By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on November 9, 2024 An Editorial Opinion The 2024 presidential election is over.  Donald Trump won, decisively.     So, what is the best pathway for Black Americans to succeed in the new political paradigm? We must empower ourselves on a personal, familial, business, and communal level.  We must also develop, operate, and grow a nationwide constellation of business networks.   We empowered ourselves once before in the Greenwood community of Tulsa, Oklahoma from 1906 to 1921.  We created and prospered on what is now known as " Black Wall Street ."   Why We Lack Clout in America Today Today, none of the Fortune 500/New York Stock Exchange companies are Black-owned. We are not major defense contractors. We do not own Wall Street banks and international financial institutions.   We do not own Silicon Valley-based international technology companies.  We do not own international multimedia conglomerates like Rupert Murdock and John Malone. There was a time when we manufactured cars, trucks, and buses .  Today, we do not manufacture airplanes, trains, trucks, buses, cars, or yachts.   We do not own or run any major international oil and gas companies. We do not own or run global telecommunications companies. We do not own major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Target, H&M, the Gap, and DSW. We do not own Cisco, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, PayPal, Cash App, and other Internet-based infrastructure and social media companies. We do not own or operate any major airlines or space exploration companies.  We do not own or run international solar, wind, and hydrogen powered clean energy companies. We do not set monetary policies or the price of gold each day.  We do not own skyscrapers in any of the world's major cities.  We do not serve on the board of directors for the SWIFT organization that oversees international transfers of money between banks. Except for two Blacks (Robert Johnson and Michael Jordan, former majority owners of the Charlotte Hornets basketball team), we have never owned major league football, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, rugby, NASCAR racing, or yachting teams.  We do not own any venue where major professional sports are played.   Yet, we have the power to change this paradigm. The Road to Economic Empowerment   We must start empowering ourselves by living within or below our means.  Too often, we get caught up on spending money on non-income producing things like house that are too large, over-the-top furniture, luxury cars, designer clothes, high-end watches, expensive purses, etc.  These things dazzle and impress others who are less fortunate, but they rarely produce significant wealth. Rather than wasting our hard-earned money on must-have gadgets, shoes and clothes, we should give our children and grandchildren a savings account and fund it regularly with the “throw away” money we can save from reigned-in frivolous spending.  Gadgets, shoes and clothes come and go, but money will always be fashionable and hip.   The money we put in our children’s and grandchildren’s savings accounts will eventually become the working capital they need to launch their businesses and give them a meaningful chance in the new empowerment paradigm.   Many of us need to rethink the money we are spending on private school education (grades K-12) for our kids and grandchildren.  Will this tuition money be more useful to our children in an interest-bearing savings account reserved for a future business venture (after high school or college) than it will be for them to rub shoulders with a bunch of rich kids from the suburbs? We also need to focus our kids on owning businesses, as opposed to becoming a permanent class of job seekers.  We must break the generational cycle of shying away from the opportunities, responsibilities, and difficulties of business ownership. We must think about creating jobs and not simply applying for one. Additionally, we must expand the definition of success beyond our obsession with professional athletes and entertainers.  Only 5,000 or so of the 34 million Blacks in America will find financial success as professional athletes and entertainers.  Even then, very few of these athletes and entertainers possess the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities to properly control, protect, leverage, and grow their money and other tangible assets.   We must create our own wealth to be respected and treated fairly. People of color around the world are doing it.  Black Americans can do it too.   Epilogue As Black Americans, we must invest in ourselves and in each other.  We must network with each other. Every ethnic group in America has found economic empowerment and success this way.  We must follow suit and harness our economic power. Once we start producing money and wealth for ourselves, America will pay attention to us. We must also treat each other with dignity and respect. When this occurs, we will be treated with dignity and respect by other ethnic groups. In the final analysis, we must become our own cavalry.  There is no " savior " in the political world who will protect us and advance our cause for economic empowerment and financial independence.   We must create, advance, and protect our own economic security.

By: Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on November 20, 2019 They called it "Black Wall Street." It was located in the Greenwood community of Tulsa, Oklahoma. In this microcosm of society, African-Americans built a self-contained and reliant community that thrived on the fundamental business principle that blacks could pool their money, network with each other, and create an epicenter of African-American commerce and culture. They were right. The community flourished until 1921. The Economic Power of Networking As a result of networking among black residents and businesses, Greenwood had luxury shops, restaurants, grocery stores, upscale hotels, jewelry and clothing stores, movie theaters, a library, newspaper (the "Tulsa Star"), an entertainment district, doctors, dentists, and law offices, its own highly rated school system, a post office, a savings and loan bank, a hospital, and reliable transportation services. This community, which was founded in 1906, blossomed as a center for economic empowerment. It soon became a driver of black commerce throughout America. Blacks in Greenwood had achieved what Jewish, Greek, Italian, Irish, Russian-Americans and other immigrant communities accomplished in the United States – prosperity for its citizens through economic support of its members. Essentially, Greenwood had everything that is missing in black communities and urban areas across America today. In contrast, all of these important quality of life factors were found in virtually every white community in America, then and now. This remarkable feat was accomplished because the dollar changed hands in Greenwood 19 times before it left the community. Today, the dollar changes hands in the black community only one time before it goes on to enrich white merchants and businesses. Blacks in Greenwood promoted Oklahoma as a safe haven for African-Americans who wanted to prosper in the post-emancipation era. The largest number of black townships after the Civil War were located in Oklahoma. Between 1865 and 1920, African-Americans founded more than 50 black townships in the state. Mob Violence Eventually, the affluence of African-Americans in Greenwood attracted the attention of local white Tulsa residents, who resented the upscale lifestyle of people they deemed to be an inferior race. Many of these whites were poor and working class. Yet, they cherished rigidly enforced racial segregation in Oklahoma. They could not stand the thought that a large segment of the city's black residents was prospering in Greenwood, and that they lived in large homes with fine furniture, crystal, china, linens and all of the other trappings of wealth. On May 31, 1921, a group of armed black residents volunteered to assist the local sheriff in fending off the lynching of a 19-year-old black man for an alleged attempted sexual assault on a 17-year-old girl in town. Racial tensions were running high at the time. A lynch mob of 1,500 angry whites clashed with about 75 armed black residents who were protecting the black suspect from a lynching. Outnumbered and battling for their own lives, these armed blacks eventually retreated to Greenwood for safety. The lynch mob invaded Greenwood, shooting and killing hundreds of black residents on the spot. Later estimates put the death toll as high as 3,000. The mob destroyed 1,500 homes and burned down the Greenwood business district wiping out over 600 successful businesses. Among these were 21 churches, 21 restaurants, 30 grocery stores and two movie theaters, plus a hospital, a bank, a post office, libraries, schools, law offices, a half dozen private airplanes and even a bus system. After two days of mob violence, "Black Wall Street" was gone. With millions in property damage and no help from the city of Tulsa, the rebuilding of Greenwood began almost immediately. The NAACP, other black towns in Oklahoma, black churches around the nation, and a resilient Greenwood community contributed to the rebuilding of Greenwood. Yet, the thriving economic spirit of Greenwood was never the same. Epilogue The negative impact of the Tulsa Race Massacre on the black psyche reverberates in black communities and political circles to this day. Mayors of cities like Birmingham, Alabama, Jackson, Mississippi, Baltimore, and countless predominantly black cities across America are afraid to lead pooling and economic empowerment initiatives for local black businesses because of their collective fear of white resentment. They find it far easier and more convenient to brag about the commercial successes of local utility companies, white-owned financial institutions, white-owned cornerstone businesses, and white "Wall Street" (which has 12 black publicly traded companies out of approximately 4,000). Sadly, a lot of support for these white-owned businesses comes from tax breaks and economic incentives underwritten by black taxpayers. Additionally, black oriented media has migrated from covering important economic, legislative, and civil rights news to piping a steady stream of non-controversial "happy news" to black residents. These media outlets, for the most part, are now owned directly or indirectly by white non-profit corporations and financial institutions. Will there ever be another Greenwood? The best chance blacks have for this event to occur lies with new Montgomery, Alabama Mayor, Steven Reed. He is possibly the only black mayor in America who has the civil rights pedigree, knowledge of history, backbone, independence, commitment to equal opportunity, work ethic, and vision to rebuild today's version of "Black Wall Street." The others are too weak, compromised, or superficial to accomplish this task. All articles are shared on Facebook and Twitter. If you would like to follow Donald Watkins, please click on these links and hit the follow button: https://www.facebook.com/donald.v.watkins https://twitter.com/donaldvwatkins

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on November 6, 2024 An Editorial Opinion Last night, America witnessed the greatest political comeback in U.S. history. Donald J. Trump will return to the White House as America's 47th president.   I have studied Donald Trump's political instincts since he came down the escalator in Trump Towers in 2015 and declared himself as a candidate for the presidency.  Two weeks later, on August 1, 2015, I published an article titled, “ Donald Trump’s Newest Art of the Deal – Winning the American Presidency. ”  In the article, I predicted that Trump would win the presidency.   On March 20, 2020, I predicted Trump's defeat in 2020 , which was caused solely by Trump's mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic.    On October 31, 2021 , I published an article titled, “ Will Trump Win the Presidency in 2024? ”  In the article, I predicted that Trump would win the presidency in 2024.  I made the following observations in this article:   Democrat Joe Biden won the presidency in November of 2020 by seven million votes. To be clear, Biden won the election solely because he was the "default" candidate for independent voters who turned away from Trump in six swing states. Without COVID as a factor in the race, Biden would not have won the presidency. Today, Joe Biden is sinking in a number of national polls. At the rate Biden is sinking, he is likely to be a one-term president like Democrat Jimmy Carter and Republican George H.W. Bush. Barring divine intervention from God, Donald Trump will be the likely Republican nominee in 2024. If Joe Biden runs again, I predict that he will lose to Trump. If Biden foregoes re-election and Kamala Harris runs for president, I predict that Trump will rout her in the November 2024 general election. The outcome of the 2024 election will boil down to five or six swing states, again. I do not think Biden can win re-election. At this juncture, Kamala Harris does not appear to be a politically viable stand-in as the Democratic nominee. Overcoming Adversity   Since Trump assumed the presidency in January 2017, he has survived: (a) betrayal by former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly , (b) backstabbing from rogue cabinet members like former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper , (c) two Congressional impeachments, (d) personal exposure to COVID-19, (e) an FBI raid on his Mar-a-Lago home, (f) numerous law enforcement and regulatory investigations, (g) two state court criminal cases, (h) two federal court criminal cases, (i) two assassination attempts, (j) civil lawsuits and staggering court judgments that were designed to collapse his New York-based business empire, (k) a ban from Facebook and Twitter, and (l) Republican primary challenges in 2020 and 2024 from an army of GOP hopefuls who were determined to drive Trump from the party.    No presidential candidate in U.S. history has faced and overcome this amount of orchestrated and coordinated political and law enforcement adversity.   Democrats Blew Their Chance to Win the 2024 Presidential Race   On July 4, 2024, I reported that Joe Biden was dropping out of the race for president .  On July 21, 2024, Biden dropped out of the race.  This event provided Democrats with a window of opportunity to win the race for the White House.   In my article, I warned Democrats that Michelle Obama was the only potential nominee who could beat Donald Trump .  I also published a credible national poll confirming this fact. Even though I am a registered independent voter, I suggested that Democrats draft Michelle Obama at the Party’s nominee at their August national convention in Chicago.  My advice was ignored, as convention delegates jubilantly selected Kamala Harris as their nominee.   Kamala Harris never had a chance of beating Donald Trump.  Harris had no track record of accomplishing any significant achievement in any public office she has held.  Charitably speaking, the Harris presidential campaign was built around a mirage of so-called "accomplishments" that was carefully crafted out of thin air by slick political consulting firms.  After more than 100 days of campaigning with mundane boilerplate speeches, swing state independent voters still felt they did not know Harris.  What is worse, Harris repeatedly failed to aggressively court undecided independent voters in the swing states.   Democrats blew the 2024 presidential race and have only themselves to blame for Kamala Harris losing in a blowout.   Meanwhile, lame-duck President Joe Biden needs to spend the rest of his days working on son Hunter Biden's pardon and organizing documents for his presidential library while he still has lucid moments.   Kamala Harris needs to graciously fade from the national political scene. Last night's election defeat caps two unsuccessfully runs by Harris for the White House.   America is ready for a woman president, but that person is not Kamala Harris.   Regardless of one's political affiliation, Donald J. Trump must be congratulated for achieving the greatest political comeback of all time!

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on November 4, 2024 An Editorial Opinion Public safety in Birmingham, Alabama is virtually non-existent.  By objective standards, it is a clown show.   In addition to being severely understaffed, the Birmingham police department’s public safety programs and effectiveness are reviewed each year by the city council’s Public Safety Committee.  Councilor  J.T. Moore is a member of this committee.   Moore was arrested early Sunday morning after Saraland, Alabama police officers found him passed out behind the wheel of a city-owned vehicle on the side of I-65 in South Alabama. When officers open the door to the vehicle, they immediately smelled the strong odor of alcohol.    Moore was arrested for DUI and taken to the Saraland Police Department. There, he was given a breathalyzer test and a field sobriety test. Moore failed both. He was "commode-hugging drunk."   The city’s vehicle was towed from the scene and impounded.   The city has not explained why an inebriated Moore had access to a city vehicle for a Saturday night drinking binge in South Alabama. Likewise, the city has not explained how being drunk in a city vehicle in South Alabama furthered any of Councilor Moore's community development or public saftey duties for the city of Birmingham.   Meanwhile, in Birmingham, gunfire erupted in the parking lot of Topgolf in downtown Birmingham over the weekend. Fortunately, no one was hurt.   Sunday night, another man was shot in his vehicle on Birmingham’s Dead Man’s Curve. His injuries were not life-threatening.   It is not clear when Moore was released from jail so he could resume his fighting crime duties in Birmingham.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on October 29, 2024 An Editorial Opinion   In the world and journalism, we are trained to follow the money.  When I followed the money spent on federal contracts for goods and services in fiscal years (FY) 2021, 2022, and 2023 , I was stunned at what I found.  Black-owned businesses are getting royally shafted in the award of these federal contracts. The fiscal data for each of these years is published by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Small Business Administration.   I also learned that approximately  27%  of all federal contracts awarded during this period were non-bid contracts.  Yet, Black-owned business participation in these non-bid contracts was almost non-existent.   Blacks Constitute 14.6% of the U.S. Population and Contribute 7-8% to the Total Federal Revenue   In 2024, the Black population in the United States is estimated to be approximately 48.8 million , representing about 14.6% of the nation's population.    Economists estimate that Black Americans contribute around 5-6% of federal income tax revenue .  Black Americans also contribute around 8-9% of federal payroll tax revenue . Combining income and payroll taxes, along with smaller sources like excise taxes , Black Americans contribute about 7-8% to the total federal revenue.   Federal Spending with Qualified, Capable, Eligible, and Properly Registered Black-Owned Businesses is Shockingly Low   Even though Black Americans contributed 7-8% to the federal government’s total revenue in FY 2021, 2022, and 2023, on average, Black-owned businesses received only 1.6% of all federal contracting dollars for goods and services during this period.     In FY 2021 , the U.S. federal government spent approximately  $6.82 trillion . Of this total, about $560 billlion was spent on the procurement of goods and services. Of this amount, Black-owned businesses received only  1.6% (or $9 billion)  in federal contracts, even though Black businesses made up 12% of the qualified, capable, eligible, and registered businesses for such contracts.   In FY 2022 , the U.S. federal government spent approximately $6.75 trillion . Of this total, about $637 billion  was spent on the procurement of goods and services. Of this amount, Black-owned businesses received only 1.55% (or $9.5 billion) in federal contracts.   In FY 2023 , the U.S. federal government spent approximately $6.13 trillion . Of this total, about $759 billion was spent on the procurement of goods and services. Of this amount, Black owned businesses received only 1.61% (or $10.2 billlion) in federal contracts.   The spending numbers for FY 2024 are not yet available. The amount of non-bid federal contracts awarded to Black-owned businesses during this period was too insignificant and immaterial to be disaggregated in the federal procurement database.   Have Qualified, Capable, Eligible, and Properly Registered Black Businesses Been Shafted by the Federal Government?   Whenever a financial stakeholder group (a) contributes 7-8% to the total federal government revenue and (b) constitutes 12% of the qualified, capable, eligible, and properly registered vendors for goods and services needed by the federal government, but (c) gets awarded only 1.6% of the contracts to supply these goods and services, that group has been royally shafted.   In street language, that group got "fu*ked." This outcome is particularly egregious in a federal government procurement system where 27% of the contracts for goods and services are awarded on a non-bid basis .   Who in Washington represents the political and business interests of qualified, capable, eligible, and properly registered Black-owned businesses that are seeking federal contracts for goods and services?   The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)? No.  Members of the CBC are too busy representing the political interests of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jewsih political action committees like AIPAC.    The Joe Biden White House?  No.  President Biden has been consumed with hiding his deteriorating senility and supporting son Hunter Biden throughout his two federal criminal cases.  The U.S. Supreme Court? Definitely not.   The current right-wing Court is proudly marching toward a triumphant return to the dreadful days of Dred Scott v. Sandford .   The Republican Party? No.   Unfortunately, Project 2025 mischaracterizes the lawful participation of qualified, capable, eligible, and properly registered Black-owned business in the federal procurement process as a reprehensible form of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The Democratic Party? No. The Party has (a) shied away from discussing the ergregious nature and scope of the disparate treatment in federal contracting with a divided public and (b) been timid about implementing a meaningful plan of action to correct it.   The published contracting numbers tell the story here.  The numbers speak for themselves.  Skin color continues to be a major factor in determining “winners” and “losers” in the award of federal contracting dollars.   It is abundantly clear to me that nobody in Washington adequately and forcefully represents the interests of qualified, capable, eligible, and properly registered Black-owned businesses in the award of federal contracts. Targeted intervention, if any, by the Biden White House and members of the President's Cabinet to correct, minimize, and/or erase the racial disparity between qualified and capable Black-owned and White-owned businesses in the award of federal government contracts has been too little, too late .

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on October 24, 2024 An Editorial Opinion Controversial Birmingham, Alabama Police Chief Scott Thurmond has left his job. He's out. Thurman, who was appointed to the position of police chief by Mayor Randall Woodfin in June 2022, repeatedly stressed the need to restore Birmingham’s dwindling police force to 900 sworn officers .  Woodfin, who systematically defunded his police department, ignored Thurmond's warnings for two straight years.   Scott Thurmond replaced Chief Patrick Smith, who served for 3 years. Like Thurmond, Smith also pleaded with Mayor Woodfin to fully staff the police department with 900 or more officers .  Woodfin ignored Smith’s pleas, as well.   Today, nobody knows how many police officers Birmingham currently employs. The number of sworn officers and vacancies Woodfin reported to his city council earlier this month are untrustworthy .  Sources inside the department say the true number of police officers employed is around 400 of the 900 officers needed to fully staff the police force.   Woodfin named Michael Pickett as Interim Police Chief and Edmond Hanks as Assistant Chief.   Under Birmingham’s Mayor-Council Act , Mayor Randall Woodfin is the sole city official with the statutory power and authority to enforce all laws and ordinances in Birmingham. Until the Five Points South mass shooting in September, Woodfin ignored this duty.  The Five Points South mass shooting is the third one since February.   As the documentary below shows, hardcore street gangs have taken over the streets of Birmingham. They have turned city streets into rivers of blood.   Birmingham is the "Worst-Run City" in Alabama Even though financial website WalletHub recently ranked Birmingham as the " worst-run city " in Alabama (and 19th from the bottom of the 148 most populated cities in the U.S.), Mayor Woodfin has refused to resign his position.  In ranking the "worst-run" cities, a panel of WalletHub experts looked at Birmingham’s financial stability, education, healthcare, safety, economy, and infrastructure and pollution.   All of these quality of life factors fall within the mayor’s statutory duties and all of them were ranked at the bottom of the state -- for the first time ever.   In contrast, Mayor Richard Arrington, Jr ., led a much larger populated Birmingham to consistent rankings by U.S. News and World Report as one of the Top 5 "Best Managed Cities" in America during his term in office (1979 to 1999), using the same quality of life factors. Partying in the "Murder Capital of the U.S."   Birmingham is partying this week as a lead up to the Magic City Classic football game on Saturday between Alabama State University and Alabama A&M University.  Guess who was not invited to the VIP parties hosted by Mayor Woodfin and other Birmingham-area elected officials?  Family members of the victims of this year’s mass shootings and gun-related homicides.  These VIP guests have been completely ignored. Grieving family members got " thoughts and prayers " from Mayor Woodfin at the time their loved ones were killed, but received no thoughtful consideration for inclusion and recognition during city-hosted festive events affiliated with the Classic. The one small thing Mayor Woodfin could have done to bring some measure of comfort to these grieving family members, he was not capable of doing. Birmingham's Murder Drum Beat Goes On   In February, Forbes ranked Birmingham as the No. 3 most dangerous city in the U.S.  Thanks to a spree of mass shootings since February, Birmingham is now the “ Murder Capital of the U.S. ”   Today, the most important change that is needed in Birmingham's leadership ranks is Randall Woodfin’s departure from the mayor’s job.  He has failed in every category of leadership that matters to city residents.    Mayor Randall Woodfin is propped up by three major Birmingham-based corporations that control City Hall politics.  Since 1999, these corporations have picked and funded all Birmingham mayors. This unholy alliance of puppet masters needs to find somebody else to support for mayor in 2025.  If they don't, there is no way to halt Birmingham’s long, slow, and painful death.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on October 22, 2024 An Editorial Opinion   This week, the city of Birmingham, Alabama welcomes Alabama State University and Alabama A&M University to the annual Magic City Classic weekend. Birmingham, which financial website WalletHub ranked last week as the " worst-run city " in Alabama, will host the largest football classic between two historically black universities at Legion Field on Saturday.   At one time, Legion Field was also home to the annual Iron Bowl football game between the University of Alabama and Auburn University.  In 1989, Auburn University moved the Iron Bowl to Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn in odd numbered years when the Tigers served as the home team.     After its designated Iron Bowl home game at Legion Field in 1998, the University of Alabama followed suit and moved the game to Bryant-Denny Stadium.   In 2004, the Crimson Tide realized that Birmingham did not have the financial means or desire to undertake the expensive structural repairs and upgrades needed to make Legion Field safe.  Accordingly, the Crimson Tide moved its few home games from Legion Field to Bryant-Denny Stadium.   The first two SEC Championship Games were played at Legion Field in 1992 and 1993. Then, the SEC ditched Legion Field in favor of the Georgia Dome and Mercedes Benz Stadium.    The World Games 2022 were played in Legion Field and lost $14 million . The city covered this financial loss.   Personally, I have not entered Legion Field since I read confidential structural engineering reports prepared for the city regarding the dangerous condition of the 97-year-old football facility, including structural flaws in the support system for the skyboxes that were hastily added to Legion Field in a hopeless effort to retain a few Alabama home games in the stadium.   Protective Stadium in Birmingham   With $90 million in contributed funding from the city, the Birmingham–Jefferson Civic Center Authority started construction in 2019 on a new $175 million , state-of-the-art, football stadium in downtown Birmingham for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) football program.  The city’s $90 million was taken from neighborhood improvement funds (at the rate of $3 million per year for 30 years) and reallocated to the UAB stadium project. In 2021, UAB football moved into the new 47,000-seat  Protective Stadium .   Protective Stadium’s smaller seat size and truncated footprint were designed to discourage its use for the Magic City Classic football game, which draws about 60,000 Black patrons each year.  A tailgating area is available at Legion Field, but not at Protective Stadium.  An entertainment zone and event hotels are available at Protective Stadium, but not at Legion Field.   The Protective Stadium deal amounted to a de facto, city-sponsored, stadium apartheid arrangement. With the city's blessing, Protective Stadium is basically reserved for White UAB football patrons, while 97-year-old, dilapidated, Legion Field is reserved for Black Magic City Classic patrons.   The violent crime in the vicinity of Legion Field area is sky high when compared to violent crime in the heavily policed area around Protective Stadium.   Today, the only football game played in Legion Field is the Magic City Classic.   Public Safety in Birmingham has Collpased   In 2024, Forbes Magazine ranked Birmingham as the No. 3 most dangerous city in the U.S.  The city is emerging as the “ Murder Capital of the U.S. , ” with three mass shootings since February.   Magic City Classic patrons should be mindful that public safety in Birmingham has collapsed. A week ago, Mayor Randall Woodfin appointed a special crime commission to find solutions for combatting the daily gun-related homicides in his city.  This year, Birmingham is on track to break a record with the highest number of gun-related homicides in the city’s history.   Until the crime fighting solutions sought by Mayor Woodfin are found and implemented, Magic City Classic patrons should be prepared to secure their own personal safety in the high crime area surrounding Legion Field.   What is more, skybox ticket attendees must depend on an Act of God to keep themselves safe from the structural defects in that part of Legion Field. Remember, Birmingham did not become the "worst-run city" in Alabama overnight. Mayor Woodfin and his leadership team in City Hall did a lot of things wrong for a very long time to achieve WalletHub 's "worst-run city" ranking .   With all of this in mind, I wish every Magic City Classic patron a good time and the best of luck this weekend!

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on October 18, 2024 An Editorial Opinion Financial website WalletHub ranked Birmingham the “Worst-Run City” in Alabama and the 129th “Worst-Run City" in America (out of a list of the 148 most populated cities in 2024).  The WalletHub rankings come after Forbes Magazine ranked Birmingham as the No. 3 most dangerous city in the U.S . in 2024. Today, the city is racing to become the " Murder Capital of the U.S. " From 1979 to 1999 , Birmingham was one of the five best managed cities in America , according to U.S. News and World Report Magazine .  Birmingham had safe and clean neighborhoods, a quality public educational system for its children, a strong economic empowerment program for disadvantaged businesses, plenty of opportunities for financial security, a rock-solid tax base, effective public safety programs that reduced crime to a 25-year low, and strong officials within the halls of city government.    How did Birmingham go from one of the five best managed cities in America to the worst-run city in Alabama and the 129th worst-run city in the U.S.?  The methodology used by WalletHub explains it all.   WalletHub’s Ranking Methodology   To compile its “ Worst-Run City ” ranking, a panel of experts for WalletHub compared Birmingham with 147 other "most populated cities in the U.S." using six key categories of measurement. These six service categories were:   Financial Stability – Total Points: 16.67 Moody’s City Credit Rating Outstanding Long-Term Debt per Capita Education – Total Points: 16.67 K–12 School-System Quality High School Graduation Rate Health – Total Points: 16.67 Infant Mortality Rate Average Life Expectancy (in Years) Hospital Beds per Capita Quality of Public Hospital System Safety – Total Points: 16.67 Violent Crime Rate Property Crime Rate Motor Vehicle Fatalities per Capita Share of Sheltered Homeless Persons Perception of Safety (Safety walking alone during daylight/night): Economy – Total Points: 16.67 Unemployment Rate Underemployment Rate Median Annual Household Income (Adjusted for Cost of Living) Median Annual Income Growth Rate Annual Job Growth Rate (Adjusted for Population Growth) Share of Population Living in Poverty Growth in Number of Businesses Change in Housing Prices Zillow Home Value 1-year Forecast Building-Permit Growth Infrastructure & Pollution – Total Points: 16.67 Quality of Roads Average Commute Time (in Minutes) Transit Access Shed Traffic Congestion Walk Score Bike Score Transit Score Recreation-Friendliness Share of Residents with Access to Internet Water Quality Air Pollution Greenhouse-Gas Emissions per Capita Share of Parkland   To create its rankings, WalletHub used data collected as of April 30, 2024 from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Council for Community and Economic Research, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Moody's Investors Service, GreatSchools.org, County Health Rankings, Health Resources and Services Administration, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Chmura Economics & Analytics, Zillow, The Road Information Program, Center for Neighborhood Technology, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Walk Score, The Trust for Public Land, INRIX, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, Numbeo and WalletHub research.   Local Media Coverage of Birmingham’s Negative WalletHub Ranking   The state’s largest media organization, AL.com, placed this bad news for Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin behind a paywall . AL.com is a Newhouse family-owned media company. It receives city money that is laundered through another local media company to publish favorable news about Woodfin and suppress bad news about him.  AL.com has never publicly acknowledged its shady financial payment arrangement with the city of Birmingham.   The Newhouse media companies in Alabama have a long and sordid history of shady business practices that is well-documented, including a 2004 Alabama Supreme Court case affirming a $16 million court judgment against the Birmingham News for committing egregious business fraud against six of its newspaper distributors.

By Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on May 28, 2019; Updated and Republished on September 1, 2023 On May 29, 1966, The Tennessean (Nashville, Tennessee) published an article announcing the acceptance of the “first Negro ever accepted by Vanderbilt University’s school of medicine.” His name was Levi Watkins, Jr. He was my brother. He was also a Bridge-Builder . This is his incredible story. In 1962, Levi was the co-valedictorian of his class at Alabama State Laboratory High School (an honor he shared with his best friend for life, Dr. Norman W. Walton, III , a renowned dermatologist). In 1966, Levi graduated from Tennessee State University with a 3.7 GPA on a 4.0 grading system. He was also the student government president at TSU. An April 1, 1966 letter from Dr. Randolph Batson, director of medical affairs, to Dr. F. Tremaine Billings, dean of the medical school, described Levi this way: “ I think we will not have a better opportunity to get a better qualified Negro student in a long time ." When publicly announcing Levi’s acceptance, Vanderbilt stressed that the university accepted students “ purely on qualifications .” Even though Levi was accepted at other prestigious medical schools around the nation, he was denied admission to The University of Alabama at Birmingham's medical school in 1966 because of his race. Levi’s experience at Vanderbilt was challenging. While he mastered the academic course of study fairly quickly, Levi caught pure hell from fellow students who resented his presence at the medical school. Levi’s worst experience came when he exited his dormitory one day, and a fellow student emptied a full can of garbage on him from a second-floor window. Levi returned to his room, quickly cleaned himself up, and hurried to class. Nothing these students did to Levi broke his spirit or distracted him from graduating with honors. After graduation, Levi began his medical residency at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. There, he became chief resident of cardiac surgery, acting as the first African American chief resident at the university. Levi eventually became a world-famous heart surgeon and associate dean at Johns Hopkins Medical School. Levi left Johns Hopkins in 1973 for Harvard University where he researched the use of angiotensin blockers in cases of congestive heart failure. Angiotensin blockers were created in order to avoid the side effects of ACE inhibitors, which were previously the drug of choice for lowering blood pressure and treating congestive heart failure. Levi’s research work at Harvard contributed to the safety and efficiency of the drug. Levi returned to Johns Hopkins in 1975 to continue the pioneering medical research on the implantable defibrillator that had been started by Drs. Michel Mirowski, Morton Mower, and William Staewen. In February 1980, Levi implanted the first defibrillator at a time when many white Johns Hopkins University Hospital cardiac patients did not want a black heart surgeon, who had been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine (twice), to perform life-saving surgery on them. Levi overlooked their bigotry, loved them as human beings, and saved their lives anyway. In 1993, my 82-year-old father, Dr. Levi Watkins Sr. , had a stroke and required vascular surgery. My siblings and I requested that Levi perform the surgery, as we knew he was the best cardiac surgeon in America. Levi prayed before the surgery, did his job, and performed successful surgery on my dad. He promised us an extra year of life for our father and he delivered on that promise. Today, more than 3 million people worldwide are walking around with implantable defibrillators that were developed by the pioneering medical research of Drs. Michel Mirowski, Morton Mower, William Staewen, and Levi Watkins, Jr . The device, which detects arrhythmia in the heart and emits an electric charge to correct it, prevents sudden death from an irregular heartbeat. In 1982, Levi personally recruited a young, gifted black Alabama native named Selwyn M. Vickers to Johns Hopkins as a medical student. Levi mentored Vickers daily on the rigors of medical school and life. Levi’s long and close friendship and mentorship with Vickers paid off when, in 2013, Dr. Vickers was selected as the first African-American dean of the University of Alabama at Birmingham school of medicine, the very school that refused to admit Levi as a medical student in 1966 because of his race. On April 8, 1993, PBS’ “ New Explorers ” series aired a documentary on Levi’s life and his innovative medical research. Titled, “ A Dream Fulfilled ,” the documentary chronicled the intersection of Levi’s civil rights advocacy with his experiences as a pioneer in medical research. Levi’s mantra in life was, “ Loves sees no color. ” Levi died on April 11, 2015. He was 70-years-old. He embodied a six-generation Watkins family tradition – standing up for what is right , even when it is unpopular to do so. The Watkins family established scholarships in Levi's name for college students at Alabama State University (Montgomery, Alabama), LeMoyne-Owen College (Memphis, Tennessee), Tennessee State University (Nashville, Tennessee), Vanderbilt University (Nashville), Spelman College (Atlanta, Georgia), and Johns Hopkins Medical School (Baltimore, Maryland). The Watkins family's investment in educational excellence for college-bound students is spearheaded by my oldest sister, Dr. Annie Marie Watkins Garraway, Ph.D. On June 8, 2023, Johns Hopkins Medical Center dedicated its new Levi Watkins, Jr., M.D. Outpatient Center in honor of Levi's life long work in medicine and civil rights. The Watkins family is proud of " UV Med School's 1st Negro ." He lives on in every patient who has an implantable defibrillator that is keeping him/her alive. “ Let your work speak for you .... and you’ll never have to say anything about yourself. ” -- Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr., M.D. No truer words have ever been spoken.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on October 17, 2024 An Editorial Opinion In the aftermath of the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt on Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump, the Joe Biden/Kamala Harris administration’s bumbling U.S. Secret Service Agency has found the manpower to prop up disgraced Birmingham, Alabama Mayor Randall Woodfin.   Earlier this week, Woodfin announced that Patrick M. Davis , who serves as the Special Agent in Charge (SAIC) of the Birmingham Field Office, has the time, energy, and resources to serve on Woodfin's new crime commission.  The commission's creation was a "cover-your-ass" move by Woodfin, who is experiencing plenty of political heat from his failure to curb the skyrocketing gun-related homicides and mass shootings in Birmingham.   In 2018, Mayor Woodfin, who pals around with Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, proclaimed Birmingham as a “ Welcoming City ” to the illegal immigrants and international criminal gangs who flocked to Birmingham after Wooodfin made his proclamation.   In an interview with National Public Radio , Woodfin bragged that:   "[W]e’re not going to use our police to do anything around what I call rounding up people. We just don’t believe in that. I don’t believe in that as mayor. I’ve had a clear, direct conversation with my police chief. I’ve had a clear and direct conversation with my chief of our city jail. We’re not in that business." Woodfin also said Birmingham police would NEVER ask anyone about his/her immigration status. Woodfin also confirmed that Birmingham would NOT cooperate with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) in rounding up and deporting illegal immigrants. Woodfin's words were music to the ears of violent Venezuelan and Columbian criminal gangs whose members have been slipping cross America's southern border in growing numbers since 2018 and making their way to Birmingham.   Today, gang warfare in Birmingham has turned city streets into rivers of bloods. The city has emerged as the new " Murder Capital of the U.S. " Against the backdrop of Trump’s near-death experience and the Secret Service’s announced manpower shortage, somebody in Washington authorized Patrick Davis to prop up Randall Woodfin -- the mayor who vowed that Birmingham would not cooperate with the federal roundup and deportation of illegal immigrants and gang members in his city.   We understand Mayor Woodfin’s political agenda.  After all, he systematically defunded his police department and reduced the number its sworn officers from 912 in 2017 to about 400 today.  Woodfin is weak and soft on violent crime.   We do not, however, understand the U.S. Secret Service Agency’s agenda in Birmingham.  The agency's political alliance with Woodfin raises serious questions. For example:   Is the Secret Service also aligned with Mayor Woodfin in blocking ICE’s roundup of illegal immigrants and international criminal gang members living in Woodfin's proclaimed " Welcoming City "? Why does the Secret Service have the manpower to breathe life into Woodfin’s naïve and dangerous “ Welcoming City ” agenda, but not the manpower required to fully protect the life of Donald Trump? Who authorized Patrick Davis to sit as a member of Woodfin's committee?   The U.S. Congress needs to be asking these hard questions to subpoenaed witnesses under oath.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on October 8, 2024 An Editorial Opinion In January 2017, Birmingham, Alabama's city council passed a resolution making the municipality a " Sanctuary City " for illegal immigrants. On August 22, 2018, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin told National Public Radio (NPR) the " Sanctuary City " designation did not go far enough for him. Woodfin proudly proclaimed Birmingham as a " Welcoming City " for illegal immigrants. Woodfin explained what he meant by a " Welcoming City :" "[W]e’re not going to use our police to do anything around what I call rounding up people. We just don’t believe in that. I don’t believe in that as mayor. I’ve had a clear, direct conversation with my police chief. I’ve had a clear and direct conversation with my chief of our city jail. We’re not in that business." Woodfin also said Birmingham police would NEVER ask anyone about his/her immigration status. Woodfin also confirmed that Birmingham would NOT cooperate with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency in rounding up and deporting illegal immigrants. Woodfin's words were music to the ears of violent Venezuelan and Columbian criminal gangs whose members have been slipping cross America's southern border in growing numbers since 2018 and making their way to Birmingham. Tren de Aragua is Here Tren de Aragua is a transnational criminal gang that originated in a Venezuela prison. The gang is known to be operating in the United States in Texas, Colorado and Alabama. Since 2018, Tren de Aragua has been amassing gang members in Birmingham, a Randall Woodfin self-declared " Welcoming City ." Beginning in 2021, the gang began carving out, servicing, expanding, and protecting its drug trafficking territory in Birmingham. The city's law enforcement community has not been able to combat or contain the spread of this gang's criminal activities. Today, Tren de Aragua’s self-proclaimed drug trafficking territory includes Birmingham’s downtown entertainment district, the city’s downtown loft district, the area in and around the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and the three main nightlife districts on the city’s Southside. At one time, drug dealing in this swath of territory fell within the exclusive province of Black street gangs that operated criminal enterprises in and near the Southtown housing projects. In 2022, these housing projects were demolished. Yet, the Black street gangs still view this turf as theirs. How Dangerous are these International Criminal Gangs? According to Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, Tren de Aragua makes Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13 , look like “ choir boys .” MS-13 is an international criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles, California, in the 1980s. Since February 2024, Birmingham has experienced three mass shootings . On September 21, 2024, four people were killed and 17 others were injured in a mass shooting in the Five Points South nightlife district. In February, four men were killed in a drive-by shooting near a car wash. In July, four were killed and 10 others were injured in a drive-by shooting at a birthday party hosted by a nightclub. These mass shootings are reportedly linked to a turf war between Black street gangs operating within the city and international criminal gangs, including Tren de Aragua. Despite a $100,000 reward from the FBI, last month's Five Points South mass shooting remains unsolved. Unfortunately, another and far more dangerous street gang is on its way to Birmingham to challenge Tren de Aragua for control of drug trafficking in the downtown to Southside quadrant. It is a Columbian gang affiliated with the vicious Clan del Golfo drug cartel. The tools of this gang’s trade include murder, torture, and dismemberment of rival gang members. Birmingham residents will know when Clan del Golfo gang members have made their play for control of the downtown to Southside quadrant by this gang’s display of decapitated and tortured rival gang member bodies hanging from an overpass bridge on the city’s Southside. Why is Birmingham a Haven for International Criminal Gangs? In addition to its Woodfin-designated " Welcoming City " status, Birmingham is the most attractive territory in the state within which to ply gang-related drug trafficking and related criminal activity for several reasons. First, Mayor Woodfin is weak, lazy, and soft on crime. Additionally, the city council is weaker and lazier than Woodfin. Second, the city’s police force is understaffed by 56% . For all practical purposes, the city of Birmingham has no effective police patrols, np adequate police protection, and no viable criminal investigations division. Third, Birmingham leads the nation in the percentage of unsolved homicides and unsolved mass shootings. In 2024, alone, 50% of the city's 128 homicides have gone unsolved. Likewise, the city has not solved the brutal July 2023 murder of firefighter Jordan Melton and severe wounding of firefighter Jamal Jones at Fire Station No. 9. Fourth, Birmingham is the No. 3 most dangerous city in America in 2024, according to Forbes Magazine . Fifth, state and federal prosecutors in Birmingham have an abysmal track-record in prosecuting violent gang members for any offenses. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has shown zero interest in prosecuting international street gang members. Instead, Marshall spends much of his time closing small unlicensed gaming businesses, persecuting a handful of transgender people in the state, fighting against voting rights for Alabama's Black citizens, and spewing insincere political rhetoric about protecting unborn children. What's Next? Today, Birmingham Alabama is a war zone. Birmingham is well on its way to becoming the " Murder Capital of the U.S. " Absent a drastic change in the leadership team at City Hall, there will be more gang warfare and bloodshed on the streets of Birmingham in 2025 as rival gangs battle for control of the lucrative drug trade in Birmingham’s downtown to Southside quadrant. The Birmingham police department is not properly staffed, trained, or equipped to handle the threat level posed by Tren de Aragua or Clan del Golfo. Furthermore, Mayor Woodfin does not even afford the city's police chief the opportunity to pick his top deputies. Under Section 4.06 of the city's Mayor-Council Act, the ultimate blame for this collossal failure of leadership lies with Mayor Randall Woodfin, who is the chief law enforcement official of the city and the chief architect of Birmingham's " Welcoming City " status.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on October 16, 2024 An Editorial Opinion   There is a Rule Book for politicians in deep trouble.  Rule No. 1: Whenever you have failed miserably in a key job responsibility, appoint a commission to study the problem and recommend solutions for correcting it.  Rule No. 2: Pack the handpicked commission with friends, cronies, and businesses associates who feed off your taxpayer-sponsored generosity.  Rule No. 3:  Sell your bogus commission concept to the public through a network of friendly news media sources. In Alabama, this coveted media role is performed by the Newhouse family-owned media affiliates in the state.   In the aftermath of three mass shootings during the last seven months and 130 gun-related homicides this year, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin has gone to the Rule Book to get the scorching political heat off of him from the string of unsolved murders and mass killings in Birmingham.   Gang warfare and rivers of blood in the streets have combined to sink Birmingham’s future faster than the iceberg sank the Titanic. Birmingham’s national image today is drenched in the blood of innocent homicide victims. Since taking office as Mayor in November 2017, Woodfin has charted a course that made Birmingham: (a) a “ Welcoming City ” for international criminal gangs in 2018, (b) the No. 3 most dangerous city in the U.S. in 2024, and (c) the emerging “ Murder Capital of the U.S .”    Through budget cuts, malfeasance, and a lack of institutional knowledge about public safety, Mayor Woodfin has succeeded in reducing Birmingham's police force from 912 officers in 2017 to about 400 sworn officers today .  Additionally, Woodfin’s shifting public statements about the number of police officers working and job vacancies are completely untrustworthy .   After sitting idlily by and watching more than 800 Birmingham residents die from gun shot wounds during his seven-year term as mayor, Woodfin now says he is “ pissed ” about gun violence.  As such, Woodfin has formed a new crime commission that he says will address skyrocketing daily murders and surging numbers of unsolved mass shootings.   Who’s on the Commission?   When I first saw the names on the 19-member commission, I thought it was Woodfin’s campaign committee from 2017 and 2021.  Woodfin named Ralph Williams , a Vice President at Alabama Power Company, as a co-chair of the commission.  Woodfin also named Lee Styslinger III, one of his political supporters as the other co-chair.  Styslinger serves on the boards of Altec, Birmingham Promise, Birmingham Business Alliance, Children’s Hospital, Regions Financial, and Vulcan Materials.    It is important to remember that Alabama Power handpicked Randall Woodfin for mayor and coordinated the major funding for his 2017 and 2021 campaigns.   Lee Styslinger, III, praised Woodfin in an August 26, 2024 Op-Ed published in the Birmingham Times for “ having the courage to tackle a complex [gun violence] problem that defies simple fixes .”  Whether Woodfin has courage or not, his first statutory duty as mayor is to enforce all laws and ordinances. This, he has NOT done. Crime victims have died. Now, Woodfin is mad.   Other notable members of the commission include:   Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr , whose office approved a 10-year suspended sentence and 4 years of probation for former Homewood, Alabama city councilman Vance Moody after he entered a guilty plea to sexually molesting an 11-year-old boy . Emory Anthony, a well-known criminal defense lawyer in Birmingham whose day-job is to: (a) defend violent criminals, (b) help those who are charged with capital offenses escape the death penalty, and (c) prevent dangerous criminals from going to prison. Leroy Abrahams, an executive vice president at Regions Bank where Lee Styslinger, III, serves as a board member. Patrick Davis, Special Agent in Charge at U.S. Secret Service - Birmingham Field Office.  This is the same federal agency whose admitted blunders on July 13, 2024, almost got GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump killed on national TV in Butler, Pennsylvania.   Charitably speaking, this crime commission is stacked with Woodfin sycophants. None of the members can be viewed as “independent” commissioners.   Former Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper will serve as a consultant to the new commission.  Roper is not a member of the commission with voting power. In 2017, Roper was forced out as police chief by Woodfin.     For all intents and purposes, the Woodfin crime commission, as a whole, is nothing more than a rubber-stamp collection of the mayor's political friends, associates, campaign supporters, and strategically-placed corporate alllies.    An Aloof Mayor in Search of a Crime Fighting Plan   In 2018, Mayor Woodfin’s crime fighting plan called for cutting more than $4 million out of the police department’s budget and eliminating 47 positions within the department.   In 2022, Woodfin’s crime fighting plan, as announced in Congressional testimony, called for the decriminalization of marijuana and kumbaya sessions .   In May 2024, Woodfin proposed creating and deputizing members of a 200-person Citizens Observer Patrol Unit to cruise neighborhoods looking for drug trafficking and gang-related activities on city streets.  This idea was guaranteed to get more innocent people killed.   Last week, Woodfin unveiled a plan to spend $15.8 million to recruit, hire, and train more police officers .   Even then, Woodfin's plan fell far short of restoring the police force to the 900 sworn officers required to provide adequate public safety in the city.   This week, a frustrated Randall Woodfin punted the ball to his new commission to provide suggested crime fighting solutions.  Now, Woodfin can blame every bad outcome in the fight against violent crime on his newly-appointed crime commission.   None of Woodfin’s crime fighting plans takes into account that 900 or more sworn officers are needed to properly service a 151 square miles city that sits in two counties and has 99 scattered neighborhoods and communities.  The department’s website (as of May 2024) confirms this fact. The “Murder Capital of the U.S.”   In 2024, Forbes Magazine ranked Birmingham as the No. 3 most dangerous cities in the U.S.  Birmingham is well on its way to becoming the “ Murder Capital of the U.S .”     Residents are afraid to leave their homes .  Public gatherings and birthday parties are no longer safe.  The next mass shooting is always just around the corner.   Where Do We Go from Here?   From what I can see, the new Woodfin crime commission is all smoke and mirrors.  Practically speaking, the commission is nothing more than a circle jerk of political play pals who are committed to (a) covering Woodfin’s naked ass with a fig leaf and (b) saving his re-election chances.     It appears that there will be no Calvary coming to save the residents of Birmingham from the ravages of gang warfare , violent deaths, and rivers of blood flowing in the streets.    Meanwhile, Birmingham is still a “ Welcoming City ” to a steady stream of illegal immigrants and international criminal gang members.  The city’s police department does not cooperate with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency in rounding up and deporting illegal immigrants, according to Woodfin .   I do not advise any Birmingham resident to place the lives, safety, and welfare of his/her family in the hands of Mayor Randall Woodfin.  His slick PR gestures might hoodwink some members of the public, but they will NEVER solve this violent crime problem.   Going forward, it looks like the residents of Birmingham may have to fend for themselves when it comes to protecting themselves, their family members, and property from the dangerous street gangs that run the city.