Downtown residents share stories of James Griffin, homeless man recently murdered

James Griffin, a homeless man shot and killed at an encampment in downtown Birmingham on Aug. 17, was more than just another crime statistic.

By all accounts, Griffin, 58 – called "Street James" by some – was also a unique individual who lived as he wanted despite the risks.

“He was a free spirit who wanted to live life his way by his choices,” merchant Todd Denaburg told AL.com.

But that life came to an end when Griffin, who had been shot in the arm, was found by the police on a mattress at the encampment, which is located beneath an overpass in the 600 block of Carraway Boulevard. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

A makeshift memorial to Griffin – a Pittsburgh, Pa., native – marks the location where a vibrant, colorful guy, albeit one who had adopted a difficult lifestyle, came to the end of his path.

There have been no arrests so far.

But Griffin’s life – despite its brutal end – was not without meaning.

Griffin was a fixture for about 20 years in the downtown loft district and counted many of the residents and merchants as friends and supporters.

Those people have paid tribute to Griffin in Facebook posts and comments continuously since word of his death came last week.

And Thursday night, about 30 people who knew and loved Griffin held an informal memorial service at Urban Standard on Second Avenue North, in the heart of the neighborhood of which the homeless man became such a persistent, indelible part. The event was hosted by photographer Charles Walton, one of Griffin’s long-time friends and patrons in the loft district, and Chatham Helmers, owner of the Charm boutique on Second Avenue North. And the people swapped stories about Griffin, who came to Birmingham originally while working for the circus and managed to carve out a life that, despite its dangers, seemed to work for him

Grifffin was less of a beggar than a hustler, and would wash cars and also try to peddle any item he could get a hold of, some attendees said. Downtown resident Camille Spratling said she was often getting rid of some excess possessions to make much-needed room in her “little-bitty” loft.

“James would always say, ‘I want it,” said Spratling. “So I would give him stuff … And I promise you he would try to resell me my own stuff,” she added, laughing.

Steve Gilmer said Griffin once brought in bondage equipment to sell, so Gilmer used it to dress a display in his shop. “I put it on Winnie the Pooh,” he said, drawing laughs from other attendees.

Griffin was persistent, even a bit aggressive, in looking for car-wash jobs, according to area resident Todd Childs. When he had “made the mistake” of parking on the street, he would come back to find that James had washed it. “He would say, ‘Man, I washed your car. That T-Bird looked dirty, man,’” Childs said.

Griffin would, of course, expect his payment for the job. “Yeah, you had no choice,” said another attendee, laughing.

He was always hitting people up for rides, often to Southside, including the Southtown projects, according to attendees. Some said that he had some friends in that area and, according to Walton, Griffin also had a “lady friend” there for a time.

Attendees also recalled hearing Griffin’s loud, unmistakable voice as he called out their names on downtown streets – with many suspecting that he might need a favor or a few bucks for a meal. “He would call out to you from a few blocks away, and you had to decide if you wanted to [acknowledge] him,” said attendee Dana Smithberg, laughing.

One of the irritating but endearing things about Griffin was the way he would ask for food and then complain, sometimes, about what he was offered, according to attendees.

Spratling said she would often hear him calling up her loft window from the alley, needing food. One night, she rummaged around and found some fruit and crackers for Griffin, but she said, ‘He looked in the bag, then said, ‘Don’t you have any meat?’”

“He had a way of making you feel guilt for not having it,” Mitchell Harrison said, laughing.

Smithberg discovered on a harsh winter day how resourceful Griffin was. He “was distressed [at] James being out in a cold snap” and drove around looking for him, before spotting a North Face tent under the overpass, one he had not noticed before. “I honked, and out came James, looking like Nanook the snowman” in bright-yellow winter garb, Smithberg said, adding that Griffin was clearly “well-equipped for cold weather.”

Attendees all attested that Griffin – ultimately – was a nice, caring person.

“When women were leaving a party at my place, James would walk them to their cars,” Childs said.

“I trusted James more than I trusted some of the people in my apartment building," he said.

Griffin actually used his street knowledge to help keep sharp watch on the loft district.

“If there was somebody around who would do something bad, he was going to check them out,” Childs said

“He would chase them off,’ Helmers said.

This week in Weld for Birmingham, publisher Mark Kelly wrote of Griffin’s “good humor” and his “sardonic wit.”

And Griffin could display a surprising sophistication, according to Walton, who said he had the door buzzer at his loft set to ring to his cell phone. This meant the occasional cell phone call from Griffin when he had pushed Walton’s buzzer, including one occasion when the photographer was in Paris.

“Hey, man, that BMW looks like it needs work,’” Griffin said, referring to Walton’s car.

Walton told Griffin angrily that he was in Paris and the call was costing him money. “He just asked me, ‘Are you on Left Bank or Right Bank?’” Walton said, laughing. “How many people would know about that?”

Kelly wrote that it “was amazing that James kept himself alive on the streets of downtown Birmingham for as long as he did.”

However, Kelly said that Griffin visited him at the Weld office a few months ago and said he was getting “too old” for the street lifestyle and was considering getting a real job.

Griffin chose a risky lifestyle, according to Harrison, who told Carol Robinson of AL.com that “in the end it killed him.”

Griffin’s brother, sister and niece are planning to come to Birmingham to return him to Pittsburgh for burial, according to Helmers, who said she was contacted by a family member.

At the gathering at Urban Standard – which was marked more by laughter than by tears – downtown resident Jane Ellen Smithson said that Griffin “would have been humbled that his life and passing touched so many people.”

Anyone with information of the murder can the call police at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.