Hoover police urge public to stay calm during protests, avoid 'expressions of anger' and retaliation

The Hoover Police Department is urging the public to stay calm about the protesters that are almost daily taking to the streets and parading through the Riverchase Galleria and other businesses in an attempt to “shut down” the city in response to the police shooting at the Riverchase Galleria on Thanksgiving night.

“The Hoover Police Department has the safety of our citizens and visitors, and their ability to peacefully conduct their lives as our highest priority,” a statement issued by the police said.

“Rest assured that Hoover police are monitoring the protests, and while we respect any citizen’s right of free expression, we will not allow any protest activity on any Hoover City Schools’ property,” the statement said. “Most cities experiencing protests have found that the best practice, in general, is to allow them to be conducted as long as they are nonviolent. We also advise citizens to take every measure to avoid expressions of anger and frustration during protests and to not make retaliatory or hostile comments on social media or other communications.”

Police urged people to report any suspicious activity by dialing 911 or 205-822-5300 for non-emergencies.

“We want Hoover to be a place where everyone feels safe and respected,” police said. “We will protect our community while maintaining respect for all.”

The latest protest took place Tuesday night when at least 100 people marched through the Walmart and Buffalo Wild Wings on John Hawkins Parkway. They used megaphones and were chanting things like “no justice, no peace” and “no racist police.”

After they spent about 25 minutes in Walmart and 10 minutes in Buffalo Wild Wings, they left in their vehicles and got on Interstate 459 North. Some of the protesters then stopped their vehicles on the ramp from I-459 North to Interstate 65 North, got out of their vehicles and formed a line across the ramp.

Police brought tow trucks to the scene and told the protesters they had to disperse, get in their vehicles and quit blocking the road or they would be arrested. The number of police officers was about equal to, if not more than, the number of protesters at that point. Slowly and with much protest, the protesters returned to their vehicles and left. There did not appear to be any aggressive physical contact between police and the protesters, though the protesters taunted the police.

Hoover City Administrator Allan Rice has said that police are following an intentional strategy in dealing with the protests.

They’re drawing upon lessons learned from other communities across the country that have experienced civil unrest and protests, he said. Police are trained to analyze the size of the protest and the types of activities in which the protesters engage and to gauge their response accordingly, he said.

“Everybody’s safety is paramount,” including the safety of people not protesting, the protesters and the police, Rice said. “It’s not OK to stand in the road, and it’s not OK to bang on somebody’s car, but it’s also not OK to try to barrel through a group of people standing in the road, even if they shouldn’t be there,” Rice said.

Police are staying very alert and keeping a close eye on demonstrators and have daily briefings about how to respond, he said.

As for the businesses, the business owners and managers have the right to decide what to allow and not allow on their property, Rice said. For example, when protesters went to Sam’s Club on Monday night, they were asked to leave the property and went to the Galleria.

Protesters have said their intent is not to physically harm anyone, but to make life uncomfortable for Hoover residents and visitors and to cripple the city’s economy by deterring people from shopping in the city until they get justice for Emantic “E.J.” Bradford Jr., the 21-year-old Hueytown man who was shot to death by a Hoover police officer as police responded to another shooting in the mall on Thanksgiving night.

An attorney for Bradford’s family said Monday that forensic evidence indicates Bradford was shot three times from behind: once in the back of the head, once in the back of the neck and a third time in the back near his right hip. Bradford’s family members have said the police officer should be charged with capital murder and have demanded to see police body camera video of the shootings and any other videos from the incidents.

The Hoover Police Department has placed the police officer who killed Bradford on administrative leave while the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency investigates the two shootings at the mall.

ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor has said ALEA will not release videos or other evidence related to the shootings but instead will turn all evidence over to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office once its investigation is complete. Prematurely releasing videos or other evidence could compromise the integrity of the investigation, he said.

Thus far, most of the protests have been targeted at one or two locations per night and have not lasted long.

Some Hoover residents, while expressing sympathy for the Bradford family and a desire to get answers related to the shooting, have said they disagree with the way protests are being conducted and that the protests are unfairly hurting people who own or work at businesses that had nothing to do with the shootings.

Some Hoover residents are encouraging people to make a special effort to patronize businesses at the Galleria and other places in the city to show support for Hoover businesses. Others have made goodie bags for Hoover police officers to show support for them as well.