A View From the Executive Director: Our Process Did Not Fail. Our Integrity is Intact.
Lee Reid, ACRB Executive Director
As many of you know, in April 2023, the ACRB was denied access to interview citizens who had filed complaints against Atlanta police officers and were being held under the custody of the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO). The ACRB is happy to report that the issue has been resolved, and the ACRB’s practice of interviewing citizens held under the custody of the FCSO has been fully restored. The agency is appreciative of the community’s support of the agency’s efforts to resume thorough and fair investigations. Former ACRB chairs, community and social organizations, Neighborhood Planning Units, and individuals expressed their support for the agency’s process and history. Thank you.
All citizens, whether free or imprisoned, should have the right and access to an independent investigation; the right to file a complaint, and have the complaint investigated without interference; the right to a safe space where anybody can file a complaint and be treated with respect and dignity; the right to be provided the opportunity for questionable actions of officers to be addressed and the right to allow the department to correct inconsistent or improper actions early before they can create further harm to citizens. All of this makes for better policing. Citizens who file complaints should have a place and process they can trust to be fair, transparent, and thorough t o conduct independent investigations without conditions. For almost a decade and a half, that place has been the ACRB. The process consistently works. The process did not fail. The agency’s credibility is intact. ACRB did nothing wrong.
As we often state, civilian oversight is at its strongest when individuals and organizations concerned about relationships between citizens and officers become involved in the happenings of the oversight agency. The ACRB depends on citizen participation to address concerns related to the police actions. Participation comes in many forms – filing complaints, speaking out at community meetings, writing letters, making calls and conversations with your neighbors. We all have a part in making our community better for all.
ACRB Reaches Citizens Acquiring Weapons Education at the First National Convention of the National African-American Gun Owners Association
This summer, ACRB has been on an aggressive community outreach, awareness and collaboration campaign offering to share our services to diverse citizens and new markets with our message that if they ever have concerns about an officer’s behavior, they have a trusted, fair, and transparent process to file complaints. This has led to an unprecedented summer of firsts for the agency. An example are the scores of citizens who stopped by the ACRB booth, learned about the agency and subscribed during the first convention of weapon education the National African American Gun Association (NAAGA) at the Georgia International Convention Center. “We think that organizations like this should be citizen-run. We can’t have the police to police the police because we know how that turns out…Thank you for what you’re doing,” according to a new ACRB subscriber and gun enthusiast. Thanks to Integrity Street Team workers (top center) Sherese Owens, Tamyra Hollis and LaShea Hollis for sharing the ACRB message and to NAAGA for including the ACRB.
Your Voice About Police Officer Accountability Using the ACRB
During the YMCA HBCU College and Career Fair at the Andrew & Walter Young Family YMCA:
“One of my concerns is that if we don’t get to a point where we have checks and balances and systems in place for not only law enforcement, but the standards they are abided by, then we’re going to continuously have issues with police misconduct as well as any other secondary issues that we deal with. So I am going to work with this organization as well as other organizations to make sure that these checks and balances are put in place.”
During the National African American Gun Association Convention:
“It’s not just what I can do and what they can do.. It’s also to know what they can do and not do. That’s what I’m talking about.” An Integrity Street Team member responded, “The information and knowledge is what’s…” “Right,” he continued, “because the lack thereof, we perish, because we don’t know. So it’s important to know. Thank you so much for what you do. We’re gonna look you up…When you’re empowered, when you have knowledge, oh, you walk around with your head held high…”
“Look, I’m excited (to learn about officer accountability through the ACRB for the first time) because it’s a resource, something we all need to have and know. So yeah, this is awesome, and thank you so much!”
“I am amazed that city government would fund a program like this because I feel it’s necessary. I have had in my life, and I’m a veteran, I have had terrible encounters with police, gone very wrong, civil rights issues with police officers. And when this was happening, I thought, ’I’m about as white as you could get. What must it be like if I wasn’t.’ So I’m a big advocate of these kind of services being available by government for people who, when something goes wrong and they need help”
During the Juneteenth Atlanta Parade and Music Festival in Piedmont Park:
“I think you guys are a necessity to the community and I’m so glad you’re here. Thank you.”
ACRB Welcomes Adrienne Proeller, our Newest Board Member
ACRB welcomes Adrianne Proeller who was nominated to serve by the Atlanta Planning Advisory Board (APAB) representing Neighborhood Planning Unit NPU S-Z. She received City Council confirmation on March 6, 2023, to serve for a term of three (3) years. Ms. Proeller works at Morehouse School of Medicine where she is responsible for Community Engagement and Outreach. “I’m proud to be part of an organization whose role in keeping Atlanta’s police and corrections officers accountable is so important — now more than ever,” Proeller stated. “ACRB empowers the community and strengthens the trust between our police and the people they serve.“ Ms. Proeller was involved in working within the NPU X and surrounding neighborhood associations, including those in Capitol View Manor, Capitol View, Sylvan Hills, Adair Park, and Pittsburgh. Ms. Proeller was President of the Capitol View Manor Neighborhood Association, a former officer of NPU X, an active member of the Friends of Stewart Lakewood Library, a member of the Community Coalition Board for the Morehouse School of Medicine Prevention Research Center and a member of the Lakewood Amphitheater Finance Committee, a grant-making group consisting of elected representatives from NPUs X, Y, and Z. The agency thanks Ms. Proeller (above) for sharing her expertise in community engagement and information about the ACRB at the Fathers 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament on Saturday, June 10th, at the DeKalb Exchange Recreation Center. It was her first outreach event for the ACRB. Ms. Proeller resides in Atlanta’s District 12.
ACRB Joins Thousands at the 2023 Juneteenth Parade & Music Festival
The ACRB was delighted to be a part of the 2023 Juneteenth Parade and Music Festival. The 3-day event is the grandest gathering of blackness each year and one of the biggest displays of black enterprise. Tens of thousands of citizens converged upon Centennial Olympic Park and enjoyed the celebration of freedom, unity, and equality, filling the park and the streets of Atlanta with the soulful sound of live music, amazing hand-made merchandise from local and international vendors, mouthwatering cuisine, and an array of immersive cultural activities for all ages. To the thousands who checked out the ACRB booth, stopped by to meet staff and volunteers, signed the subscribers list, picked up ACRB cards or brochure information or enjoyed agency giveaways and learned about what they could do to correct local police misconduct, the ACRB says THANK YOU! Thanks for all the good wishes and supportive comments: “Get the Atlanta Citizen Review Board (because) we need to protect Atlanta.” “It’s good to know that if I ever need it, hope I never need it, that they got my back, so I appreciate the Atlanta Citizen Review Board…” “Wow, thank y’all so much!” And a big shout out to our outstanding Integrity Street Team of workers, Erich Harvey, Tiffina Davis, DeQuez Lewis as the Justice Crusader, Natosha Madison, and Santosha Madison for making the campaign a big success.
ACRB Holds a Community Board Meeting at the Ivy Community Center in Ben Hill
Our thanks to the Executive staff of the Ivy Community Foundation, led by its president Monica Pearson, its vice president, Jennifer Hrabowski, and their fellow members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority for hosting ACRB’s second community board meeting of the year at the Ivy Community Center in the Ben Hill section of Southwest Atlanta. “We gather here today with a shared commitment to improving the lives of our fellow citizens and fostering a stronger, more vibrant community,” Ms. Hrabowski said in opening remarks. “The Atlanta Citizen Review Board plays a crucial role in ensuring transparency, accountability, and fairness in our community. We acknowledge the vital role you play in upholding these principles, and we look forward to working together to ensure that justice and fairness prevail in our city. At the Ivy Community Foundation, our mission is clear: to initiate programs, projects, and activities that will inform, educate, support, and engage the citizens in our community, ultimately enhancing their quality of life. We firmly believe that by empowering individuals, we can create a ripple effect that positively impacts the entire community. Our foundation serves as a platform for collaboration, innovation, and social change. Through our initiatives, we aim to foster a sense of unity and create opportunities for growth, quality education, mentorship, skills-building and overall health and wellness. At the Ivy Community Foundation, our mission is clear: to initiate programs, projects, and activities that will inform, educate, support, and engage the citizens in our community, ultimately enhancing their quality of life. We firmly believe that by empowering individuals, we can create a ripple effect that positively impacts the entire community. Our foundation serves as a platform for collaboration, innovation, and social change. Through our initiatives, we aim to foster a sense of unity and create opportunities for growth, quality education, mentorship, skills-building and over-all health and wellness.”
From Buckhead to Bankhead, the Justice Crusader, our intrepid superhero mascot, made his Atlanta debut over the summer, visiting and meeting thousands of kids and adults in libraries, recreation centers, the Atlanta Jazz Festival, the Juneteenth Atlanta Parade & Music Festival, Sweet Auburn Festival, Back to School events, Greenbriar Mall, New Black Wall Street Market, National Night Out, Camp Best Friends summer camps throughout the city, among many others. Endowed with the superpower of a human lie detector, JC’s message is always the same, “Remember what you see, remember what you hear, and always tell the truth,” when reporting local police misconduct. JC recruited hundreds of kids ages 5 to 12 who signed a Junior JC membership card, grabbed a swag bag of gifts, struck a pose with the JC, and took an oath to be his eyes and ears in their communities. Justice Crusader would be honored to be invited to your neighborhood! To book Justice Crusader, give the ACRB a call at 404-865-8622 or email acrb@atlantaga.gov.
ACRB Goes Back to School in its First Campaign in the Latino Community
ACRB appreciated being a part of a collaboration with the Plaza Fiesta Mall and J’lyn Furby from American Kinetics, LLC for the Back-to-School Festival and Health Fair. The agency was grateful not only to the large crowd of citizens who attended, but also by the hospitality of the members of the Latino community who visited us. They lined up by the score, received our Spanish information cards, swag bags of school supplies, pens, Justice Crusader bookmarks, Junior Justice Crusader membership cards and stickers, masks for the kids and their choice of lanyards, hand sanitizer key chains, stress balls or Bombas socks. Thanks for Board members Kelvin Williams (below left), Adrianne Proeller (above left center) for leading the IST team of Sharese Owens and Tamyah Hollis (below), and engaging citizens with ACRB information.
ACRB Attends the First HBCU College and Career Day at a YMCA
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), major corporations, black fraternities/sororities, and service organizations like the ACRB offered job and career opportunities to young adults and others in Adams Park. Jamie Glenn, Jr., Youth Development Director and the staff at the Andrew and Walter Family YMCA on Campbellton Road, convened the inaugural YMCA HBCU College and Career Fair inside the Dominique Wilkins Gym. Glenn said, “Thank you to the ACRB for coming out. You know, we’re just here to pour out into the Southwest (Atlanta) Community. We just help these teens get to the next level as the YMCA. I know that this building is very historic, and it’s been a landmark in this community for a very, very long time. We want to bring some information, some opportunities, and some exposure to the teens and anyone who wants to come in.” Thanks to IST member Lillie Jones (below) for helping recruit prospective ACRB IST workers.
This is Why...
The keyword in the Atlanta Citizen Review Board is CITIZEN. The agency is only as effective as the level of citizen involvement. This is why… ACRB urges all citizens to regularly monitor, question and support its work. This is why… ACRB urges all citizens to know where your elected officials stand on civilian oversight of police and correctional officers. This is why… it is so important for citizens to be registered to vote. This is why… citizens need to join and be active in community groups; get involved in Neighborhood Planning Units (NPUs); attend Public Safety meetings, Atlanta City Council meetings; ACRB KNOW YOUR RIGHTS training workshops, and become a member of the ACRB. There are currently five vacant seats, which include representatives from the Atlanta Planning Advisory Board for NPU G-L, Atlanta City Council, the Office of the Mayor, an organization representing 18-to-30-year-old youth, and the Atlanta Bar Association. Call the public comment line when the ACRB votes on issues that matter to you. ACRB’s Public Comment Line number is 404-546-7848. It is open on the second Wednesday of the month between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Your comments will be heard the next day during the monthly board meeting of the ACRB. Go to acrbgov.org for details. Thank you, citizens of Atlanta, for your continued support.
ACRB at Atlanta’s 46th Annual 2023 Atlanta Jazz Festival in Piedmont Park
It is an annual celebration of the music, culture and art of jazz that begins in April and culminates each Memorial Day weekend, with an outdoor festival featuring jazz artists from all over the world, and the ACRB was there. Thanks to Board members Gloria Hawkins-Wynn, Sharese Reyes, Secretary Leah Pulliam; Integrity Street Team members Darryl Perry, Natosha/Santosha Madison, Toni Hackney, and Erich Harvey for the hours they spent engaging citizens and distributing thousands of cards, brochures, giveaways and sharing the ACRB story in Piedmont Park during the 46th Annual 2023 Atlanta Jazz Festival. And a special thanks to the massive crowds of citizens who not only enjoyed the music, great food, and vendors that offered a wide variety of attractions, but also took time to check us out, sign up as subscribers, and learn about what they can do to report local police misconduct.
