Tag: Atlanta City Council
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Conflict of interest? Atlanta PD official endorses Axon after recusal
A senior Atlanta Police Department (APD) executive publicly encouraged other police agencies to adopt technology offered by Axon Enterprise, despite recusing himself from APD dealings with Axon due to a financial conflict of interest. Axon manufactures Taser devices and body-worn cameras. Public records show that on Jan. 23, 2024, APD Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Marshall Freeman…
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Activists are voicing concerns over Atlanta’s proposed ski-mask ban
During Monday’s regular council meeting, Atlanta City Council Member Antonio Lewis (District 12) introduced an ordinance to prohibit the wearing of ski masks or any other items that conceal the identity of the wearer. The proposed city ordinance notes the rise of “casually wearing ski masks, bandanas or other devices” that conceal identities since the…
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“The sky is the limit here”: Atlanta Police Foundation’s early history
The early years of the APF are deeply tied to one individual: former APD Chief Richard Pennington, who ran the department from 2002 to the end of 2009. During his tenure as police chief, the APF transitioned from a startup non-profit to a well-funded political power player in the city of Atlanta.
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In Their Words episode 1: Priscilla Grim
I first learned about the fight to stop cop city this time last year while I was laid up for a month and a half from a bad leg injury. I read online about how the people of Atlanta had made several hours of public comments to the City Council, only to be ignored and…
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City using Terán homicide case to justify not releasing Hollman video
By: Matt Scott On Saturday, around 200 people joined the family of Johnny Hollman in a march on Atlanta City Hall to demand the public release of body camera footage of Hollman’s death at the hands of Atlanta Police Department Officer Kiran Kimbrough in August, but new guidance from city attorneys indicates that footage of Hollman’s death – or…
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Block Cop City group issues call for mass action to stop construction
By: Matt Scott Update: Block Cop City organizers now say the nationwide tour will cover 70 cities. Just days after members of the clergy and other people of faith chained themselves to construction equipment at the proposed Atlanta Public Safety Training Center site, a new group, Block Cop City, announced plans for a mass action on Nov.…
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Referendum coalition requests election monitors oversee City’s process
On Tuesday, the Cop City Vote Coalition requested the Carter Center monitor how Atlanta undertakes the verification process to validate the referendum petition that would put the future of the training center opponents call “Cop City” on the ballot. The coalition made its request to the director of the Carter Center’s Democracy Program David Carroll…
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Not having a ball: inspector general investigates Dickens’ event expenses
By: Matt Scott A $124,566.90 invoice from the Hyatt Regency Atlanta with note instructing that the funds should be paid as a “professional courtesy” sparked an investigation into Mayor Andre Dickens’ 2022 Senior Citizen Ball that found violations in city policies regarding hotels, purchases, and the use of public funds for private benefit. The investigation…
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Not just Cop City, referendum team threatens the Atlanta Way
On Monday, the Stop Cop City Vote Coalition is set to turn in over 100,000 signatures on the petition to put add a November ballot question asking voters to decide whether to overturn the 2021 ordinance authorizing the lease of 381 acres in the South River Forest to the Atlanta Police Foundation for the construction…
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Stop Cop City activists launch referendum campaign to cancel lease
A day after the City Council voted to approve a $67 million funding package for the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, activists launched a referendum campaign to put the training center’s future on the ballot in November.