A city proud of its role in facing down hatred confronts a new wave of violence
There was a time when the city of Birmingham, Alabama, earned the nickname “Bombingham,” renowned for senseless violence and its strength in confronting the racial hatred that fueled it
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — There was a time, not so very long ago, when this city earned the nickname “Bombingham,” renowned for senseless violence and its strength in confronting the racial hatred that fueled it.
But days after Birmingham endured its third mass shooting of 2024, officials and residents who know what it means to be tested are voicing a new strain of frustration and despair.
With 122 homicides so far this year, the vast majority of them carried out with guns, Birmingham could well break its decades-old record for killings. And in a city that takes great pride in its history of facing down demons, it is increasingly hard for many to see a way out.
“I’m sick of it. I’m really sick of it,” Crystal Smitherman, who represents the nightlife district where four people were killed and 17 injured in a shooting over the weekend, said during an emotional city council meeting Tuesday. “I don’t care what you have to do, put the hammer down.”
