ONE YEAR LATER: Is Five Points South still a popular entertainment district after mass shooting?
HUDDLE TONIGHT. THIS SUNDAY MARKS ONE YEAR SINCE BIRMINGHAM WAS ROCKED BY ITS SECOND MASS SHOOTING OF 2024. IN THE LATE NIGHT HOURS OF SEPTEMBER 21ST, FOUR PEOPLE WERE KILLED AND 17 OTHERS HURT. DAMIAN MCDANIEL HAS BEEN CHARGED IN CONNECTION TO THE SHOOTING, ALONG WITH 14 OTHER MURDERS IN BIRMINGHAM. WVTM13’S JARVIS ROBERTSON IS LIVE IN LOCAL IN FIVE POINTS SOUTH. AFTER SPEAKING TO PEOPLE ABOUT HOW THE AREA HAS CHANGED SINCE JARVIS. WELL, THERE’S A DECENT AMOUNT OF PEOPLE HERE IN FIVE POINT SOUTH RIGHT NOW. HOWEVER, I AM TOLD THAT THINGS DEFINITELY CHANGED AFTER THAT MASS SHOOTING. SO WE CAME DOWN HERE TODAY TO TALK TO PEOPLE JUST TO SEE HOW THEY’RE FEELING. THE SOUND AND LOOK OF FIVE POINT SOUTH CARS PASSING THROUGH. PEOPLE WALKING BY. BUT ONE YEAR LATER, SOME WOULD SAY THE EFFECT OF THAT MASS SHOOTING OUTSIDE OF HUSH LOUNGE IS STILL BEING FELT. SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2024 WAS A NIGHT OF TERROR FOR THOSE WHO WERE IN THE AREA. FOUR PEOPLE WERE KILLED, 17 OTHERS INJURED WHEN GUNFIRE RIPPED THROUGH THIS POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT. FAST FORWARD TO TODAY. YOU CAN SEE SOMEONE WROTE SIMPLE MESSAGES ON THE WALLS WHERE THE SHOOTING TOOK PLACE. KINDNESS. NOT VIOLENCE. PEACE AND LOVE. I SPOKE TO A BUSINESS OWNER WHO DIDN’T WANT TO BE IDENTIFIED, BUT HE TOLD ME THINGS ARE DIFFERENT BECAUSE THAT ACT OF HATE HAS SCARED SO MANY PEOPLE AWAY. HE SAYS IT’S TO THE POINT WHERE HIS ESTABLISHMENT IS CONSIDERING A PERMANENT CLOSE. BECAUSE IT’S BEEN A YEAR. WE WANTED TO KNOW WHAT THE ATMOSPHERE HAS BEEN LIKE SINCE THEN. IT’S BEEN PRETTY MELLOW OVER HERE. I HANG OUT OVER HERE EVERY NOW AND THEN WHILE THERE’S A PUSH TO GET BACK TO A FAMILIAR PACE. CYNTHIA ALEXANDER IS HAPPY TO KNOW THAT GUN VIOLENCE HAS DECREASED ACROSS BIRMINGHAM. WELL, THAT’S A BLESSING. THAT’S A BLESSING RIGHT THERE. IT’S ABOUT TIME BECAUSE, I MEAN, IT WAS TIMES THAT I WOULD WATCH THE NEWS. I WOULD SEE A KILLING EVERY WEEK. I’M OPTIMISTIC BECAUSE I’M A PERSON OF FAITH. ONE OF MY FAVORITE FAITH BASED VIDEOS WAS FILMED AT FIVE POINTS. ROBERT COOPER LIVES ABOUT 45 MINUTES NORTHEAST OF BIRMINGHAM, BUT STILL MAKES TIME TO COME BACK TO FIVE POINT SOUTH. WE LIVED IN BIRMINGHAM FOR A DECADE, AND I USED TO WORK AT THE GREENBRIER UP ON HIGHLAND. HE LOVES THE DIVERSITY OF THE AREA, FROM THE PEOPLE TO THE BUSINESSES. FOR THOSE WHO MAY BE SCARED TO VISIT THE AREA AGAIN, HIS POIGNANT MESSAGE YOU CAN GET SHOT IN YOUR OWN HOME WITH A HOME INVASION. YOU CAN GET SHOT WHEREVER YOU ARE. YOU COULD BE IN A MOVIE THEATER. IT DOESN’T MATTER THESE DAYS, SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL JUST ENJOY YOUR LIFE AND LIVE YOUR LIFE THE BEST YOU CAN. SOMETHING ALEXANDER ECHOES BUT WANTS PEOPLE TO KNOW YOU’RE NEVER ALONE. JUST PUT GOD FIRST IN YOUR HEART AND IN YOUR MIND AND CARRY HIM EVERYWHERE YOU GO. AND YOU’LL BE ALL RIGHT. SO YOU SEE THERE, IT’S A MIXED REACTION FROM THE DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE SPOKEN TO TODAY. NOW, IN THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH OF THAT MASS SHOOTING, WE SAW AN INCREASED PRESENCE FROM BIRMINGHAM POLICE PATROLLING THE AREA. ALSO IN THE COMING DAYS AND MONTHS AFTER THAT MASS SHOOTING, WE DID SEE AN INCREASE OF SERVICES HERE IN THE FIVE POINTS AREA. THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT WALK AROUND IN THE BLUE SHIRTS, PROVIDING SERVICES THAT ARE NON EMERGENCY FOR ANYONE IN THE AREA THAT MAY NEED IT. REPORTING LIVE HERE IN FIVE POINT SOUTH TONIGHT IN BIRMINGHAM I’M JARVI
ONE YEAR LATER: Is Five Points South still a popular entertainment district after mass shooting?
Sept. 21, 2024, changed the feel of Birmingham’s Five Points South district. Four people were killed and 17 others were hurt in a late-night mass shooting. Since then, the once-popular entertainment district has seen a decline in people choosing to hang out.WVTM spoke to a business owner who didn’t want to be identified but says things are completely different. The amount of revenue his establishment would earn in a month has drastically decreased. The mass shooting happened outside of Hush Lounge. On the walls near the former business, someone wrote two simple messages: “kindness not violence,” and “peace and love.”The city and those who have a stake in the area have worked to bring the district back to a familiar pace. However, others will tell you it’s not the same.We spoke to Cynthia Alexander Friday evening about what the atmosphere has been like since that tragic incident.”It’s been pretty mellow over here. I hang out over here every now and then,” Alexander said.
Sept. 21, 2024, changed the feel of Birmingham’s Five Points South district. Four people were killed and 17 others were hurt in a late-night mass shooting. Since then, the once-popular entertainment district has seen a decline in people choosing to hang out.
WVTM spoke to a business owner who didn’t want to be identified but says things are completely different. The amount of revenue his establishment would earn in a month has drastically decreased.
The mass shooting happened outside of Hush Lounge. On the walls near the former business, someone wrote two simple messages: “kindness not violence,” and “peace and love.”
The city and those who have a stake in the area have worked to bring the district back to a familiar pace. However, others will tell you it’s not the same.
We spoke to Cynthia Alexander Friday evening about what the atmosphere has been like since that tragic incident.
“It’s been pretty mellow over here. I hang out over here every now and then,” Alexander said.