Concrete barriers will remain indefinitely at intersections in East Lake as a result of a unanimous City Council vote Tuesday following a public hearing in which residents and business owners expressed opinions for and against the Project Safe Streets pilot program that began July 8.

Mayor Randall Woodfin said further action by the council and the Birmingham Department of Transportation would be necessary before permanent road closures could happen, and his office would engage with residents again through town hall meetings, direct mail and knocking on doors before bringing a proposal to the council.

“This is not perfect,” Woodfin said of the barricades. “This is a tool in the toolbox. There is still ample work to do.”

Woodfin said his office will reassess outcomes as the project moves from the pilot phase to “what’s next.”

Woodfin presented data related to the types of activities Project Safe Streets aims to curb by limiting access points to a rectangular swath of residential area parallel to First Avenue North. Those activities include gun violence, illegal dumping, theft, speeding and prostitution.

Public safety calls for service were down from 4,698 in 2023 to 3,667 in 2024, the mayor said, and the Birmingham Police Department’s Shot Spotter program recorded 804 gunshots fired in 2024 versus 1,011 in 2023. He said auto-related deaths were down 50% in 2024 compared to 2023, and burglaries were down 40%.

During the pilot project, police seized 20 firearms, issued 1,031 traffic citations and made 159 criminal arrests, Woodfin said.

Project Safe Streets also has involved the city identifying and demolishing abandoned buildings, removing trash and litter, enforcing existing codes related to overgrown yards and junk debris, and adding stop signs, speed cushions, crosswalks and roadway striping.

Divided Opinions

During the public hearing, 10 community members spoke mostly in favor of the barriers, and six voiced opposition and concerns.

Community members who spoke in favor of the barriers said that they have witnessed less criminal activity — including gunshots, prostitution and people trying to break into cars — and that roadways are safer because drivers aren’t using as many streets as cut-throughs, have slowed down and are more likely to be cautious at intersections.

Multiple residents described having heard gunfire near their homes on a regular basis and telling their children to get on the floor when shots were fired. Some told of stray bullets entering their homes.

Brenda Jones, who has lived in East Lake for 40 years, said she doesn’t hear gunshots anymore.

“I feel safe,” she said. “I’m not afraid to go in my front yard, my back yard. I’m not afraid for my grandchildren to come out now because someone may be driving by to shoot them.”

Elena Melton, who has lived in East Lake for five years, said that before the barriers were placed, three bullets were fired into her 14-year-old son’s bedroom moments after he left the room, a speeding driver almost struck her son and people regularly dumped trash in her yard.

“We haven’t had this experience of people continuing to shoot in the area and speed out since the barricades,” she said. “That used to happen three or four times a week. We’re really grateful. I’m really sorry for my neighbors who don’t have the same experience. We were literally on our way out the door except for this pilot project.”

Two other speakers who told of bullets being shot into their homes said the barriers had not improved their situations.

Ursula Walker said four bullets were fired into her home 10 days ago. “I don’t feel no safer with the barricades,” Walker said. “I’m scared to go in my backyard because I can’t see through my fence, so I don’t know if they shooting.”

Some areas see higher crime and others experience less because barriers create hot spots, said Bianca Young, a resident who spoke against the road closures. She said issues such as not being able to have groceries delivered or get rideshare services to drive into the barricaded area are especially difficult for seniors and homebound people.

“It’s not just inconvenience for someone who lives in a marginalized area,” Young said. “It makes your lifestyle hard, and it doesn’t need to be.”

Michael Larino, owner of family business Contri Brothers Gift Basket, which has operated in East Lake since 1957, said he has seen the neighborhood in good times and bad times, and he is wholeheartedly in favor of the barriers. He said changes in foot traffic have meant people no longer walk through his parking lot checking whether his employees’ vehicles are locked.

“What has taken place with the traffic barriers has been the most positive shot in the arm for East Lake that I’ve seen since what I can remember it as (far) back as a kid,” he said.

James Jones, a teacher and traffic officer at Barrett Elementary School inside the barricaded area, said the barriers and the city making the street in front of the school one way for traffic has turned chaotic dropoff and pickup times into a controlled, calm process. People used to drive on sidewalks and speed near the school, he said.

“All that has changed,” Jones said. “The culture has changed. Parents appreciate what the city has done.”

The Rev. Larry Cockrell of Household of Faith Church said a barrier near the church is badly placed, preventing residential access to a new Dollar General market on First Avenue North and negatively affecting church events, weddings and funerals. People regularly park in the church parking lot and walk to Dollar General, he said.

“What I’m asking is that if you all consider approving this, that there be some modifications made to the location of some of these barriers that have been barriers themselves.” Cockrell said. “We basically are somewhat closed in, and we do not have the ability to navigate the space like we need to.”

Some residents questioned whether other aspects of Project Safe Streets were more effective than the barriers in reducing crime.

“I think the progress that we’ve seen is based on being aware,” Young said. “It’s based on presence. It’s based on having the homes fixed, making sure things are up to code, following the rules that we already have in place, arresting people who have warrants out, picking up guns from people who don’t need them or shouldn’t have them. I don’t understand why we can’t use what we have and continue with the increased enforcement, because I think that is what has made the difference.”

Raquita Hendrix said she appreciates the innovation of Project Safe Streets, but residents are trapped in and criminals adapted quickly to the barricades.

“Although the intent is beautiful, I think we’re ignoring the root-cause issue,” she said.

Those committing crimes are mostly young men who need resources, mentors and outreach programs, and who need to see a different potential path for themselves, Hendrix said.

EMS Response Times

Numerous residents and Councilor Carol Clarke expressed concerns about challenges the barriers could present to emergency responders.

Assata Wayne, who lives on Division Avenue, said she takes care of her grandmother and worries about response times because she lives near the end of the barricaded area and there’s only one way out. She asked if a security gate with fobs for residents and emergency responders could be installed instead of barriers.

“If you’re going to keep it up, make sure that we can get in and out, but otherwise it presents a false sense of security for our family,” she said.

Walker said a house near her home burned two weeks after the barricades were installed, and she believed that was because the fire department could not get to it fast enough.

Clarke said she was concerned about extra time it might take for ambulances to get people to hospitals if they have to back up because of the barriers. She asked if permanent barriers could be designed so emergency vehicles could cross them.

Woodfin said if barriers remain, his office is committed to making the system efficient for emergency responders.

Cory Moon, Birmingham fire chief, said the barriers have not slowed response times. He said response times for East Lake fire companies in 2023 averaged 7 minutes and 32 seconds, and in 2024 they averaged 6 minutes and 52 seconds. The barriers were in place only the second half of 2024.

What’s Next?

If the council approves permanent road closures, 14 roads would be blocked by curb bump-outs and bollards and six alleys would be closed with heavy-duty guardrails, the mayor said, at a cost of $518,000. Project implementation would take eight to 10 months, he said.

Clarke asked whether those permanent measures could be reversed.

“We always want to empower the residents,” Woodfin said. “Fifteen or 20 years from now, this same generation or their children or their grandchildren may say we want something different, and I think as mayor and council, we should be open to that.”

Councilor Valerie Abbott asked if the barriers in East Lake would be a model replicated in other neighborhoods, and Woodfin said that is possible.

“Other residents in other neighborhoods will want this if there’s an opportunity to slow traffic down in the neighborhood, prevent and/or decrease illegal dumping, other forms of illegal activity, decrease shooting, etc.,” he said.

Councilor Hunter Williams, whose district includes South East Lake, cautioned against making roadway barriers a cookie-cutter response in other neighborhoods.