Selma business leaders meet with new police chief to address downtown safety concerns

Downtown Selma business owners, property owners and church leaders met with new Selma Police Chief Ettice Brickus Friday morning to discuss public safety concerns, including late-night disturbances, homelessness, vandalism and the need for stronger enforcement of city ordinances.

The meeting, held at the St. James Hotel, was organized by the Selma Redevelopment Authority, Main Street Selma and the St. James Hotel to give downtown stakeholders an opportunity to share their concerns directly with the city's new police chief.

City Councilmen Clay Carmichael and Michael Johnson spearheaded the meeting. Council members Jannie Thomas, Lesia James and Nadine Sturdivant also attended. Mayor Johnny Moss III, who had a scheduling conflict, joined the discussion near its conclusion.

Brickus, who took office Oct. 1, listened to concerns, answered questions and took notes on her iPad throughout the meeting. She emphasized that building relationships with residents and business owners will be central to her approach to policing.

"I am a part of the community," Brickus said. "I want that to be very clear: this is a collaborative effort, and police is community, and community is police."

She said understanding Selma's culture, expectations and challenges is essential to improving public safety. The only way to be successful is for her to "truly understand the needs and the concerns of the community and that I know and I understand the culture of the city and what the expectations are of me, so coming out and engaging and talking to people is what I need, so that I know what I need to do and the support that I need to provide," she said.

Late-night disturbances affecting downtown businesses

One of the primary concerns raised was loud music and gatherings along Alabama Avenue that continue into the early morning hours.

St. James Hotel owner Jim Lewis said the disturbances are affecting guests at the historic hotel, which reopened over the summer. Some guests, including those with early morning flights, have complained about music from vehicles parked along the street that keeps them awake late into the night.

Downtown property owner Clyde Richardson said the city already has ordinances that could address many of the problems, but they have not been consistently enforced.

Richardson said people gathering outside downtown businesses late at night need to "go inside or go home."

Brickus said she encountered similar problems while working with the Baltimore Police Department and would examine possible enforcement measures, including occupancy limits and fire code violations. She asked for help identifying business owners to talk to.

Homelessness, mental health and property damage

Downtown church leaders also described growing concerns involving homelessness, mental health and damage to private property.

Pastor John Grayson, who operates the Winston Williams Homeless Shelter, and Rev. Steve Burton of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church shared experiences involving people experiencing homelessness and mental health challenges in the downtown area.

Burton said his church has suffered at least $20,000 in damage from vandalism and theft, including the removal of copper roofing and light fixtures.

He also described an incident in which he took a homeless man to the home of the man's sister, who fired a gun at him. Burton said the incident was reported to Selma police but was never followed up on.

Brickus said it is hard to address mental health issues and the department will need partnerships with agencies and professionals trained to respond to those situations.

Grayson suggested that more routine traffic enforcement could help officers identify additional violations, including outstanding warrants. He pointed to practices in Thomasville, where he lived before moving to Selma 30 years ago.

Police staffing, pay and facilities remain challenges

Brickus said one of the department's greatest obstacles is its shortage of officers, compounded by low salaries that make recruitment difficult. The city needs to offer better compensation and incentives to attract and retain qualified officers, she suggested.

Brickus acknowledged public discussion about her own salary, joking that although some residents were unhappy with what she was being paid, she had taken a pay cut to come to Selma, as she had previously done when moving to Montgomery.

Councilwoman Jannie Thomas said council members want to help identify funding sources, including potential grants, to improve police compensation.

Brickus also raised concerns about conditions at the Selma Police Department headquarters, saying the building needs significant improvements. She specifically mentioned an unpleasant odor that could be related to mold.

She said the facility should reflect professionalism and provide an environment where officers are proud to work and residents feel comfortable seeking assistance.

Councilman Johnson noted that the city has previously operated police precincts in other areas of Selma that could potentially be used while officials consider improvements to the main station.

More enforcement and community cooperation

Brickus said she also wants to change the culture surrounding how residents interact with police.

She encouraged residents and business owners to report suspicious activity and problems.

Another topic was the city's SkyCop surveillance camera system. Brickus said she would like to have a staff member dedicated to regularly monitoring footage, identifying potential crimes and ensuring incidents receive appropriate follow-up.

She stressed that accountability will be an important part of her leadership.

"We can’t stop people from being knuckleheads and making bad decisions, but they have to know that I’m coming," Brickus said.

Downtown safety tied to Selma's future

Louretta Wimberly, a longtime Selma historian and neighborhood block captain, reminded those attending that the city's importance extends far beyond its boundaries.

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She described Selma as one of the most important and iconic cities in the world because of its role in the struggle for voting rights and equality.

Without Selma's contributions to those movements, she asked, "where would we be?"

"We need to clean up our city not just for ourselves but for the world," Wimberly said.

Lewis said he left the meeting encouraged by Brickus' willingness to listen and agreement to follow up.

He said Selma is attracting international interest from potential investors, but concerns about safety and the condition of downtown could hinder that investment.

"There is enormous potential interest in Selma," Lewis said.

He expressed support for a zero-tolerance approach to disruptive and unlawful activity in the downtown business district, saying improvements could help restore confidence among residents, visitors and investors.

Lewis said he would like to continue the conversation with another meeting, and Brickus offered to return in six weeks to discuss progress.

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The Selma Redevelopment Authority, Main Street Selma and St. James Hotel brought together business owners and church leaders from downtown Selma properties to talk about what they want to see addressed by the new police chief Ettice Brickus. The meeting was at St. James Hotel on Friday morning.

City Councilmen Clay Carmichael and Michael Johnson spearheaded the meeting. Other council members in attendance were Jannie Thomas, Lesia James and Nadine Sturdivant. Mayor Johnny Moss III had a conflict but came near the end of the meeting.

St. James Hotel owner Jim Lewis said he wants to do another and Brickus offered to do so in six weeks.

Brickus said she attended this meeting because, “I am a part of the community,” adding, “I want that to be very clear: this is a collaborative effort, and police is community, and community is police.”

She said the only way to be successful is for her to “truly understand the needs and the concerns of the community and that I know and I understand the culture of the city and what the expectations are of me, so coming out and engaging and talking to people is what I need, so that I know what I need to do and the support that I need to provide.”

Brickus, who started on Oct. 1, took notes on her iPad to refer to later and answered questions for what business leaders say are problems that are impacting their businesses. 

Two pastors with a stake downtown - John Grayson who runs the homeless shelter and Steve Burton of Cornerstone Presbyterian - also attended and shared stories of a growing issue with a large homeless population with mental health issues. Burton said his church has been vandalized for at least $20,000 in damage from stealing pieces of their copper roof and even the light fixtures. Burton took a homeless man to his sister’s house and she shot at him, which was reported to Selma police but never followed up on.

Brickus said mental health help will require a partner with an agency that is trained for that. 

St. James Hotel owner Jim Lewis said problems that hurt their business – which just reopened over the summer – is loud music from cars parked on Alabama Avenue for parties into the overnight hours. He said guests with early morning flights to catch have complained that the music is keeping them up too late.

Downtown property owner Clyde Richardson said there are ordinances on the books that can be used but they haven’t been enforced. He said the parties outside of businesses like on Alabama Avenue need to “go inside or go home.”

Brickus said she dealt with this while at the Baltimore police department and will look at capacity for violations and fire code. She wants to see what is the root cause and asked for help knowing who to bring to the table.

Grayson suggested regular pulling over cars for minor infractions that can lead to finding more issues like warrants. This was done in Thomasville, where he lived before moving to Selma 30 years ago.

Brickus said one problem is the force is understaffed and pay is not high enough to recruit more officers. They need more incentives. She joked that the community didn’t like how much she was making but she took a pay cut to come to Selma. and to Montgomery before. 

She wants to normalize calling the police for help and to notify about problems. Right now, the culture is not calling in issues. 

Jannie Thomas said the council wants to help find the funds to increase police pay. Whether with grants. 

Brickus said the police station needs major improvements especially the bad smell that could be from mold. The building needs to give a professional vibe for staff and the community and it doesn’t right now.

Michael Johnson said there have been precincts in other parts of the city that the officers could use as the city looks at ways to fix the station.

They also talked about checking the skycam footage regularly which Brickus said she wants someone on staff who does that only. And make a case for followup.

“We can’t stop people from being knuckleheads and making bad decisions, but they have to know that I’m coming,” Brickus said.

Louretta Wimberly, longtime historian and block captain in her neighborhood, said Selma is one of the most important and iconic cities in the world and without its stand for voting rights and equal rights, “where would we be?”

“We need to clean up our city not just for ourselves but for the world,” Wimberly said.

Lewis said he was encouraged by the meeting, adding there is international attention from investors wanting to be a part of Selma if this can get fixed. He likes hearing that the city wants to get energized for change and improvement. He wants to see a zero tolerance policy for that area. 

“There is enormous potential interest in Selma,” he said.