Birmingham is Emerging as the Murder Capital of the U.S.

By: Donald V. Watkins

Copyrighted and Published on October 12, 2024.

A Birmingham, Alabama firefighter hoses down a bloody sidewalk after a mass shooting in Five Points South last month left 4 dead and 17 wounded. It was the city's third mass shooting since February.

An Editorial Opinion

Since February 2024, Birmingham has experienced three mass shootings.  The city's firefighters spend as much time hosing down bloody sidewalks as they do in fighting fires. 

The first mass shooting of 2024 occurred on February 16th on Center Street North in the Smithfield community. Cortez Ray, 32, Kevin McGhee, 38, Talton Tate, 36, and Terrell Edwards, 38, lost their lives in this drive-by shooting.

On February 28th, a 20-year-old man was charged in this shooting, but police have not arrested the kingpin who ordered the hit on these four victims.

The second mass shooting in 2024 occurred on July 13th on 27th Street North.  Someone shot and killed Angela Weatherspoon, 56, Markeisha Gettings, 42, Lerandus Anderson, 24, and Stevie McGhee, 39, at a nightclub. Ten other victims were injured in the shooting. No one has been charged in this mass shooting case.

The third and most recent mass shooting in 2024 occurred on September 21st in the city's Five Points South nightlife district. This shooting killed Tahj Booker, 27, Carlos McCain, 27, Anitra Holloman, 21, and Roderick Patterson, Jr., 26.  Seventeen other victims were injured in the shooting. No one has been charged in this mass shooting case.

All three mass murders in 2024 were gang-related. This year, Birmingham is on track to record the highest number of gun-related homicides in the city's history. The death toll for 2024, as of October 11th, is 130 homicides.

Birmingham’s track record for solving gun-related homicides in 2024 is less than 50%. In some cases, the families of gun-related homicide victims in Birmingham have been told they have to investigate and solve the cases themselves.

According to Wikipedia, there have been 482 mass shootings in the United States, as of September 30th. The Five Points South mass shooting ties for the third most victims in a single incident.

Birmingham, which is No. 3 on the Forbes list of the 15 most dangerous cities in the U.S. in 2024, is quickly emerging as the "Murder Capital of the U.S."

Birmingham’s Police Department Lacks the Personnel, Training, and Resources Needed to Solve Mass Murders

The Birmingham police department does not have the personnel, training, and resources needed to solve the string of gang-related mass shootings in 2024.  Since taking office in 2017, Mayor Randall Woodfin, who is the chief law enforcement official for the city, has allowed the police department to atrophy into a disfunctional and ineffective public safety apparatus. 

The department, itself, is operating with only 44% of the 912 sworn officers required to provide adequate public safety for a city that (a) is located in two counties, (b) has 151 square miles of territory, and (c) is subdivided into 99 separate and distinct neighborhoods and communities.  The staffing and vacancy numbers trotted out by Mayor Woodfin since the September 21st mass shooting are fake and phony.

Meanwhile, Woodfin, who did NOT attend the funerals for the 12 deceased mass shooting victims this year, is reportedly spending long hours planning the Mayor’s VIP party for the upcoming Magic City Classic weekend. The football game, itself, will be played at Legion Field, which is located in one the most dangerous sections of the city.

Woodfin excels at planning and attending VIP parties in Washington, Atlanta, and Birmingham, as well as posting social media photos of these festive events. This activity deflects the public's attention from the "doom and gloom" of skyrocketing gun-related homicides and mass shootings in his city.

As was the case on June 20th when Major League Baseball played a special tribute game between the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals at historic Rickwood Field, Alabama State University and Alabama A&M University would be wise to arrange their own public safety plans and resources during the Magic City Classic weekend in the emerging "Murder Capital of the U.S."