Quote:Birmingham Council approves Obama party
Scott Mauldin
Published: January 6, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala—A local celebration of Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration could put national attention on Birmingham while also raising questions about the use of public funds after private business refused to pay for the party.
Birmingham City Council members approved spending $48,860 in a contact with McMillan and Associates to plan a free public party at the city’s Boutwell Auditorium, on January 20th.
Council President Carole Smitherman said a local celebration of the Obama inauguration is important because of the town’s civil rights history.
“It is important that Birmingham, the cradle of the Confederacy at one time, that went through the civil rights era, that we are a participant in this,“ Smitherman said.
Efforts to pay for the party with private donations failed after the local chamber of commerce and a business recruiting agency said no members were interested in making donations. That led to strong words from elected leaders who questioned whether city funds should be spent on the free event.
“The private sector should not have even had to have been asked. They should have come forward. They should have done it on their own,“ said Council member Joel Montgomery.
“People have characterized this as some kind of misspending of tax payer dollars. To me that minimizes the significance of this kind of event,“ said Councilor Roderick Royal. (What "kind of event"? A presidential inauguration? Funny, I don't remember a party for Bush's inauguration.)
The free event is being planned by the same group that organizes the popular local City Stages music event. (You mean that cash hemorrhage that happens every June? Great!) It promises some international exposure for the area, according to planner George McMillan, Jr.
“The British Broadcasting Corporation, is going to come to Birmingham to cover this event live. In fact there is a possibility that the people who are in Boutwell will see themselves on national and international television,“ McMillan told the Council. (Yeah, who can pass up an opportunity to get laughed at on (inter)national TV?)
Besides the exposure of a celebration, Mayor Larry Langford hopes the event sends a message -to the local black community about local crime rates and unity.
“I can’t look at you no more … and say the white folks did it. White folks aren’t killing black folks, black folks are killing black folks,” Langford said. He is African-American.
“If nothing else, his inauguration ought to serve as a reminder to all of us about where this city has been,” he said.
Thank goodness we're not using this money for hiring additional police officers or anything silly like that. Who needs police officers when you've got burlap sacks?
I can't believe they actually had the gall to lecture local business leaders for not paying for it. Actually, yes I can.
Link to the original article?
Quote:“It is important that Birmingham, the cradle of the Confederacy at one time, that went through the civil rights era, that we are a participant in this,“ Smitherman said.
That's pretty funny considering Birmingham didn't exist until after the Civl War. I swear to God, the people running this city and county are so ignorant.
Any opportunity to get a positive image out of how B'ham has changed in its racial outlook from the constantly rerun 1960s pictures of fire hoses and police dogs is a good use of funds. Hire more police officers with less than $50,000? If you can get them for that, hire us a dozen!
Thanks to such past leaders as "Bull" Conner and Mayor Art Haynes from the old City Commission, B'ham is not just another southern city when it comes to events related to progress in racial relations. There may be some national and even international interest in how the election of an African-American President "plays" in this city. The city's present leaders should never miss a good chance to put the city on display in a positive way. Cost? How much did our Commissioners cost B'ham when we were put on national and international display (for free) in the 60s? I wish we could "buy back" those images of terrorism and repression those leaders and their supporters put into the public mind.
(01-07-2009 02:20 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote: [ -> ]Any opportunity to get a positive image out of how B'ham has changed in its racial outlook from the constantly rerun 1960s pictures of fire hoses and police dogs is a good use of funds. Hire more police officers with less than $50,000? If you can get them for that, hire us a dozen!
Thanks to such past leaders as "Bull" Conner and Mayor Art Haynes from the old City Commission, B'ham is not just another southern city when it comes to events related to progress in racial relations. There may be some national and even international interest in how the election of an African-American President "plays" in this city. The city's present leaders should never miss a good chance to put the city on display in a positive way. Cost? How much did our Commissioners cost B'ham when we were put on national and international display (for free) in the 60s? I wish we could "buy back" those images of terrorism and repression those leaders and their supporters put into the public mind.
I'm sure this "party" would be covered by a lot of national media and changes lots of peoples minds about Birmingham. I mean its not like we've had a black mayor for the past how many years?
Man, Birmingham continues to do things that just baffle the rest of the country.
Little by little, the sewer disaster makes more sense.
Honestly why? I what I want to know is why I'm still surprised when they do dumb stuff like this.
If only we had Langford's cruise ship terminal in Birmingham, we could bring all of the international journalists in on the Queen Mary II.
Who the hell does George McMillan have compromising pictures of to continue to get public funds shoveled at him while he throws it down a well year after year after year?