From BABJ’s President

Violent crime continues to be a serious problem in the Birmingham area. As recent, tragic shootings in other metro area communities demonstrate, it’s not just a problem unique to the city of Birmingham.

Thursday, April 19, at 6 p.m. at the historic Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, the Birmingham Association of Black Journalists will host a “Town Hall Meeting on Violence.” The event will be televised live and commercial-free from 6 to 6:30 p.m. by Fox 6 and ABC 33/40 in place of their normal 6 p.m. newscast. CBS 42 will record and show the program at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 21, and NBC 13 will televise the program on its HD cable channel. All four TV stations will make the show available on their Web sites. The program will also be carried live on Birmingham radio station WAGG, and public radio station WBHM plans to broadcast the program at a later date.

This is an unprecedented event, and a true act of community service by our media partners.

BABJ believes the time is now to bring community leaders together for this serious discussion about the difficult-to-solve problem of violence. Last year, 109 people in Birmingham were killed in acts of violence. It was the second consecutive year in which the number of homicides increased. In 2005, 105 people were killed. In 2004, 64 people lost their lives to violence in the city.

Those numbers are simply too high.

BABJ makes no pretense of knowing what the anti-crime strategies of Birmingham, Jefferson County or surrounding cities should be. However, we do believe citizens need a clear understanding of those strategies, as well as to feel confident that their leaders are doing everything in their power to make the community safe for all citizens.

We have assembled panelists and invited guests who we believe cover the spectrum of viewpoints necessary for an informed discussion on the many aspects of crime-fighting -- from police patrols, to prison and sentencing reforms, to youths programs, to treatment alternatives and community initiatives. The panelists also include key decision and policy makers; people who can put action to ideas.

Our sincere hope is that this community conversation about crime will lead to both a better understanding of the violence, consensus on what should be done and a commitment to act.

The Birmingham Association of Black Journalists thanks our panelists and special guests for their participation, our media partners for their considerable investment of resources into this project, and the citizens who come out to historic Sixteenth Baptist Church to be a part of the Town Hall Meeting, tune in to it on television or listen to it on radio. We hope to be a catalyst in continuing the conversation about this and other important community issues.

Eddie Lard

President
Birmingham Association of Black Journalists