etsy sellers are being hit hard by tariffs and the end of the de minimis rule

For years, the U.S. was essentially "an extension of our domestic market," says an Etsy seller in Canada. But now the rules and costs are far more imposing.

What ICE agents can and cannot legally do during arrests

Tactics by immigration agents attempting to arrest undocumented immigrants have shocked the public and led to protests. But what is, and isn't, allowed by law when it comes to ICE arrests?

Trump’s D.C. takeover has led to more arrests. NPR looks at cases of those swept up

NPR combed through court records and other data related to Trump's takeover of D.C. police to get a better understanding of who has been swept up in the federal surge and what charges they are facing.

Who did a Fox News executive call a ‘reckless maniac’? Find out in the quiz

This week, we have monopolies (not the game), casting decisions and fashion passings. Plus a new Stephen King book! Have you been paying attention?

More Front Page Coverage