MOBILE, Ala. — A stretch of gun violence in Mobile — four shootings in less than 24 hours — has city leaders openly questioning whether Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s signature pledge to make Mobile “the safest city in America” by 2020 can be kept.
With less than seven months left until that self-imposed deadline, concerns about the pace of violent incidents surfaced during Tuesday’s Mobile City Council meeting.
Councilmember: ‘It’s Just Going to Get Worse’
Councilman CJ Small told colleagues he did not see the goal being met at the current rate.
“Our mayor campaigned on having the safest, friendliest city by 2020 — I just don’t see it,” Small said. “If we don’t crack down or do something, it’s just going to get worse. I hate to say it, but it’s not just the east side of Mobile, it’s now on the west side of Mobile. It’s a bad statement on our city.”
Stimpson and Public Safety Director Respond
Stimpson, speaking that evening at a Mobile United community forum, acknowledged the toll the violence is taking on residents’ sense of security.
“How can you not think of crime when every night on the news you’re reading something that you’d prefer was happening in some other city than where you’re living,” the mayor said.
Public Safety Director James Barber, whom Stimpson quoted as saying police “can’t arrest our way out of this problem,” conceded the timeline may slip but said the objective itself remains.
“Maybe it will take longer than the mayor anticipated, but we’re certainly going to continue to try,” Barber said.
Small, for his part, argued that reaching the goal will require a citywide effort rather than enforcement alone, calling Mobile “a jewel, a treasure” worth protecting for visitors and residents alike.