Alabama’s “Big 10” mayors encourage voters to support strengthening Aniah’s Law

Aniah Blanchard

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WAKA) – The mayors of Alabama’s 10 largest cities have come together to urge voters to support strengthening Aniah’s Law when they go to the polls for the May 19 primaries.

Aniah’s Law was named in memory of Aniah Blanchard, who was a 19-year-old college student when she was abducted in Auburn in 2019 and shot and killed. The man convicted of killing her, Ibraheem Yazeed of Montgomery, had been released on bond for several violent offenses, including kidnapping and attempted murder, before Blanchard’s death.

Ibraheem Yazeed

The law, passed in 2022, allows judges more discretion in denying bail to violent offenders.

Now, voters will get the chance to strengthen that law by allowing judges the ability to deny bail for suspects charged with firing a gun into an occupied building or any solicitation, attempt or conspiracy to commit murder.

The 10 big-city mayors, which included Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed, hope that voters will agree with them that Aniah’s Law should be made stronger.

The issue is personal for Auburn Mayor Ron Anders, because Blanchard was abducted from a gas station in his city.

“I am proud of my city, the way we rallied behind the Blanchard family,” Anders told Action 8 News. “I am proud of my state legislature for not fooling around and immediately taking care of this and I’m proud of the citizens of Alabama who overwhelmingly passed Aniah’s Law in 2022, and we were asking you to pass this amendment again on May 19.”

Besides Anders and Reed, the other cities represented were Huntsville, Birmingham, Mobile, Tuscaloosa, Dothan, Hoover, Madison and Decatur.