Hoover council meeting gets tense as Galleria shooting protester loudly confronts mayor
Monday night’s Hoover City Council meeting started with a prayer for peace, healing, truth and justice, but before the meeting was over, there was much shouting, chanting and a protester loudly confronting Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato.
Carlos Chaverst Jr., a 25-year-old former Hoover resident who now lives in Birmingham and has been a leader in the protest over a Hoover police officer’s fatal shooting of a 21-year-old Hueytown man at the Riverchase Galleria on Thanksgiving night, confronted Brocato after the meeting was abruptly adjourned due to shouting and chanting by those in the audience.
Numerous people rushed to the front of the council chambers and warned Chaverst not to put his hands on the mayor, and he eventually left the council chambers, leading the crowd in chants of “No justice, no peace,” and “If we don’t get it, shut it down.”
There did not appear to be any physical contact between Chaverst and Brocato.
Hoover Council President Gene Smith intentionally created a short agenda for tonight’s meeting, saying he wanted to allow plenty of time for people to comment about the shooting at the Galleria, which has sparked public protests in the streets, at the mall, at a movie theater and the mayor’s home.
Councilman Casey Middlebrooks opened the meeting with prayer, asking God for wisdom and discernment in these emotionally-charged days and saying his soul hurts for all those affected by the shootings at the mall on Thanksgiving night.
Police have said Bradford was holding a gun as he fled the scene of another shooting at the mall, but have not released details about the officer’s encounter with Bradford, saying the investigation has been turned over to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
Middlebrooks prayed for healing and comfort for the Bradford family.
“This city, this community and this family desires the truth,” he prayed. “Father, I pray for truth and justice. Father, open the hearts of those filled with hate. Hate will not overcome hate, for it is already written that love prevails."
Middlebrooks prayed for love and understanding and quoted Scripture about how good and pleasant it is when people live together in unity.
“Father let us learn from yesterday. Prepare us for tomorrow,” Middlebrooks prayed. “As it is written in Luke, guide our feet into the path of peace. Father, I pray for wisdom and guidance.”
After taking care of a few items of business quickly, Smith opened the floor to comments. Numerous people spoke calmly but passionately.
Transparency concerns
Keith Williams of Birmingham said he had major concerns with the level of transparency the city of Hoover has shown about the police shooting. While police and city leaders have promised to be transparent, police initially lied about Bradford being the person who shot another young man at the mall seconds before he was shot, Williams said.
And city officials last week gave hope they might release some information about the police shooting by noon today but failed to do so, he said.
Councilman Derrick Murphy on Thursday said the city was asking ALEA for permission to release the limited information they have, but if ALEA did not give that permission, that police Chief Nick Derzis would decide on his own whether to release any information.
Williams said people in the community feel like they have been lied to again. “We’re tired of it. We will not tolerate this,” he said. “What has transpired over the last couple of weeks is unacceptable, and we will get justice.”
LeDarius Hilliard, another one of the protest leaders who is president of the Jefferson County Millennial Democrats, said protesters have waited but been stalled.
“We have been given timelines, and for the sake of justice, nothing has come to fruition,” Hilliard said.
Hilliard said the shooting of Bradford three times from behind was murder. “His back was turned, and a police officer shot him dead,” he said.
Demands from protesters
It’s time for transparency and accountability, he said. He called on the mayor, police chief and police Capt. Gregg Rector to resign, and for a complete overhaul of the policies and procedures of the Hoover Police Department as it relates to racial relations, racial discrimination and racial profiling.
Protesters want the officer who shot Bradford to be arrested and charged, and for the council to create a citizens review board with subpoena power. They also want to rename Galleria Boulevard as E.J. Bradford Jr. Boulevard.
“There is a problem within the Hoover Police Department and the community,” Hilliard said. “There is a disconnect. There is a discord, and we expect you as leaders to step up and lead.”
The protesters also are seeking peace, he said. “We don’t, just like you don’t, want to see a riot in the streets, but we mean what we say when we say, ‘No justice, no peace.’ If this family cannot be calm and have peace at home, if this community that sits behind me cannot get peace at home, there will be no peace. We do plan on locking down everything within the city of Hoover that merchants have, and we’ll make it very uncomfortable. This is not just a threat. This is a promise."
Racial profiling claims
Another man who identified himself as “Bo” from Mobile, said the city of Hoover has had a problem with its Police Department even before this incident.
“The police are terrorists,” he said. “Any black person around knows when you come to Hoover, you’ve got to watch out for the police. Not the citizens, not the crime element, but the police, and the police are supposed to be here to protect us and make us feel safe when we’re visiting the city.”
Hoover officials are telling people to be patient and let the investigation be completed, “but that police officer wasn’t patient … He murdered somebody. He shot him in the back like a coward,” the man said.
Shirley Ferrill of Fairfield said her heart has been ripped by this incident. She has watched news of similar police shootings across the country and dreaded the day that it happened in this area.
“Even though Birmingham is considered the cradle of civil rights, very often in this area, our rights our violated,” Ferrill said. “Hoover has a horrible reputation. Maybe you all didn’t know that until now, but your Police Department truly has the name of profiling non-white people.”
She also asked why no one has named the police officer yet, saying he should be held to account. City Administrator Allan Rice after the meeting said the city has not released the officer’s name to help protect the safety of the officer and because this is an employee matter.
Terrell Simmons of Mobile said Hoover officials have a choice. They can choose to be transparent and give justice or continue the status quo. City officials can expect to see a persistent building of the movement for justice.
“We won’t get tired. We won’t let it, and as time goes on, we will increase and grow because people will come from outside of state lines. This right now is a local thing — a statewide issue, but this will blossom into a nationwide issue if not shaped.”
The Rev. Sharon Hearns of Adamsville said she knows policing is a serious job and she doesn’t want to see anyone hurt in the Police Department or in the streets, but this country, and especially the South, has a problem with racial profiling.
“I don’t think we should have hotshot cops on the police force with Code Blue keeping them protected when they are there to do their own bid,” Hearns said. “Cops that don’t want to do the job well need to be cops that are no longer cops.”
Hoover residents have concerns, too
Andy Baer, a white Hoover resident, said he wants people to know that people in Hoover care about Bradford. “His life matters, and we want and deserve answers,” he said.
Baer said he also demands justice and that justice in this case might begin with simply some information. “These are reasonable demands,” he said. “I live in this city. This is my Police Department, and E.J. was part of my broader family. I want to know what happened to him.”
The Rev. Lawrence Jackson of Birmingham said he was disappointed in Hoover officials because they know about cases of black people being mistreated by police across the country and did the same thing here.
He complained that police are quick to release videotapes about other crimes, “but when a young black brother gets killed in a mall, we can’t release the tapes.” The reason the tape isn’t being released is because the man who did the shooting was white, he said. “I want us to do the right thing, not the white thing for a change,” he said. “All we’re asking for is the truth be told to us. Release those tapes so we can see for ourselves. … If what was on those tapes was in your favor, it would have been released by now.”
Chaverst said if Hoover doesn’t release the name of the police officer who shot Bradford, protesters will release his name, photo and address by noon, as well as the addresses of council members.
“I’m sick and tired of us not being taken serious,” Chaverst said.
Protesters will be going back to the mall and the mayor’s house and other city officials’ houses, as well as to the schools because kids are not being taught the right things in Hoover.
“We are prepared to shut down the entire city of Hoover,” Chaverst said. “You may think it’s a game. I promise you — it’s not a game.”
Chaverst then led the crowd in chants, which resulted in the meeting being ended.
Cries of hurt, pain
After Chaverst confronted the mayor, and police and others stepped in to keep the situation from getting further out of control, the Rev. Mike McClure said he hopes people don’t mistake what they saw tonight as ignorance.
“It’s coming from a place of pain,” McClure said. “These young people are hurting.”
McClure asked the Hoover Police Department to continue to work with the protesters.
“There’s a narrative being shared that I’m afraid is going to get somebody hurt,” McClure said. “Every protest they’ve had has been peaceful. They have done their best not to be disrespectful. They’ve done their best to just protest. It’s called civil disobedience. I’m telling you these young people are passionate about what they’re doing. They’re not going to harm a citizen. They’re not going to try to hurt anyone in Hoover.”
But the media is painting a picture that these are some ignorant, radical, crazy, young people, McClure said. “The only thing they’re asking for is information,” he said. “They’re not crazy. They’re passionate. They’re hurting. When they look at E.J., they see their brothers. When they look at E.J., they see their fathers. When they look at E.J., they see their cousins. They see their husbands. They see themselves.”
As of right now, the protesters may be making people uncomfortable, but they’re being peaceful, he said.
McClure thanked the Hoover police who are protecting the protesters. He said he’s trying his best to stand in the middle of some hostile, hurting people and people trying to seek justice.
“Give them something. Give them some information. Let them know a deadline. Let them know a timeline. Try your best to have open dialogue,” he said. "I don’t know how long I can hold this up without damaging all of the credibility I’ve built in my own community.”
McClure then prayed for God to help people understand that this can’t be “an eye for an eye” and to cover these young people that are fighting with all their might to get justice and to cover law enforcement officers who are putting their lives on the line every day.
“But I also pray that they’ll understand that we won’t have peace until there is justice, and not just justice in the sense of lip service, but justice in the sense of action, calling to the carpet those who are responsible for these heinous crimes,” McClure prayed. “Don’t let us sacrifice the peace of an entire city for the comfort of just a few.”
City officials seek justice
After McClure finished praying, Middlebrooks thanked McClure for his leadership and said the council feels for everyone affected by this. “We are praying for unity. We are praying for justice,” he said.
Middlebrooks said the city of Hoover is being investigated by ALEA and doesn’t get to make the decision if the information is released right now, which he said could hinder true justice.
Rice, when asked about the potential for protests to lead to trouble, said the city of Hoover is committed to protecting everyone’s First Amendment rights, but the city also will protect everyone’s physical safety.
Chaverst, when he spoke, noted that no one representing the city of Hoover attended Bradford’s funeral on Saturday. Rice said city officials had robust discussion about sending a delegation to the funeral but were advised that it would not be appropriate and likely would be a distraction.
“That day wasn’t about Hoover That day was about the Bradford family,” he said.
Councilman John Greene also read a statement during tonight’s council meeting that said the council expresses regret for the misinformation provided to the public that indicated Bradford had shot 18-year-old Brian Wilson in the mall.
“As leaders in our city, the council members re-affirm our commitment to public safety, fair and equitable treatment of all people, and respect for the law,” Greene said. “We ask for patience and peace as the ongoing investigation of this incident is conducted by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and promise to do all in our power to encourage unity over division. In the words of Mother Teresa, ‘There is a light in this world, a healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter.’ We, as the Hoover City Council, believe that God’s light can and will overcome the darkness of this tragedy if we all seek it together.”