09/05/2026
Black Lives Matter
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BIRMINGHAM HAS BEEN WARNED: IMPACTED FAMILIES & COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS DEMAND ANSWERS ABOUT JAIL DEATHS, MENTAL-HEALTH CRISES & POLICE ENCOUNTERS
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The City of Birmingham has been warned—and families, formerly incarcerated people, advocates, and community members are demanding answers.
Through lawsuits, firsthand accounts, and repeated concerns about medical care, staffing, medication, mental-health intervention, and responses to people experiencing crisis, serious questions have been raised about whether Birmingham's systems are adequately protecting people in its custody and those encountering law enforcement.
And people continue to die.
In December 2022, Angela Karen Langley Kimberly died inside the Birmingham City Jail. A federal lawsuit filed against the City, jail officials, and medical personnel alleges that Kimberly's worsening medical condition was not adequately addressed and raises concerns regarding medication, monitoring, emergency treatment, staffing, training, and access to outside medical care. The litigation was later amended to include Keisha Daniels, another woman formerly incarcerated at the jail.
The deaths of Kalena “Peaches” Croskey and Kendall Kadeem Sweazer have raised additional urgent questions about mental-health crises, medication, su***de prevention, medical intervention, and the City's response to people in distress.
City officials have acknowledged that Sweazer experienced a self-harm crisis, was transported to UAB for evaluation, returned to the jail, was placed on su***de watch, and was later found unresponsive. Accounts that he repeatedly asked for help and expressed fear for his life must be taken seriously and independently examined.
These cases are not identical. But together, they demand a larger question: Is Birmingham's system responding effectively when people are medically or psychologically vulnerable?
The concern extends beyond the jail.
In approximately ten months, Birmingham police officers have fatally shot Vanessa Ragland, Jamal D'Angelo Williams, Xavier Marquez Gray, Matthew Sean Massey, and most recently Otis Phillips. Each case must be evaluated on its own facts, but the number of fatal encounters demands transparency, accountability, and a serious examination of how Birmingham responds to people experiencing mental-health crises, homelessness, emotional distress, or other circumstances that can escalate an encounter with police.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
We are seeking testimony from formerly incarcerated people, families, neighbors, and friends who have experienced a medical or mental-health crisis involving the Birmingham City Jail, Birmingham police, or emergency services.
What happened? Who did you contact? What was the response? What was the outcome? And what regrets, if any, do you have about reaching out to people or agencies you believed you could trust?
We especially want to hear from people who experienced or witnessed:
● Denial or delay of medication or medical treatment
● Failure to respond to a medical or psychiatric emergency
● Inadequate su***de monitoring or mental-health intervention
● Dangerous or unsanitary jail conditions
● Inadequate staffing or supervision
● A person repeatedly asking for help and not receiving it
● Retaliation after requesting care or assistance
Families who contacted the jail, police, medical personnel, emergency services, or public officials on behalf of a loved one are also encouraged to share their experiences.
Preserve any relevant records, including medical documents, grievances, discharge paperwork, correspondence, photographs, court records, or other documentation.
BIRMINGHAM, YOU ARE ON NOTICE.
We are not asking the public to reach predetermined conclusions. We are demanding that the questions be answered.
Who knew?
Who was notified?
Who had the authority to intervene?
Were policies followed?
And when they were not, who was held accountable?
Every life matters—whether that person was incarcerated, experiencing homelessness, living with a mental-health crisis, or simply encountered law enforcement.
Angela Kimberly mattered. Peaches Croskey mattered. Kendall Sweazer mattered. Vanessa Ragland mattered. Jamal D'Angelo Williams mattered. Xavier Gray mattered. Matthew Massey mattered. Otis Phillips mattered.
Their families deserve answers. Birmingham deserves accountability.
Please do not post confidential medical or legal information publicly. Individuals with relevant information should contact Attorney Richard A. Rice and his legal team at (205) 618-8733 ext 101 or Eric Hall - Black Lives Matter at (205) 381-2345 so that experiences can be documented appropriately.
BIRMINGHAM HAS BEEN WARNED. NOW BIRMINGHAM MUST ANSWER.
