Looking for a way to voice your opinion on community policing in Atlanta’s six police zones? The Southern Center For Human Rights has several upcoming events aimed at giving residents a platform to speak on the topic.
Starting this week, the public interest law firm will host a series of town halls focused on public safety. The initiative is an effort to educate residents about disparities — how resources are allocated, violent interactions, overall police presence — in policing between zones. The goal is to use community engagement to collect holistic data to make policy recommendations directly to Atlanta city government.
Tiffany Williams Roberts, the director of public policy at SCHR, previously said that community engagement is one of the main ways it hopes to keep the Black community informed about policies that directly affect their daily lives.
“Oftentimes, what we see is community members who aren’t aware of the changes happening in City Hall,” Roberts said. “It is our duty to make sure that no policy becomes a reality without public knowledge on what actually is at stake.”
With a guaranteed meeting happening in zones 1 thru 6, the forums will include in-person and virtual options. Only residents who complete the registration survey will be able to participate and receive $50 compensation at the end of the meeting. Once the registration survey is completed, tickets to the event will be available via Eventbrite with the password “Safety2022!”.
Here’s the meeting schedule and locations.
Zone 5
Where: The Temple, 1589 Peachtree Road NW, Atlanta, 30309
When: Tuesday, Aug. 30, 6:15 to 7:45 p.m.
Zone 6
Where: Ebenezer Baptist Church, 101 Jackson St. NE, Atlanta, 30312
When: Thursday, Sept. 1, 6:15 to 7:45 p.m.
Zone 3
Where: Iwi Fresh Farm Oasis, 1800 Jonesboro Road SE, 1st Floor, Atlanta, 30315
When: Tuesday, Sept. 6, 6:15 to 7:45 p.m.
Zone 1
Where: Location TBD
When: Tuesday, Sept. 13, 6:15 to 7:45 p.m.
Zone 4
Where: Location TBD
When: Tuesday, Sept. 20, 6:15 to 7:45 p.m.
Zone 2
Where: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 435 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, 30308
When: Thursday, Sept. 22, 6:15 to 7:45 p.m.
