City Councilman Hunter Williams took a few minutes at this week's Birmingham City Council meeting to apologize to residents and express his concern about the disrespectful actions of a California-based nonprofit now working in and funded by the City of Birmingham. Williams explained that the group, Urban Alchemy, attended a recent weekly East Lake Farmers Market with a tent and signage that read "No f-ckery."
"There are a lot of people upset about the audacity of a city-funded group who would come to a church and set up a sign and a tent with the f-word written across it," Williams said at the meeting.
The event is billed as a family-friendly place to shop for baked goods, plants, honey and other locally made and handmade products.
According to WBRC6, the group stated that the message is intended for its own team. Their website boasts, "Ninety-six percent of our staff have personally experienced incarceration, most serving long prison sentences."
"That's why No Fu-ckery is not just a logo, a brand, or words that might seem offensive to the uninformed. It is the very definition of who we are. It's a way of life, a state of mind, and a state of constant thriving that is etched into every facet of our work," the site explains.
Urban Alchemy has two contracts to help the city's homeless population. Under one, the group will be paid up to $1,717,881 to provide “community engagement and outreach, homeless outreach, interim housing, hygiene services, street cleaning, and community response to non-emergency 911 and other calls related to homeless, mental health, and addiction to address the challenges created by the intersection of poverty, mental illness, addition and homelessness," under the second for $1.54 million to host and run services for micro-shelters through a program that has been delayed for years.
According to the group's Facebook, "Celebrating 6 months since the launch of HEART Birmingham! They've already made a huge impact on the community, moving 11 people into housing and providing over 1,500 services to Birmingham's unhoused residents! We're excited to continue our work serving the community!"
WBRC quoted the full statement from the group:
Urban Alchemy is honored to partner with the City of Birmingham to connect our unhoused neighbors to life-saving resources and create a workplace rooted in second chances, dignity, and compassion. We value our partnership with the City and are committed to continuing to deliver transformative impact in the communities we serve.
“No F---ery,” is a phrase that has become a part of our culture. It’s a reminder to our team members to hold true to our core values and reject the lies, injustice, and ego that often fuel chaos in vulnerable communities. To us, “f---ery” is shorthand for behaviors and systems that cause harm: deceit, exploitation, and neglect. Instead, we challenge our Practitioners to speak the truth, approach everyone with empathy, meet people where they are, give second chances, and stand up for people living on the margins.
We recognize that this language, while meaningful to our workforce, may not be appropriate in all public spaces, particularly family-friendly or faith-based settings. We take community feedback seriously and will ensure that our signage and materials reflect the values and expectations of the Birmingham community and our city partners.
Williams told AL(dot)com, "Urban Alchemy employees have also worn shirts featuring the slogan at City Hall, and he has asked them to stop. "It's inappropriate," he said. "This is a taxpayer-funded organization. If they're going to be in Birmingham, Alabama, they need to abide by our values and not wherever they came from, where that might be appropriate to have in a public space."
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