Community Safety and Police Violence Town Halls Continue November 16 in Zone One
After weeks of protests in 2020, promises for change, and general unrest over the past two years, Atlanta has seen little difference in policing, violence, or community safety. While the Atlanta Police Department (APD) budget increased by 11% – from $207 million to $230 million – there have been few mentions of de-escalation training or other proposed reforms to keep Atlantans, specifically Black Atlantans (who make up 49% of the population), safe from police violence and brutality. By the end of October 2022, 98 people had been shot by police in Georgia, a 21% increase from last year.
SCHR launched the Community Safety and Police Violence project to engage with Atlanta communities and discuss their experiences with, opinions on, and solutions to policing in their APD zones. Our first four town halls in August and September were an eye-opening experience that paved the way for a more community-based understanding of safety and police in our city.
“This project is primarily a data driven exercise and the numbers are exceedingly important to understand the scope of violence by Atlanta Police Officers in the aftermath of previous reform efforts. However, what has proven most impactful on the citizens who have come to the town halls are the documented stories of Atlantans that demonstrate the connection of police violence to the prevalence of unnecessary and unhelpful police encounters.” – SCHR Movement Policy Counsel Devin Franklin
SCHR is now engaging Zones One and Four on the final leg of our initial town hall series. The Zone One town hall will take place Wednesday, November 16 at 6 PM at Paradise Baptist Church (1711 Donald L. Hollowell Pkwy. Atlanta, Georgia 30318). Attendees will be compensated for their time and input with a $50 gift card. We encourage any and all Zone One residents to register for the town hall by taking our pre-survey here.
We hope you will join us in being part of the change!