What the Rift Between Birmingham Mayor Woodfin and State Rep. Givan Means for Residents, According to Local Leaders

By Barnett Wright | The Birmingham Times A number of Black leaders across Birmingham have been following the back and forth between Mayor Randall Woodfin and state Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, since last week’s mass shooting in Five Points South with a sense of bewilderment. The public spat between the two has played out on social media and during some television and talk radio interviews. The concern, many leaders say, is the impact the quarrel has on the people who need leadership the most during a time of crisis – the residents, especially in the African American community. Of the 135 homicide victims in Birmingham last year, 96 were Black males, 19 were Black females for a total of 115, according to AL.com. That’s a staggering 85 percent of all murder victims. “There’s an old African proverb: ‘When the elephants fight. The grass suffers,’” said popular radio talk show host Gary Richardson, who is president and CEO of Richardson Broadcasting Corporation (which operates WJLD 1400 AM and WAYE 1220 AM). “The grass in this case is ‘the people.’ We don’t need our leaders fighting. We have too big of a problem to get mired down in petty differences.” “We have...