PHOTO COURTESY OF BEN CRUMP LAW
EJ Bradford, was killed at the Riverchase Galleria mall, Nov. 22.
Lauren Moore
BlazerNews Editor
[email protected]
One afternoon a few years ago, when Semaj Holden, head of community relations for the Black Student Awareness Committee, was still in high school, he was pulled over by the police while his little brother was in the back seat.
Holden immediately noticed that the police officer has his gun out. The only thing Holden said he could focus on, was the gun and the fact this his little brother was in the back seat.
A few years later when his family relocated to Madison, he hoped his experience with law enforcement would be different. Although Holden never experienced direct racism from law enforcement in Madison, he knew his race and his background put him in a disadvantage.
“They don’t like you because of what you drive and how you present yourself,” said Holden.
When Holdren stated living in Birmingham, to attend UAB, he said he hoped things would be different here. However, on Nov. 22, the night Emantic Bradford, a 21-year-old black male was killed, Holden immediately knew something was off.
“I know police is bad, but you know Birmingham is a huge area. It’s probably been spotted [police brutality], police racism, whatever, but when it hits home…. I was never a fool, when the first story came out, I knew that’s not what happened.”
Holden said when the truth came out, a part of him refused to believe this could be where he lived or be the story of his community.”
However, a man shot another man during a dispute at the Galleria, resulting in the mall entering a state of chaos. The real shooter evaded police while Bradford, who was wrongly thought to be the shooter, was shot and killed by a Hoover police officer.
“We extend sympathy to the family of Emantic J. Bradford, Jr., of Hueytown, who was shot and killed during Hoover Police efforts to secure the scene in the seconds following the original altercation and shooting,” said the City of Hoover and Hoover Police (in a joint statement). “The loss of human life is a tragedy under any circumstances. We can say with certainty Mr. Bradford brandished a gun during the seconds following the gunshots, which instantly heightened the sense of threat to approaching police officers responding to the chaotic scene.”
The word “brandish” is defined as “an act or instance of waving something menacingly or exhibiting something aggressively,” but witnesses claim that Bradford simply had a gun visibly on his person, according to AL.com. Alabama has open carry laws that allow individuals who are licensed to carry a weapon.
According to USAToday.com, April Pipkins, Bradford’s mother, said that her son would still be alive today had he been white.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a good guy with a gun, if you’re black the police shoot and kill you and ask questions later,” said Ben Crump, civil rights attorney and past representative of Trayvon Martin, and for the family of Bradford.
Hoover police are currently under investigation for the incident, with the officers involved on administrative leave, according to NPR.org. Meanwhile, the family and activists demand that Hoover police release the body cam footage from the cop that shot EJ that night.
While shootings have happened all over the country, having one happen in Birmingham has a different kind of effect on the community.
“I feel that the impact on students continues a societal concern of safety in regards to interactions with law enforcement,” said Herbert Wilkerson, ALC, clinical counselor at the Student Health and Wellness Center and facilitator for counseling group The Black Experience: Fellas Let’s Go There. “This recent event can likely continue this trend of distrust with law enforcement.”
The question that remains is what can be done in the wake of the Galleria shooting.
“As a man of color, I can empathize with feeling [unsafe around law enforcement]because I know that not all, but some, will view skin tone as a weapon,” Wilkerson said. “This could impact the way people communicate with law enforcement or impact areas they feel safe traveling. These events like the one in Hoover can be triggering to many emotions, and Student Counseling Services offers a confidential safe space to talk at no charge to students.”
Kris Vincent, representative of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., said that he refuses to believe instances like the one at the Galleria are due to inadequate police training, but rather they are due to preconceived prejudices.
“I feel like before you can ever change a group of people, that group of people has to have a change within themselves,” said Paul Okweye, member of the Black Male Excellence Network.
Holden said that even though Bradford can’t be brought back, people can still bring awareness to the issue to try and create change for the future.
“It’s crazy, I thought about doing my Black Friday shopping here in Birmingham and everything, and I was like ‘what if that was me? what if my mom could have gotten that same call saying your son is lying dead here on the floor?’” Holden said. “If you can’t do anything at all, just say something, voice your opinion, because people’s opinions travel, they get places, they gain support. You’re going to have support from people wither you say something or not, but you’ll get a greater support if you have an opinion on it and you knowsomething is wrong.”
