2020 has been one heck of a year. Starting with the loss of a legendary athlete, Kobe Bryant, to a pandemic that put the entire world in a panic state, to the passing of George Floyd which has sparked police brutality protests both nationally and internationally, and it seems as though the news is on top of it. Broadcast outlets constantly giving us new updates about COVID-19 and how we can keep ourselves safe, new footage of protests and riots demanding justice and an end to police brutality. Yet, there are many scenes that you would think deserve national coverage, but we are only aware of these events if we are there or via social media. In fact, one of these events recently took place in Birmingham, Alabama when city officials and black residents received threats from the Ku Klux Klan.
Birmingham, like many other cities, took action after the murder of George Floyd. Protestors marched the streets demanding justice, an end to police brutality and the removal of a Confederate statue. However, the removal of this statue sparked rage with the KKK, as they have threatened to “kill the mayor” and “shoot every black person they saw,” says Birmingham resident, Sterling Hutchinson.