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Written by Publisher
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More than 3,000 black men answered the call from Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford to address the disproportionately high number of black males who are the perpetrators or victims of violent crime.  The pep-rally style event drew an unprecedented crowd of men and young sons – no women allowed – to the Bill Harris Arena at Fair Park Friday night.
The plan is similar to the grassroots efforts that have succeeded in reducing crime. An event last year in Philadelphia, PA was covered by news media (Reuters, Final Call) and blogs. Langford issued the call as an appeal against black-on-black crime to the community most affected by it. His "Plan 10/30" reflects that the majority of crimes in the city are committed by black males ages 10 to 30. Your humble publisher was not allowed to go in (alas, I am a woman). Birmingham News reporter Roy Williams wrote a story on what happened. I also spoke to several friends who attended the event. They all recounted stories from speakers such as football legend Bo Jackson who admonished the crowd to “beat their kids.” Hopefully, someone mentioned love, albeit tough love, and in addition to so much needed discipline and the proverbial village our kids need. They said some men shouted from the audience, “We're with you Larry.” “What do you want us to do?” Now, that is the question. Organizers such as James Williams, co-host of Talk Back on 98.7 Kiss FM, said the men were asked to sign up and be part of organizations that mentor young males and others that reach out to youth. He said Organizers a similar events are being planned for African American women and for black families. We interviewed several men after the event to get their reaction to what they saw and heard. Here are their comments: James Williams  James Williams
Madison Carter
Jarvis Seawright  Jarvis Seawright
Melvin Truss
Ricky Thomas  Ricky Thomas
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Written by Publisher
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I spent a day with the board members of the BJCC on their recent trip to Memphis. I can see why they came back excited about developing a Beale-Street-type development in Birmingham. The Beale Street entertainment district is popping with activity at its bars and restaurants, even on a bone-chilling winter day. It has Peabody Place, a self-contained mini-mall that houses a movie theater, eateries and retail shops; it’s connected to two hotels. A $30 million Westin hotel, where the board members stayed, was recently opened to take advantage of all the Beale Street tourist activity.  Across the street from the Westin is the FedEx Forum, which was built in 2004 for $250 million by the local government and seats about 19,000. On Friday, a thick crowd of young adults went to the Foo Fighters concert, and basketball fans of the #1-ranked U of Memphis Tigers risked ice-slicked roads Saturday morning to watch their team beat the Gonzaga University Bulldogs. There is always something to do and somewhere to go in the Beale Street district after an event at the FedEx Forum.
 A few blocks away, a street car trolley (re: Mayor Larry Langford) rolls down Main Street, which is lined with a Walgreens store, loft developments, restaurants, and other re-development projects in the works.
Meanwhile, at the BJCC board meeting, Performa Chief John Elkington assured board members and staff that his group was taking positive steps toward getting financing and signing up more tenants to fill the 124,000 square feet in the Entertainment District Performa is building in Birmingham, whether or not the forum/stadium/expanded facility gets built.  He was so sure he gave them a clock. Starting from Friday, Perfoma has 553 days to get it up and running, which is some time in 2009. Name that entertainment district What Elkington said he needs from them is a name for the Entertainment District (not the official name), because financiers want to put their money into something more substantial than a place-holder name. And he needs it soon. Performa and John Montgomery of Big Communicaitons, which handles PR for the BJCC presented several names for the board to consider: - City Station. Montgomery said the name evoked the memory of Birmingham’s
 Central Station, which was short-sightedly torn down in the name of progress. He and Performa want to resurrect the old steel sign that stood over the tunnel running under the historic station. The sign was erected in 1909 and John thought since the District (whatever it will be called) is slated to open the same year. Seems cool enough.
- The Forge. It was obvious Elkington favored this one. The word evokes the City’s steel history. It can also evoke its Civil Rights history, as people here and across the nation forged relationships across racial boundaries. The word can extend to forging an economic relationship across geo-political boundaries (suburbs and inner city), forging a new revenue generator for the entire Birmingham region. Something to think about.
- Whatley Yard. It got a brief mention at the meeting. It refers to Birmingham jazz great Fess Whatley, and plays on the Magic City’s rich musical heritage.
I don’t know if the BJCC is taking a poll or suggestions, but I’m sure they won’t let a good idea go to waste. Why not send your ideas to
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(via his administrative assistant). You can check out some of the other pictures I took while I was there. There’s is a whole lot more I would like to say about my trip to Memphis. I want to go back, when it’s MUCH warmer. I think there is a lot we can learn from what the city has done. So stay tuned. |
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Written by Publisher
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MAX board members in a specially called meeting Tuesday approved a $115 million transit plan pushed by Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford. The plan includes $33 million for a street car system Downtown, which Langford said he wanted as part of his vision for an improved public transit system. The Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) Board also approved the purchase of 100 new buses, 30 paratransit vehicles, a shuttle service to the Birmingham International Airport and Sunday service, all part of the new transit plan. Board Chairman Brian Hamilton said the approval, however, is contingent on MAX receiving money from the $17 million that is expected to flow to transit from the recent 1-cent sales tax increase. It went into effect Jan. 1, after Langford – less than a month in office — persuaded the City Council to approve the tax and to double business license fees. Learn more details about the plan at The Birmingham News’ blog. Also, see what others are saying about the street car proposal and transit in Birmingham here on UrbanPlanet. In other business, the BJCTA Board reversed its plans to increase fares for bus riders after the Birmingham City Council rescinded its authorization for the increase. Councilors voted Tuesday during their regular meeting, saying the new tax made the proposed rate hikes unnecessary. MAX officials had wanted the increased fares to fill a $824,500 hole in the bus system’s 2008 operating budget.
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Written by Publisher
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The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday unanimously passed an ordinance that makes minority inclusion a necessary part of every municipal request for proposals and all city-awarded contracts.
City Councilor Steven Hoyt, who has made minority inclusion his political platform, amended the proposed ordinance on Tuesday’s agenda to remove language “encouraging a minimum of 27 percent minority business participation.” That percentage would have invited lawsuits that, in the past decade, have successfully overturned so-called minority set-asides; high courts have generally ruled them unconstitutional.
Instead, Hoyt advanced amended language that states in part, ”As a matter of public policy, the City of Birmingham agrees to make opportunities available to the maximum extent possible, to actively include Historically Underutilized Business Enterprises (HUBE’s) such as architectural firms, engineering firms, investment banking firms, other professional consultant services providers, and construction contractors as part of business, economic and community revitalization programs.”
Hoyt said while the language still seems vague, he is confident it will mean true economic inclusion, since Mayor Larry Langford has committed to ensuring that black- and women-owned businesses participate economically in the city’s revitalization.
“This is how we begin to change Ensley and other communities, when the money has a chance to get back into the community,” Hoyt said.
City resident William Muhammad, who spoke to the Council before its vote, urged councilors to ensure that minorities have an equal chance to ride the economic development train, by owning businesses that get some of the public money spent on revitalizing the city, not just by the creation of jobs.
Coupled with the disparity study done under the Kincaid administration, Hoyt said the city should now have a program with the necessary legal power to enforce the spirit of the original ordinance.
But Deborah Vance, Langford’s Chief of Staff, said that she has yet to find the final report from the $500,000-million study. However, she pledged to contact the consultants to get the report and its findings to the council and the public as soon as possible.
The U.S. Supreme Court has held that local governments can legally create minority participation percentages if – through a disparity study — they can demonstrate historical patterns of discrimination against minority-owned businesses in awarding contracts, to the economic detriment of those businesses. |
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