Banana Joe’s Shooting May Lead To Birmingham Teen Curfew

By WVTM Archives

Published: July 8, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala—A night club shooting which left two dead may lead to a strict new 10 P.M. teen curfew, put some all-night clubs out of business and leave parents facing criminal charges when children break laws.
City officials reacted strongly, Tuesday, when they were shown police surveillance video of the pre-dawn Saturday shooting outside Banana Joe’s bar in Five Points South.
Video caught the shooting on camera. The crowd in the parking lot suddenly starts running when shots were fired. Police officers were already at the site and had arrested suspects within 40 seconds of the gunshots.
In another scene on the video, suspects can be seen in white shirts, lying on the ground, where police officers hand-cuffed them.
This is latest in a violent crime wave that now has city leaders suggesting a bigger fight against the climbing murder rate.
Teens will likely soon face a new strict curfew, starting at 10 P.M. Sunday through Thursday. A first-time offense could mean a five hundred dollar fine and detainment.
  “Any child we see out now violating the law, I want them picked up, taken to juvenile court and held for their parents to come,“ said Mayor Larry Langford.
Parents may also face arrest for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Crime rates and the latest killings brought strong words from public leaders, about illegal guns, starting with comments to the council from Police Chief A.C. Roper.
“I don’t mind saying it especially in the black community, that every one has a gun and most of the time when you talk to people they say they have a gun because the other guy has a gun,“ Chief Roper said.
Roper is African-American. So is councilor Roderick Royal who said this:
“This culture is not good for us because it’s a gang culture. All you have to do is turn on BET,“ Royal said, referring to the Black Entertainment Television channel.
“We got a lot of folks out here who are just mean, viscous people, pure and simple. They are not on drugs and they are not out of their mind,“ Mayor Langford said.
Besides a strict teen curfew, city leaders may also revoke the business or liquor license of Banana Joes, where Saturday’s shooting happened. The Five Points South Merchant’s Association wants it shut down. Elected leaders may review night club licenses across the city.
“I think we need to paint with this broad brush because Mike’s Crossroads also had somebody shot outside at 4:30 in the morning,“ said councilor Steven Hoyt.
“We need to be looking at all of these places and I agree with Councilor Hoyt that we need to look at places in other parts of town,“ said councilor Valerie Abbott.
Mayor Langford said by next week, he’ll have details of a new teen curfew presented to the city council.