MONTGOMERY — On Tuesday, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed petitioned the city council for $6 million annually to fund a community violence initiative hours before police responded to a triple homicide in the city.
As with previous meetings, Tuesday's city council meeting was filled with community members concerned about the state of crime in the city after a recent rash of violence affected innocent bystanders and willing participants alike. Several residents spoke at length, giving impassioned criticisms of Council President Cornelius Calhoun and Reed. Calhoun asked for the final speaker to be removed during the council's work session after the speaker attempted to continue criticizing Reed after her time had expired.
Reed was absent for the past two sessions but was present on Tuesday. Reed addressed the council, first offering several excuses for the city's crime status and then asking the city council for $6 million to fund a community violence initiative.
Firstly, Reed blamed councilmembers, some still on the council, for voting against his proposed occupational tax in 2020, which Reed intended to use to place two officers in every patrol car. The proposal passed the city council in February 2020. However, the following month, the legislature passed a bill preventing local governments from imposing occupational taxes without legislative approval.
"Even after we passed [the tax], barely, we did not get calls from the then-city council president to sign a resolution to support what this local council had done as a body," Reed said. "We did not get meetings from the then-city council president to go down to the speaker of the House and get with the representative from Pike Road, who has no police department, to overturn what we had done…"
"Mayor, I'm going to interrupt you right now," Jinright said. "I was the only one that went there. You didn't go. I went, and you didn't."
After the crowd applauded, Calhoun restored order and allowed Reed to continue.
After lamenting the alleged lack of support from city leaders to maintain the occupational tax, Reed then criticized the legislature for passing permitless carry in 2022.
The Permitless Carry Bill removed the previous requirement for lawful citizens to purchase a permit before carrying a concealed weapon on their person or vehicle. Reed and members of his staff have repeatedly blamed permitless carry for the increase in gun violence.
"I didn't see these crowds in the Alabama legislature," Reed continued. "I didn't see these crowds in the hallways of the House or the State Senate. I didn't see some of the organized Facebook and social media campaigns pushing back on those who were sponsoring these bills. I missed that somewhere, and I follow our legislature every day. We didn't see the same outrage towards our members of the House of Representatives who were pushing these bills, the members of the Alabama State Senate, the Lieutenant Governor or the Governor."
Reed then asked the city council to fund his proposed community violence intervention initiative, which he said would cost $6 million annually. Reed said the initiative came after a series of community violence summits with Selma Mayor James Perkins, Jr. Reed took another opportunity to admonish those who have spoken at recent city council meetings, saying, "I missed some of the people who've been here the last couple of meetings at those summits."
Reed said the initiative is based on the Live Free Community Violence interventions, which Reed claims have led to a decrease in homicides in hotbeds like Oakland, Baltimore and Chicago.
"We've been listening, we've been studying, and we have been evaluating how we can move our community to a safer community. And because of that, I want to request the city council fund this program in full at $6 million a year. Because we realize the priority on public safety, we realize the importance of supporting our police officers, and we realize the importance of supporting our communities."
After the meeting, Reed posted a video from his office to the city's Facebook page, recapping the city council meeting and restating his commitment to the initiative. In the video, Reed said he would ask state and county leaders for assistance in funding the program.
Not long after Reed spoke, Montgomery Police Responded to the scene of a triple homicide at the Tienda Los Hermanos grocery store on Troy Highway. Two people were dead on the scene, and another died later. Police have not announced any arrests, suspects, or the identity of the victims.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
