Birmingham activist Eric Hall arrested on domestic assault charge
Mugshot courtesy Birmingham Jail
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- Eric Hall
- Birmingham
- Activism
- Black Lives Matter
- Domestic assault
- Police criticism
- Mental health
- Community safety
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBMA) — Eric Hall, a well-known Birmingham activist and co-founder of the city’s Black Lives Matter chapter, was arrested Tuesday night on a misdemeanor domestic assault charge, according to Birmingham City Jail records.
Hall, 43, was booked into the Birmingham Jail at 11:41 p.m. on December 16 on one count of Assault — Domestic — Simple Assault — Family. Records show he was also processed on a standard bail/bond fee. No additional details about the alleged incident have been released.
Hall has been a prominent voice in Birmingham activism. He co-founded the Birmingham chapter of Black Lives Matter and previously ran for Birmingham Board of Education District 9 in 2025, advancing to a runoff before losing to Yakima Foy.
His arrest comes just weeks after Hall publicly criticized Birmingham’s policing practices in an open letter addressed to Mayor Randall Woodfin, city leaders, and the Birmingham Police Department. In that letter, written on behalf of a coalition of clergy, organizers, and community members, Hall condemned the city’s response to recent fatal officer-involved shootings, saying Birmingham cannot claim safety “while its residents cannot trust that calling for help will keep them alive.”
Hall said at the time that the deaths of 36-year-old Vanessa Ragland and 26-year-old Jamal D’Angelo Williams reflected systemic failures, arguing that officers are increasingly responding to crises with deadly force. “Often when community members call for help, they don’t call for a hitman,” Hall told ABC 33/40 earlier this month. “What we are witnessing in Birmingham is that officers are responding and initiating by killing individuals.”
The coalition’s demands included expanding mental-health crisis training, issuing formal apologies to families of those killed by police, and redirecting resources toward poverty reduction and social services.
As of Thursday, Hall remained listed in jail records. Birmingham Police have not released additional information regarding the domestic assault allegation.
Multiple people detained by Homewood police while blocking traffic during Jabari Peoples protest
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Updated: 4:02 PM CDT Aug 4, 2025
HOMEWOOD, Ala. —
Four people were arrested while blocking traffic in Homewood during a protest over the deadly shooting of Jabari Peoples Wednesday evening.
Protesters gathered at the Circle K at the intersection of Lakeshore Drive and Greensprings Highway in Homewood, Alabama, calling for “Justice for Jabari” and demanding that the bodycam footage from the night of his death be released.
Jabari’s cousin, Zhia Kiez, explained the protest’s strategic location, saying, “You stop here because you’re almost on E, now you can’t get no gas and now you hear the message that’s being proclaimed. You ignored us any other time, we want to make sure you hear his name.”
Eric Hall, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Birmingham, said, “We decided to block the pumps intentionally, to disrupt the money flow at the Circle K.”
WVTM 13’s cameras captured people making their way onto the road, temporarily blocking some vehicles from getting through.
The latest in the death of Jabari Peoples: Homewood mayor releases statement after family sees video
Homewood police officers then pulled up to the chaotic scene, cuffing several people and placing them into police vehicles.
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Hall criticized the police response, stating, “I’ve seen as it relates to the arrests that were made tonight was a target on black women. There were plenty of people in the streets.”
He noted that legal observers were present at the protest and assured that the four arrested individuals would be bailed out. WVTM 13 has reached out to the police department to confirm what they’ve been charged with
Hall emphasized that the protests would continue, saying, “Circle K was just one; there will be others to come, and I want to be clear when I say that.”
Kiez expressed the family’s determination to keep protesting until they see the video footage, stating, “I can’t move on with my life until we get some type of justice.”
What We Know
- Jabari Peoples was shot and killed at a park in Homewood on the night of June 23.
- Police say there was a gun involved, while the family states Peoples was unarmed.
- The community and family are calling for the bodycam footage to be released. ALEA states it is part of the investigation.
- The family filed a petition to compel the City of Homewood to release bodycam footage. Homewood filed a response, which hasn’t been released as of July 11. The family has until July 18 to respond to the city and a hearing is set for Aug. 4.
- The family is considering a potential wrongful death and civil rights lawsuit.
- The family and attorneys released findings of an independent autopsy, which shows Jabari Peoples was shot in the back and there was no exit wound and no bullet. Without video, this information doesn’t prove either side.
This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available. Stay updated on the latest stories with the WVTM 13 app. You can download it here.
