Federal charges eyed after rioters damage U.S. courthouses in Birmingham

Federal authorities are keeping close tabs on unrest in Birmingham, especially after rioters damaged the Robert S. Vance Federal Building and the Hugo L. Black U.S. Courthouse.

Both federal buildings, along 5th Avenue North, sustained broken glass during the overnight unrest throughout Birmingham. “Federal agencies are using all of our tools to investigate the perpetrators and who is behind the damage to federal property and those individuals will be brought to justice,’’ said Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Jay Town.

"The right to free speech and assembly are cornerstones of our American freedom. Do so freely. Do so responsibly. Do so lawfully,'' Town said. “Those who hijack this peaceful process by organizing, inciting or participating in riotous behavior and civil unrest will be brought to justice.”

A peaceful rally Sunday afternoon that started in Kelly Ingram Park ended a short distance away in Linn Park with protesters trying to remove a confederate monument, spray-painting and chiseling at its base. Demonstrators then moved from the park and began breaking windows in banks, offices, bars, restaurants and salons.

Gunshots could be heard into the early hours. Fires were lit in streets, dumpsters and gutted the California Fashion Mall. Heavily armed police and angry protesters filled the streets through the night.

Police said the riots resulted in burglaries at 14 businesses with another 13 businesses that had significant damage ranging from broken windows to vandalism to looting. Authorities said 24 arrests were made in Birmingham.

Town, FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp Jr. and U.S. Marshal Marty Keely on Monday issued a joint warning about possible federal crimes, which bring longer prison sentences than state convictions.

“Those who cause any damage to federal property have committed a federal crime and will be prosecuted in a federal court. We have zero tolerance for those who incite, organize, encourage, or engage in civil unrest, violence, and destructive behavior anywhere in the Northern District of Alabama. And make no mistake, we will bring those individuals to justice who do.”

Town said it’s very important that local and state agencies share crime intelligence with their federal partners so they can determine whether individuals are coming in from outside of the state or using any facility in interstate commerce such as cell phones, social media, and the internet to direct, organize or participate in the civil unrest.

“We have a federal interest, a federal stake in that type of information and there are a number of federal offenses as it relates to riots, civil unrest, the use of incendiary devices or participating in any type of arson of these buildings,’’ Town said. “The FBI along with other federal agencies are working around the clock and, frankly, so is my office to ensure that we have up-to-date crime intelligence and that we’re using it to pursue these individuals so that we can bring them to justice in a federal court.”

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