State Rep. Juandalynn Givan upped her criticism about crime in Birmingham on Thursday via recorded remarks, saying that giving the impression Birmingham has made strides in its battle against violent crime is “a lie.”

She specifically mentioned a press conference Birmingham officials had after arrests were made in connection with the shooting at Hush Lounge on Southside. Givan contends that those arrests and any other recent strides against violent crime were possible only because of federal help, including from the FBI.

“All Birmingham’s doing right now is simply issuing the arrest warrants,” Givan said.

Mayor Randall Woodfin has touted recent improvements in the city’s crime rate in other venues, as well. According to police data, Birmingham experienced 19 murders between Jan. 1 and March 31. That’s compared to 34 during the same time in 2024.

But Givan said change doesn’t come that fast, and people are still being killed in Birmingham.

“You have people out here thinking that, oh we have changed so much … . That’s the narrative this administration wants to give to the public and it’s not right. That’s not right. The public needs to understand they still need to be cautious,” Givan said in her statement, pointing out that several murders have happened in the past few weeks.

Givan’s remarks were given as she reiterated her criticism on April 1 of Woodfin’s appointment of Michael Pickett as police chief. Pickett had been serving as interim chief for about five months. Givan said she respects Pickett but questioned his lack of supervisory experience and whether promoting from within was the right move.

“There’s been an issue with the morale of these officers for a very, very long time, and when these types of decisions are made, it further erodes the process of trying to bring harmony,” she said.

Woodfin’s office did not respond to Givan’s statement.