Hoover postpones Christmas tree lighting after threats of protest due to police shooting

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The city of Hoover today postponed its Christmas tree lighting, scheduled at the Hoover Municipal Center on Thursday night, after people who were upset with the Thanksgiving night police shooting at the Riverchase Galleria threatened to protest at the event.

The city this afternoon issued a statement saying that “in respect of the loss of life and the tragic events that occurred on Thanksgiving evening in our city, we are postponing the tree lighting scheduled at Hoover city hall until a later date.

“During this time, we continue to offer our thoughts and prayers to the family of Mr. Emantic 'EJ' Fitzgerald Bradford Jr. and all others affected by those events,” the statement said. “We want healing for the community, and we invite all persons of every faith to pray for the Bradford family and encourages all houses of worship to pray for God’s help in unifying our community.”

Erin Colbaugh, the events coordinator for the city, said this is a postponement, not a cancellation. City officials do still hope to have a tree lighting at a later date, she said.

Read more about what was supposed to happen at the tree lighting and the Brock's Gap Intermediate School fifth-grader who was chosen to turn on the lights at the Hoover Municipal Center this year.

The city issued a second notice that Councilman Derrick Murphy, the only black member of the council, would be issuing a statement to the media Thursday morning during a 9 a.m. press briefing in the council chambers. The mayor, members of the City Council and the police chief will be present, and the briefing is only for media, the statement said.

Protesters have been vocal after a Hoover police officer shot Bradford, a 21-year-old from Hueytown, while responding to another shooting inside the Riverchase Galleria on Thanksgiving night. Police say Bradford had a gun in his hand as he fled the scene of the first shooting.

The night of the shootings, police identified Bradford as the shooter in the first incident, but the next day police said further interviews with witnesses and evaluation of evidence indicated their initial conclusion was incorrect and that Bradford was not the person who shot 18-year-old Brian Wilson of Birmingham, later identified as a friend of Bradford.

The first public protest of the shooting took place Saturday at the Riverchase Galleria, as upset people marched through the mall carrying signs and chanting.

Then on Monday night, about 150 people formed a blockade, shutting down all lanes of traffic on U.S. 31 in front of the Hoover Municipal Center. About 80 of the protesters then marched down U.S. 31 to the Galleria, where they protested inside the mall before marching back to city hall.

On Tuesday night, protesters showed up at Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato’s home in the Ross Bridge community for about an hour.

Carlos Chaverst Jr., one of the protest leaders, had called for a protest at Thursday night’s Christmas tree lighting.

At a meeting of the Hoover City Council on Tuesday, Chaverst told the media that protesters would “continue our peaceful demonstrations of civil disobedience.

“If we have to shut down the entire city of Hoover, we will do that. If we have to stop everybody in Hoover from spending another dime in this city, we will do that. We will do whatever we need to to bring more attention and to bring more awareness and to get more justice and to actually get answers from Hoover.”

Protesters have been demanding an apology from the city of Hoover and that the city and/or Police Department release police body camera videos and other videos related to the shootings.

Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato said all videos and other evidence have been turned over to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which is conducting the investigation into the shootings at the Galleria. ALEA said it does not release information about pending investigations and would turn over all evidence to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office once its investigation is complete.

Chaverst on Tuesday said the protesters come in peace, “but when we’re met with force, we’re going to respond and act accordingly. That’s just a warning to the Hoover Police Department. They’ve been kind of cooperative thus far because they don’t want to kill any more black men, so they’ve got to do what they’ve got to do to stay clear right now.”

Chaverst said protesters plan to be peaceful, but they are frustrated, upset and angry that no one is giving them answers.

“Until we get some justice for this family, until we get some justice for what has happened, we will be here.”

LeDarius Hilliard, another protest organizer from Birmingham who is president of the Jefferson County Millennial Democrats, said the Hoover Police Department shot an innocent man. “When someone shoots someone that’s innocent, that’s murder. Her murdered him,” Hilliard said.

Hilliard and Chaverst said they were upset that the Hoover City Council on Tuesday didn’t make any statements about the Galleria shooting or take questions from the public before adjourning into an executive session to discuss potential litigation.

“The council has investigative powers. Use your powers,” Hilliard said. “You’ve got a whole bully pulpit. Use that pulpit. Don’t sit idly by.”

Charles Winston, the pastor of New Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Hueytown, was at Tuesday’s Hoover City Council meeting with several pastors as well.

“I came to hear facts and truth, and to come and get nothing, it begins to reek with impropriety,” Winston said.

He’s OK with the state conducting the investigation into the shooting, but Hoover officials can’t hide behind that, he said.

“You have to say more than that because you said some stuff that was untrue and you did some things that were not correct. Take responsibility. Be transparent. Give the appearance of hope that justice will be served,” Winston said.

“All I have now to go by is rumors and what social media says. They could have corrected that. They could have stopped it, and they could have been the source of creating peace, but in the process, from my estimate, they’re going to bankrupt the Galleria in their peak season,” he said.

Winston said he can’t condemn the protests that have happened.

I know the only recourse we have is to vent, and you’re going to vent one way or the other, and the more you try to stop me from venting, the more I’m going to vent. And the more you confront me or try to intimidate me, the worse it’s going to get,” Winston said. “But with information, intelligent people know how to operate. When we don’t have information, we use our imagination.”

This story was updated at 4:52 p.m. with additional comments from people at Tuesday's Hoover City Council meeting.