Birmingham Mayor Woodfin Alarmed at How ‘Petty, Trivial’ Issues Taking Lives Across City

By Barrnett Wright | The Birmingham Times After five homicides in the first five days of July, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin on Friday said that lives are being lost over the most “petty and trivial” of issues. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin For example, preliminary findings show one of the victims was killed over a dice game; another as a result of an illegal transaction and another because of an ongoing feud, the mayor said. “We need to de-escalate situations before guns are drawn,” he said in a statement. “Murder cannot, must not, be a solution to petty, trivial problems. …” The mayor said city officials “are not deflecting or victim blaming. At the same time, the hard questions must be asked: How do you police destructive behaviors? How do you police interactions between parties in enclosed spaces? How can you predict when homicides occur between parties who know each other?” Those who lost lives are more than numbers and stats, he said. “These are real people who were tragically taken away from grieving families – the families that are now left to pick up the broken pieces. It’s not fair to them. They deserve justice.” To that end, investigations are...