Community activists, including Black Lives Matter organizers, published an open letter to Birmingham officials making demands following the shooting deaths of two people in separate incidents.
Jamal Williams and Vanessa Ragland were both shot and killed by Birmingham Police within the past six weeks.
The letter to Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, police chief Michael Pickett, deputy chief of public safety Carlton Peeples and the Birmingham City Council states that both Williams and Ragland were living with mental illness.
According to investigators, Ragland was shot and killed in October after police responded to a home in reference to a domestic situation. As they attempted to control the volatile situation, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) said Ragland continued to fight police even after they used non-lethal force. However, she reportedly grabbed an officer's Taser, leading to police shooting her multiple times.
Birmingham Police released video of the November shooting of Williams, who had a gun and was caught on surveillance cameras terrorizing the Kingston community. When officers arrived, he grabbed his firearm, leading to an officer firing one shot.
The letter stated police should change how they respond to black people, low-income individuals and the mentally ill.
The seven demands included the release of all unedited video footage and communications related to the incident involving Williams. Pickett previously held a press conference showing body-worn camera footage and surveillance footage from the Kingston community. In response, the ALEA dropped its investigation due to a violation of guidelines to protect the integrity of the case.
The letter also demanded public acknowledgement of the deaths of Ragland and Williams, something Pickett has done during press conferences in both cases.
Other demands included more investments in mental health responses and de-escalation training, and "resource diversion and non-punitive responses for youth and residents living at or below the poverty line."
"Instead of tickets, fines, arrests, or excessive court costs, residents must have access to programs and supports that enable stability and survival for the poorest people in Birmingham," the letter states.
The final demand was a guarantee of transparency and consistency by establishing clear policies on body camera footage and notification of next of kin.
Signees to the letter are the mothers of Williams and Jabari Peoples, who was killed in Homewood, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Birmingham Grassroots, Rev. Eric Hall, UAB professor of African American Studies Jessie Dunbar and University of Alabama professor of Social and Cultural Studies Nirmala Erevelles.
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