Crime

Gun violence a public health crisis in Birmingham, mayor says

THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES — Mayor Randall Woodfin on Thursday said bluntly that “gun violence in the City of Birmingham is a public health crisis.”

Published

7 years ago

March 3, 2019

Oakland Post

By Ameera Steward

Mayor Randall Woodfin on Thursday said bluntly that “gun violence in the City of Birmingham is a public health crisis.”

Woodfin made his statement as he unveiled the City of Birmingham’s PEACE Campaign to counteract violent crime.

The campaign is a coordinated effort between city, community and law enforcement to achieve change on multiple fronts. It includes an #IncreasePeace public service announcement campaign that features 30-second videos of mothers of gun violence victims telling their stories.

Surrounding the mayor were families who lost loved ones to violence, many of them wearing t-shirts with the phrase “Increase Peace”, including Woodfin’s mother, Cynthia Woodfin-Kellum.

“When facing a health crisis, we must keep three things in the front of our minds,” the mayor said, “we need respect and sympathy for those at risk, we need coordinated efforts with trusted institutions who can help us develop solutions; and we need dedicated trusted media outlets to keep residents informed of the work being done to safeguard them and empowered with important information to make the city safer.”

The mayor said everyone has a role to play and in a health crisis “we turn to our health professionals because they have the training and expertise to help us find solutions.”

Dr. Mark Wilson, Jefferson County health officer, cited grim statistics. Ninety percent of the homicides involved guns, 86 percent of the victims were black, and the vast majority were men. Homicide is the number one cause of death nationwide for black males between the age of 15 and 35, he said.

“In our public health work we try to prioritize those things that affect the health and well-being of the entire population,” he said. “We also seek to promote health equity, we see something that’s adversely affecting one group of people more than others such that it creates a health disparity and if that’s something that is preventable, we should make a special effort to address it.”

“Extremely Complex”

Wilson said, “violence is an extremely complex problem with deep roots, there are no simple solutions . . . [it] will require multipronged, multidisciplinary, multi-stakeholder approach. The field of public health emphasizes getting input from diverse sectors of the population…we need collective action…none of us can do this alone.”

He said there is a four-step approach to public health: define the problem; identify risk and protective factors; develop a strategy or multiple strategies and evaluate them as well as test them; and if something works try to adopt it.

“What really needs to drive us here and what does drive me, and the people in our health department, and the people you see up here, is the people. This is about people,” said Wilson. “If any of you think this is somebody else’s problem and not your problem, you’re wrong…it is a true fact that if we have one part of our community that’s suffering…it’s affecting all of us.”

Wilson also pointed out that the statistics are “just the tip of the iceberg.” There’s a much larger culture of violence that’s having an adverse effect and traumatizing people in the community “often starting at a very early age,” he said.

“Affects Us All”

Woodfin said he doesn’t want people to become desensitized to the murders.

“The violence can find its way on any of our doorsteps…we can be sitting in a classroom and it can find its way into a classroom, you can be…having a good time with your friend and it can find its way there,” said Woodfin. “This affects all of us …none of us have the luxury to be desensitized to it or only think because it’s affecting young black men that it’s OK, because it’s not.”

The mayor, surrounded by grieving families, pointed out that he is also among the families who lost a loved one to violence. He lost an older brother to a shooting death in 2012.

“The families you see…you see mothers, you see siblings, you see loved ones who have lost a son, who have lost a daughter, who lost a brother or a sister to gun violence,” said Woodfin. “I count myself among these families.”

From January 1 to January 31 of this year there were eight murders in the city, 18 felony assaults, over 800 gun-related calls, and police removed 145 guns from the streets, Woodfin said.

“Being a mother who has lost a child to gun violence in this city is devastating, and you see us standing here today, it’s not easy for us, it’s not easy to get up and stand up and talk about the loss of your child,” she said.Among the families present was Carolyn Johnson, mother of 20-year-old Rodreckus Johnson who was shot to death in his car on Nov. 22, 2003.

She added that she was determined to get out the message “to let everyone know that, yes, it was my house then . . . but it could be your house next.”

Woodfin also announced Stop the Bleed, which trains residents how to stop severe bleeding from a gunshot, knife wound or other major injury. Training will be facilitated by the University of Birmingham at Alabama. Classes begin at Birmingham recreation centers next month; visit birminghamal.gov/peace to sign up.

In the law-enforcement arena, Woodfin announced that Birmingham police will soon be assisted by Predictive Policing technology. “Pred Pol” will improve patrolling by using years of date to identify times and locations where specific crimes are more likely to occur. Also, a “Real Time Crime Center” will be established within the next year to help police monitor active crime scenes.

Visit birminghamal.gov/peace or text PEACE to 888-777 for more information.

For more on “Increase Peace” click here.

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

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#NNPA BlackPress

COMMENTARY: The National Protest Must Be Accompanied with Our Votes

Just as Trump is gathering election data like having the FBI take all the election data in Georgia from the 2020 election, so must we organize in preparation for the coming primary season to have the right people on ballots in each Republican district, so that we can regain control of the House of Representatives and by doing so, restore the separation of powers and balance that our democracy is being deprived of.

Published

4 days ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper. File photo..

By Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper

As thousands of Americans march every week in cities across this great nation, it must be remembered that the protest without the vote is of no concern to Donald Trump and his administration.

In every city, there is a personal connection to the U.S. Congress. In too many cases, the member of Congress representing the people of that city and the congressional district in which it sits, is a Republican. It is the Republicans who are giving silent support to the destructive actions of those persons like the U.S. Attorney General, the Director of Homeland Security, and the National Intelligence Director, who are carrying out the revenge campaign of the President rather than upholding the oath of office each of them took “to Defend The Constitution of the United States.”

In California, the primary comes in June 2026. The congressional races must be a priority just as much as the local election of people has been so important in keeping ICE from acquiring facilities to build more prisons around the country.

“We the People” are winning this battle, even though it might not look like it. Each of us must get involved now, right where we are.

In this Black History month, it is important to remember that all we have accomplished in this nation has been “in spite of” and not “because of.” Frederick Douglas said, “Power concedes nothing without a struggle.”

Today, the struggle is to maintain our very institutions and history. Our strength in this struggle rests in our “collectiveness.” Our newspapers and journalists are at the greatest risk. We must not personally add to the attack by ignoring those who have been our very foundation, our Black press.

Are you spending your dollars this Black History Month with those who salute and honor contributions by supporting those who tell our stories? Remember that silence is the same as consent and support for the opposition. Where do you stand and where will your dollars go?

Oakland Post

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Activism

Congresswoman Simon Votes Against Department of Homeland Security, ICE Funding

“They need accountability. Republicans already gave these agencies an unprecedented $170 billion for immigration enforcement, funding they have used to conduct raids at schools, separate families, and deploy a masked paramilitary who refuse to identify themselves on American streets. This bill gives them more funding without a single reform to stop unconstitutional, immoral abuses,” she said.

Published

4 days ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12). File photo.

By Post Staff

Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) released a statement after voting against legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which supports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB).

“Today, I voted NO on legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security through Feb. 13, 2026.

“ICE and CBP do not need more funding to terrorize communities or kill more people,” she said in the media release.

“They need accountability. Republicans already gave these agencies an unprecedented $170 billion for immigration enforcement, funding they have used to conduct raids at schools, separate families, and deploy a masked paramilitary who refuse to identify themselves on American streets. This bill gives them more funding without a single reform to stop unconstitutional, immoral abuses,” she said.

“The American people are demanding change. Poll after poll of Americans’ opinions show overwhelming support for requiring ICE agents to wear body cameras and prohibiting them from hiding their faces during enforcement actions. This is the bare minimum transparency standard, and this funding legislation does not even meet this low bar,” Simon said.

“Republicans in Congress are not serious about reining in these lawless agencies. Their refusal to make meaningful changes to the DHS funding bill has consequences that go beyond immigration enforcement. TSA agents who keep our airports safe and FEMA workers who help our communities recover from disasters are stuck in limbo due to Republican inaction.

“The Constitution does not have an exception for immigrants. Every person on American soil has rights, and federal agencies must respect them. The East Bay has made clear at the Alameda County and city level that we will hold the line against a violent ICE force and support our immigrant communities – I will continue to hold the line and our values with my votes in Congress.”

Oakland Post

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Activism

Post Newspaper Invites NNPA to Join Nationwide Probate Reform Initiative

The Post’s Probate Reform Group meets the first Thursday of every month via Zoom and invites the public to attend. The Post is making the initiative national and will submit information from its monthly meeting to the NNPA to educate, advocate, and inform its readers.

Published

4 days ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Tanya Dennis

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) represents the Black press with over 200 newspapers nationwide.

Last night the Post announced that it is actively recruiting the Black press to inform the public that there is a probate “five-alarm fire” occurring in Black communities and invited every Black newspaper starting from the Birmingham Times in Alabama to the Milwaukee Times Weekly in Wisconsin, to join the Post in our “Year of Action” for probate reform.

Reporter Tanya Dennis says, “The adage that ‘When America catches a cold, Black folks catch the flu” is too true in practice; that’s why we’re engaging the Black Press to not only warn, but educate the Black community regarding the criminal actions we see in probate court: Thousands are losing generational wealth to strangers. It’s a travesty that happens daily.”

Venus Gist, a co-host of the reform group, states, “ Unfortunately, people are their own worst enemy when it comes to speaking with loved ones regarding their demise. It’s an uncomfortable subject that most avoid, but they do so at their peril. The courts rely on dissention between family members, so I encourage not only a will and trust [be created] but also videotape the reading of your documents so you can show you’re of sound mind.”

In better times, drafting a will was enough; then a trust was an added requirement to ‘iron-clad’ documents and to assure easy transference of wealth.

No longer.

As the courts became underfunded in the last 20 years, predatory behavior emerged to the extent that criminality is now occurring at alarming rates with no oversight, with courts isolating the conserved, and, I’ve heard, many times killing conservatees for profit. Plundering the assets of estates until beneficiaries are penniless is also common.”

Post Newspaper Publisher Paul Cobb says, “The simple solution is to avoid probate at all costs. If beneficiaries can’t agree, hire a private mediator and attorney to work things out. The moment you walk into court, you are vulnerable to the whims of the court. Your will and trust mean nothing.”

Zakiya Jendayi, a co-host of the Probate Reform Group and a victim herself, says, “In my case, the will and trust were clear that I am the beneficiary of the estate, but the opposing attorney said I used undue influence to make myself beneficiary. He said that without proof, and the judge upheld the attorney’s baseless assertion. In court, the will and trust is easily discounted.”

The Black press reaches out to 47 million Black Americans with one voice. The power of the press has never been so important as it is now in this national movement to save Black generational wealth from predatory attorneys, guardians and judges.

The next probate reform meeting is on March 5, from 7 – 9 p.m. PST. Zoom Details:
Meeting ID: 825 0367 1750
Passcode: 475480

All are welcome.