If you scroll down to the bottom of the acrbgov.org home page and play the video titled “Community Outreach Unit”, you will hear my voice saying these words.
“Without reaching out to you, the citizen, at conferences, town hall meetings, senior centers, bar-be-ques, block parties, parades, festivals, training workshops, and through the media…without ties to church and civic associations and fostering better relations between the citizens and the police, it would be impossible for ACRB to continue to grow and be successful in its mission to educate you about your rights when dealing with law enforcement.”
How many of those events have you attended in person this year? Obviously, that PowerPoint presentation was created before 2020. I have been bothered by how true that statement always was prior to COVID-19 and how the pandemic is now forcing us to significantly change the way we all must do things today if we plan to keep breathing. Sharing simple handshakes, face-to-face conversations, laughter; the roar of a big crowd could now be hazardous to one’s health. They have all been replaced by quarantines, masks, repeated hand-washings, social distancing, empty stadiums, and a click on a link to a bunch of video squares of talking heads communicating and interacting through a laptop. The 2020 NBA playoffs and championship were played in a nearly empty bubble over a 3-month period, and the bigger news that emerged was that nobody caught the virus.
Worldwide life expectancy around 1900 was less than 40 years of age. Today the world average is around 72. Human longevity has been tied to the ability of science to cure diseases that literally killed hundreds of millions of people in the 20th Century through vaccines, antibiotics, and advances in medical technology. My point is, given how quickly modern science is moving to address this coronavirus, I see no reason to doubt that a safe and effective remedy will eventually be available. (Global politics and economics of course will determine just how quickly the neediest patients with the fewest resources will have access to it which unfortunately could mean thousands more people will needlessly suffer and die from it.) Nevertheless, I personally do not foresee us quickly returning to “normal” as we defined it prior to 2020.
So how will it be possible to effectively reach you and for you to reach us as ACRB seeks to continue fostering better relations between citizens and law enforcement through our programs and services? What will Community Outreach look like in this so-called new normal age?
Given how we all have adapted to conducting so many of our activities on a computer, the agency is already holding its Board meetings via Zoom. Many Neighborhood Planning Units (NPUs) and other community organizations are growing their memberships remotely because it is much easier to attend and engage online. Members of our Board and staff are discussing or working on ways to apply and offer our services and trainings through online community engagement. (Filing a complaint online at www.acrbgov.org has always been the easiest option.) I do believe we can reach an even greater number of you this way at civic and social events as we continue adapting, which after all is what we as humans do (“…make it do what it do…”, Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles).
Thanks to the City of Atlanta which has bestowed more funding, oversight authority over the APD and resources to the agency, additional staff is being brought aboard to significantly expand our outreach. We have expanded our media awareness campaign also. You likely have seen or heard our TV and radio spots promoting our Mediation program and other services. And don’t forget to look out for our wrapped mobile unit in your neighborhood as we determine the most appropriate way to conduct very small in-person, health-conscious, socially responsible activities.
A wise investment in technology, expanded resources and additional professionals in communication and community affairs should ensure that the agency will continue to meet or exceed its goal of addressing all your police misconduct complaints and educating you about your rights.
The key word in Atlanta Citizen Review Board is Citizen. It would be impossible to do this work without your continued input and support. But you, the citizen, must also do your part to adapt to the so-called new-normal by engaging technology and adhering to health guidelines. Quoting Dr. Jamal Harrison-Bryant, pastor of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, “If you’re not a part of the solution, you’re a part of the problem. Atlanta Citizen Review Board is solution-oriented to shift us to go from protest to policy. Those who want change, get involved, get engaged, and please don’t stand on the sidelines when the Atlanta Citizen Review Board is on the front line.”
We strongly urge you to keep holding us accountable, whether in person or in cyberspace.
Charles Curry is ACRB’s Outreach Specialist and Public Information Officer