By Howard Koplowitz
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin took a swipe Monday at the state representative who said perhaps the National Guard needs to be sent in to the “unsafe” city.
On his Facebook page, the mayor shared headshots of all the state lawmakers representing Jefferson County to say thanks “for working in partnership with City of Birmingham to address our public safety issues.”
But on state Rep. Juandalynn Givan’s, D-Birmingham, photo, the mayor added in red text, “not you.”
Earlier Monday, AL.com reported Givan said the National Guard may need to be called in to the Magic City because the police department is understaffed.
“If anything catastrophic happens, if something major, catastrophic happens, that will require massive attention from Birmingham Police Department, we will have no choice,” she said.
“If we need the National Guard to come in here, I do want the governor just to be on standby. If something happens in Birmingham, if we get to the point where we cannot handle this crime, we will need some backup. That’s just a realization of where we are.”
Where the city stands now is in a dangerous place, she said.
“We’ve got bodies dropping,” Givan said. “We have innocent people being shot up at clubs, now even on the Southside. Obviously, the criminals that are doing this killing, they don’t care who’s in office. I’ve got people calling me saying I’m scared to go get bread. Does that make you feel people believe the city is safe?”
Following the mass shooting outside the Hush lounge in Five Points South that left four dead and 17 injured, Woodfin called for legislative fixes including making gun permits mandatory and adding a state ban on Glock switches, which are already illegal under federal law.
Givan, who is a proponent of stronger gun laws, claimed such laws will be futile without a more robust police force.
Loaded gun found in backpack of Alabama high school student tased by officer, officials saySep. 23, 2024, 7:25 p.m.
Changing culture of violence after Birmingham mass shooting ‘starts in hearts and homes’: BrittSep. 23, 2024, 7:04 p.m.
“Birmingham has a problem, that even if you pass 15 pieces of legislation with gun violence, or any type of gun bills, the problem is you do not have the manpower to enforce the laws,” she said. “There are already laws on the books.”
Criminals already ignore the laws, Givan said.
“These thugs, these punks, these criminals, these killers, are not going into the store buying guns. They’re buying them off the black market. They’re buying pump stocks off the black market. Nobody’s going after the seller. You’ve got to get to the distributor, but beyond that, the problem will still remain that the city of Birmingham, law enforcement, police department, can not take much more in its current state.”
