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] => 
        )

)
1657862540 
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

 

HBO’s new Billy Joel documentary is revelatory — even if it pulls some punches

The new two-part documentary, which premieres Friday on HBO, is a good example of the tension between access and objectivity that filmmakers face in making documentaries on celebrities.

A wildfire destroyed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. It burned down once before

The Grand Canyon Lodge is the only hotel on the park's North Rim, which is closed for the rest of the season due to wildfire risk. The hotel was already rebuilt once, after a kitchen fire in 1932.

Why the Federal Reserve’s building renovations are attracting the White House’s ire

The Fed's $2.5 billion headquarters renovation is attracting mounting criticism from the Trump administration, which had been already attacking the central bank for not cutting interest rates.

Supreme Court says Trump’s efforts to close the Education Department can continue

The Trump administration had appealed a decision that had directed it to stop gutting the U.S. Education Department and to reinstate many of the workers the government had laid off.

Trump tells supporters not to ‘waste time’ on Epstein files. They’re not happy

President Trump is facing backlash from his supporters and opponents alike for how his administration has handled the release of evidence surrounding the death of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

24 states sue Trump admin to unfreeze more than $6 billion in education grants

The lawsuit comes two weeks after the Trump administration first notified states it was withholding previously approved funds for migrant education, before- and after- school programs and more.

More Front Page Coverage