With Homicides Down in Birmingham; Mothers Against Gun Violence Still Working

By Alaina Bookman | abookman@al.com Angela Walker, CEO of Mothers United Against Gun Violence, is providing a new opportunity for Birmingham residents to support each other after losing a child. Mothers United will host its first monthly support group meeting to aid mothers who survived violence on Jan. 27, at the Homewood Public Library, 11:30 a.m.– 1:30 p.m. Walker is a domestic violence survivor and her son has survived two separate shootings. Despite the hardships she faced, she worked to earn her degree in counseling. She is a survivor hoping to help victims of gun violence, sexual assault and domestic violence heal. “I refuse to allow what I had gone through to restrain me, to define me and to limit me from the possibilities and that’s why I’m so intentional about engaging with these mothers,” Walker said. “You will always honor the memory of your loved ones, but you don’t have to stay in the same place of grief, heaviness and sorrow every day for the rest of your life. You just don’t have to. You can choose to live.” The city ended 2023 with 135 homicides, a 6 percent decrease from 2022 when the city had 144 homicides, marking...