Birmingham to block off some borough streets so criminals can’t ‘shoot and run’

Next week, the city of Birmingham will begin blocking off streets in an attempt to reduce crime in the neighborhood, Mayor Randall Woodfin said this afternoon.

Starting July 8, several streets in the East Lake neighborhood will be blocked off as the city launches its Project Safe Streets, a 90-day crime prevention pilot program.

“Safer Streets is designed around a historic neighborhood that has all these entry and exit points, to reduce them to limit and reduce the opportunity for people to drive and commit illegal activities,” Woodfin told AL.com in – an interview this afternoon. .

“We’re not in a position to regulate guns, so this is also a creative and innovative way to regulate space,” he said. “We need to reduce the chances of people simply driving into a neighborhood to be able to shoot and drive freely.”

Woodfin called the initiative a collaboration with residents after holding several conversations since April to talk about ways to address crime. The initiative follows a two-hour town hall meeting, visits to businesses, churches and individual homes.

“I can’t stress enough that this is not doing something to them, it’s being done with them,” Woodfin told AL.com this afternoon. “There’s been a lot of residential involvement to get their buy-in, to get their support and to let them know why we’re doing it, how we’re doing it and when we’re doing it.”

Woodfin said consistent complaints from residents include street prostitution and illegal dumping on streets and drug houses.

“But the worst thing is filming in occupied housing,” he said. “The result is not only to make people feel safe, but to make sure they are safe. This is my shared wish for these residents.”

Woodfin said the initiative isn’t just about removing something — street accessibility — it’s also about bringing new hope to the area and “supporting the residents, many of whom have lived there for 30 or 40 years.”

“It’s an aggressive blight program, an aggressive cleanup effort, more stop signs and a little bit more of everything we do to improve the quality of life for East Lake residents,” he said.

The barriers are decorated with art from two artists who live in the neighborhood along with volunteers.

“The police are not taking the lead on this, the residents are taking the lead on this,” Woodin said.

Woodfin, in an interview with the Urbanham News podcast, announced a pilot project Monday to reduce ingress and egress in some neighborhoods. He outlined the details today.

Woodfin’s plan is similar to one launched several years ago by the Birmingham District Housing Authority, where streets were closed off with concrete barriers to limit easy access to high-crime areas.

In all of Jefferson County, there were 98 homicides, including the 75 in Birmingham.

The East Lake initiative is the latest strategy from Woodfin. In May, the mayor was met with a mixed reaction when the city council approved his plan for a Citizen Watch Patrol, in which non-police volunteers would help patrol neighborhoods.

Woodfin this week also named Birmingham FBI supervisor Jeffrey Brown as deputy chief of investigative operations.

The mayor previously fired La’Quaylin Deputy Police Chief Parhm Mack and Deputy Chief Shelia Frazier-Finney.

Woodfin, in his podcast interview Monday, expressed his frustration with residents not cooperating with law enforcement when crimes occur in their communities.

Woodfin said the city will track and evaluate the effectiveness of the East Lake program. Data points will include information from the police department’s Shot Spotter program, 911 calls and illegal dumping incidents on a daily, weekly and quarterly basis.

“We were very honest with the residents. If it doesn’t work, we’ll open it again. If it works, we’ll look to not only continue it there, but bring it to another neighborhood to say this is a way to reduce gun violence in your community, this is a way to stop other activities illegal.”