Flowers, balloons and signs create a memorial at the site of the Birmingham mass shooting

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Birmingham residents are helping create a memorial at the site of this weekend’s mass shooting.

What started as flowers adorning the sidewalk on Magnolia Avenue has turned into a memorial with balloons, signs, candles and flowers.

The items are being placed by people who want to honor and remember the four people who lost their lives and the 17 others injured on Saturday night.

WBRC spoke with two people who helped make the memorial what it is today.

Volunteers from Grace Klein Community created signs with Bible verses, prayers and words of love and support.

Another woman who passed by the memorial earlier that day noticed how sparse it was. She said that although someone had murdered four people and injured 17 others, there was only one candle among the flowers.

She wanted to make a bigger statement by purchasing the balloons.

“I have 21 balloons for the 21 victims that were shot,” Christie Oliver said. “The colors — I was thinking of a color that signified massacre, so it’s not pink, it’s not purple. It’s red, and we’re painting the town red!”

“Birmingham definitely has its issues, but we’ve never — I’ve never experienced or heard of anything like this,” said Nicole Smith, Grace Klein Community Liason. “I haven’t experienced it, but just being from the city I just felt like I was a part of it and it hurts to know that something like this could actually happen in a place that I call home.”

All this to show that Birmingham residents care.

If you feel motivated, you can join the effort by bringing something that you feel represents love for these 21 victims.

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