On Monday, State Rep. Juandalynn Givan (D-Birmingham) publicly called for the resignation of Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond for failing to address the "never ending bloodbath" of violent crime in her district.
Givan has been outspoken against crime in Birmingham in recent weeks. After a mass shooting outside the Hush Hookah/Cigar Lounge in the city's Five Points South that killed four and injured 17, Givan went toe-to-toe with Mayor Randall Woodfin over his response to the shooting and perceived lack of attentiveness to crime.
Most recently, one person was killed, and a bystander was seriously wounded early Saturday morning outside of two businesses in what police described as an ambush in which at least 40 shots were fired at Third Avenue West.
Givan pointed to several shootings in Third Avenue West, claiming local business owners have received no help from Birmingham Police, including a May shooting in which over 150 shots were fired, leaving one person dead and six wounded.
"The Birmingham Police Department has said this area is a focal point for crime," Givan said. "Why in hell aren't they doing something about it? Either the chief can't do the job or he's unwilling to do the job, or someone at city hall is preventing him from doing his job. Whatever the case, the chief is ultimately responsible."
Givan listed the following reasons for demanding Thurmond's resignation, calling on Woodfin and the city council to intervene should he fail to do so:
He has failed to lead the department in a manner in which the citizens know and believe that he is in fact in control.
Fifty percent of the deaths in 2024 have occurred and gone unsolved in the West and North-West neighborhoods throughout Birmingham.
Thurmond has for more than a year failed to properly develop and/or execute a plan that would lead to a reduction in the number of killings and mass shootings in Birmingham.*
He refuses to provide the public with correct and timely information to assist them in making decisions about their own safety.
Thurmond is responsible for low morale throughout the Birmingham Police Department, which has led to a lack in confidence of his leadership.
"I respectfully ask the mayor and members of the city council to appoint a police chief who has the authority to name his own deputy chiefs and who will be able to provide information to the citizens they serve at the time it's asked for," she concluded.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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