Police from Birmingham and Hoover’s departments will be on hand Friday for the planned protests at The Summit and Riverchase Galleria.
Earlier this week, a Facebook group called “Black Lives Matter – Birmingham” announced its intentions to demonstrate as part of a nationwide response to the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. According to its page, the group has planned a shutdown of The Summit’s U.S. 280 entrance at 3 p.m. and asked participating protesters to wear black. At 4:30 p.m., there will be a “die-in” at the Riverchase Galleria food court. A die-in consists of protesters lying motionless on the ground for a set period of time to call attention to lost lives.
Birmingham Police Department Public Information Officer Sean Edwards said officers are prepared and intend to work with demonstrators at The Summit so that traffic continues to move through the major intersection during their protest. He expects that the event will proceed smoothly and plans to keep traffic impact minimal.
“Hopefully they’ll do their little demonstration off the side of the road away from traffic,” Edwards said. “It’s our goal to have a safe and peaceful protest tomorrow, and we plan to work with the protesters to ensure that.”
ALDOT Division 3 Engineer Brian Davis said the department contacted the Birmingham PD and the Alabama State Troopers because of 280’s significance to commuters and emergency response vehicles.
“Blocking that roadway is way different than blocking a city street,” Davis said.
Elisa Nelson, The Summit’s public relations representative, said that the safety of shoppers and business owners is “always our primary concern,” and The Summit will be working with local authorities to make sure traffic flows and parking is available on Friday. She had no further comment on the protests.
If the protesters succeed in shutting down the intersection at The Summit, shoppers can still enter the mall from its Cahaba Heights Road entrance. Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights is shutting down at 2 p.m. on Friday due to potential traffic congestion.
The Riverchase Galleria is also taking measures to prepare for the die-in at its food court. Captain Gregg Rector of the Hoover Police Department said the department is working with the Galleria, but he did not give specifics about those plans. He said the department does not anticipate any problems resulting from the protests.
An administrator of the Black Lives Matter page responded to a request for comment. The person did not give his or her name, but did share the group’s desired outcomes from the protests:
- Equal justice and protection under the law for all races
- Special prosecutors for police-related cases, to make sure the police are not favored
- Local citizen review boards for police misconduct claims
- A requirement that law enforcement officers currently or previously lived in the communities they patrol
- Replacement of “police code” loyalty with prioritizing constitutional law and citizen protection
- Transparency in law enforcement policy and training
- Pay raises for all police officers in recognition of these new responsibilities and their bravery
- Juries that more accurately represent defendants’ communities
