A View From the Executive Director: A Matter of R-E-S-P-E-C-T
R-E-S-P-E-C-T. This seven-letter word can move people to fight and people to love. It can make people feel valued or discarded. When it is lacking, trust is broken and fears are created. When it is present, understanding can be achieved and change can occur. Respect is important to the ACRB because every citizen and officer involved in a complaint deserves to have their concerns heard and evaluated fairly despite their actions and words during an incident. For ACRB, respect is also about integrity. If you have concern about the action of an Atlanta police or corrections officer, call us at 404-865-8622, email ACRB acrb@atlantaga.gov or submit a complaint on our website at acrbgov.org/file-a-complaint.
ACRB WELCOMES ATLANTA’S NEWEST MAYOR-ELECT, ANDRE DICKENS
Congratulations to Mayor-elect Andre Dickens who was elected the 61st mayor of Atlanta, defeating Council President Felicia Moore in a November 2021 run off. The 47-year-old Mayor-elect was one of the youngest members ever to serve on the Atlanta City Council when he was elected in 2013 to represent At-large Post 3. He was instrumental in expanding youth representation on the ACRB. He authored legislation that significantly expanded representation on the Board in 2020 by including for the first time the addition of two seats for 18-30 year old citizens. He narrowly upset former Mayor Kasim Reed in the general election for mayor then captured 64 percent of the vote over Moore in the runoff. Mayor-elect Dickens, who was endorsed by Atlanta’s 60th mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, and former Mayor Shirley Franklin, delivered an exuberant acceptance speech, saying “We are facing some generational problems in our city…Atlanta is growing in population and in wealth. Businesses are flocking to the city, yet we still have people living on our streets. We have people working at our airport just to meet last month’s rent. People are still fighting to stay in their homes in the city that they love.” But he added that if there was “any city in the world” that could face these issues, “…it’s Atlanta.”
ACRB MEETS & GREETS CITIZENS AT COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS
Greengrocers are gaining in popularity all the time as citizens seek the freshest and healthiest fruits and vegetables. Atlanta is fortunate to have a network of farmers throughout the city who sell directly to consumers. Thank you to the thousands of citizens who learned about the ACRB this summer and fall through Atlanta’s Community Farmers Markets, Inc. (CFM). Starting with the Grant Park Farmers Market on August 1, 2021 and ending with the East Atlanta Village (EAV) Farmers Market on November 18, 2021, Atlanta Citizen Review Board was exposed to many citizens who were unfamiliar with the agency’s programs and services and expressed gratitude for what ACRB does on their behalf each day. “We appreciate having you out here, thanks for being here,” said Casey Hood, CFM Director of Market Operations & Vendor Support. “The community enjoys it. The ‘citizen’s review,’ it’s about the people. So, keeping the people informed I think is very important, and I think it brings us into unity too. When people are able to give their opinion and help out with things like that.” The agency participated in 20 CFM events last season and collected scores of new subscribers. We look forward to meeting many more farmers and citizens next season. “
ATLANTA POLICE DEPARTMENT HONORS ONE OF OUR OWN
Dorthey Hurst:
“I support them (APD), but I hold them accountable.”
It was during the Atlanta Police Foundation’s 17th Annual Crime is Toast Breakfast, which honors members of the APD for valor, that our own Boardmember, Dorthey Hurst, was bestowed the Judge Arthur Kaplan Award for Community Service before more than 1,200 business and community leaders, including Mayor Bottoms and APD Chief Rodney Bryant. Although ACRB is an independent investigative agency of citizens and the Board is unaffiliated with sworn officers of local law enforcement, Ms. Hurst describes her relationship with APD as a partnership. “My partners from (APD) Zone 5 made the recommendation along with other zones’ recommendations, and I was voted to receive the award. I was shocked and honored,” said Ms. Hurst, the former chair of the Neighborhood Planning Unit (NPU) M Public Safety Special Projects Committee, who represents NPU M-R for the ACRB. Out of the 21 awards designated by the APD (APD.SOP.2030 Awards), Ms. Hurst’s Kaplan Award is the only one assigned by the Chief of Police to a non-police citizen. Board member Hurst also distinguished herself by being named to the Anti-Violence Advisory Council, which was established in May 2021 by Mayor Bottoms to address Atlanta’s spike in violent crime since the start of the pandemic, out of which led to the newly created Mayor’s Office of Violence Reduction. “I try to stay under the radar. I do what I do because it’s the right thing to do,” Ms. Hurst explained. “It is also nice to see officers who have put their lives on the line that most people don’t see. I felt honored to be in the midst of all the officers that give so much for their community, including Officer Tran that was shot in the face this summer while on duty and others like him that show so much bravery everyday. It was a wonderful event. I work very closely with APD and am very supportive of their efforts, but I also hold them accountable. The (APD Zone 5) Major says that the accountability makes them better at what they do. That is why we are partners in the community.”
BOARDMEMBERS ARE FEATURED ON TUESDAY NIGHT TALKS
ACRB Board members Dorthey Hurst, Christie Peters, Germaine Austin, Chair Cecilia Houston-Torrence, Leah Pulliam, Tamara Orange, and Tracee McDaniel were all featured guests on ACRB’S Tuesday Night Talks, co-hosted by Communications Specialist Melissa Jean-Baptiste and Executive Director Lee Reid. Thanks to them, citizens watching the show in 2021, received first-hand knowledge about the agency. They learned, among other things, that the Atlanta Citizen Review Board (ACRB) is not the Atlanta Civil Service Board (ACSB); how to form an independent citizen review board in their area; how to become a Board member; why board members choose to serve; police officer selection; officer training; and officer accountability. There were discussions about reimagining and reallocating police funds; the value of policing and civilian oversight; and the difference between a criminal prosecution of an officer versus an administrative investigation into a violation of APD policies, which is the role of the ACRB. The Tuesday Night Talks Zoom webcast is aired every other Tuesday of the month, beginning at 6:00 pm. The show will resume on January 11, 2022. Go to acrbgov.org to access a link to the meeting.
Following the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Greenbriar Mall resumed its partnership with the ACRB. It is one of a few major shopping centers in our area that actively and regularly promotes community events and services throughout the year. Despite losing Macy’s and the pandemic, the retail outlet in Southwest Atlanta continues to survive. Since the summer of 2015, Greenbriar Mall has hosted the Atlanta Citizen Review Board. Thousands of citizens have been exposed to the agency’s programs and services as a result of our relationship. The agency has been involved with scores of events sponsored by what has been described as the Community Mall. Come meet and greet us each month and sign up for our subscribers list on the first Fridays of 2022, outside the Greenbriar Mall Food Court, between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm. Thank you and Kudos to Greenbriar Mall for your service to the community and your continued support of the ACRB.
2021: THE ACRB YEAR IN REVIEW
January
Atlanta City Hall was closed to the public and most employees in 2021 worked from home, due to the Coronavirus.
February
Atlanta Civil Service Board, not Atlanta Citizen Review Board, reversed the terminations of the two Atlanta Police Department officers who were fired the day after they were seen on live TV pulling 2 college kids from a car in downtown Atlanta on May 30, 2020 for violating the curfew during the second night of protests over the police killing of George Floyd.
March
Atlanta Citizen Review Board’s superhero, who teaches kids how to help him report local police behaving badly, launched the NAME THAT MASCOT CHALLENGE as he searched for a new name. Four months later, Franz Lynch of Atlanta picked up a 32″ TCL Roku Smart TV for winning the contest by coming up with the name “Justice Crusader”. The mascot has assured thousands of young people that their voice matters when it comes to recognizing police misconduct.
Opening arguments began in the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
April
After only about 10 hours of deliberation, a jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts in the Floyd murder.
Three Georgia men were charged with federal hate crimes in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man who was pursued and gunned down by two White men as he jogged through a Brunswick neighborhood.
May
ACRB Board members Tamara Orange (right), Gloria Hawkins-Wynn, Chair Cecilia Houston-Torrence, Executive Director Lee Reid, and the agency’s Outreach staff attended the National John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Day of Action rally and motorcade tour of historic sites in the civil rights movement which ended at the Cascade United Methodist Church. 4th District Congressman Hank Johnson (left) addressed the rally outside the King Center for Non-Violent Social Change
June
Juneteenth was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19. The ACRB returned to the annual Juneteenth Atlanta Parade & Festival in Centennial Olympic Park.
Spelman College student Taniyah Pilgrim and Morehouse student Messiah Young say they have recurring nightmares and are in counseling over their violent arrests by the APD last summer during Atlanta’s George Floyd protests. Consequently, they held a news conference to announce their intention to file a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city.
July
July 2021 was a landmark moment in ACRB history of the agency with the inauguration of the ACRB Educator Fellows Professional Learning Program. The first accomplished professionals from Atlanta Public Schools (left) were exposed to five days of intensive detailed knowledge about the history, functions and impact of the agency from Executive Director Lee Reid, Dr. H. Justin Ballenger, Assistant Professor, Mercer University, Board Chair Cecilia Houston-Torrence and local elected officials including: Council President Felicia Moore and Council’s Public Safety Committee Chair, Joyce Sheperd. They studied an ACRB curriculum and were able to have frank discussions with seven of the highest ranking members of the APD. They also took a bus tour of historic locations around Atlanta where citizens were tragically killed or had their rights violated after encountering law enforcement.
ACRB participated in Clipper & Cops and thanked founder and former APD Detective Tyrone Dennis for creating a forum for tough, yet meaningful and thoughtful dialogue that occurred among citizens, APD officers, Chief Rodney Bryant; mayoral candidates, Council President Felicia Moore, Councilman Andre Dickens, Richard N Wright, CPA MBA and ACRB Executive Director Lee Reid (bottom left) at the Studio 6 Barber Lounge on Chattahoochee Avenue in Atlanta. (Can you spot Mayor-elect Dickens in this photo?)
A successful weekly, month-long ACRB Kahoots Trivia Game drew several players. Each week in July, and a bonus week in August, gamers were challenged with correctly answering essential questions about the agency. Not surprisingly, the numbers of website users increased significantly in July as gamers sought the correct answers. Winners were awarded gift card prizes. The game is part of the agency’s ongoing effort to keep citizens informed about the agency, our programs and services, and to educate the public about their rights when confronted by local law enforcement within a social learning environment.
August
ACRB Communications Specialist, Melissa Jean-Baptiste; Community Affairs Coordinator Naomi Bonman; Project Manager, Myola Smith; and Board members, Chair, Cecilia Houston-Torrence and Gloria Hawkins-Wynn, joined community groups and the APD for the annual National Night Out Fight Against Crime in the West End and Lakewood communities. West End Neighborhood Association also supported students returning to school with a school supply drive.
September
What a great day at Piedmont Park! Despite initial reservations by the organizers due to the COVID crisis, which moved the event from the Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, ACRB was delighted to meet and greet citizens who attended the 43rd Annual Atlanta Jazz Festival. It is known as one of the world’s largest free jazz concerts. There was wonderful weather, thousands of happy people, and outstanding performances. Scores of fans of live music and the great outdoors stopped by ACRB’s booth, grabbed information, signed up for the subscribers list, and expressed support for civilian oversight of the APD.
Thousands came out to enjoy the food, music and fun as ACRB attended the Annual Sweet Auburn Music Festival. ACRB Vice-Chair Tracee McDaniel engaged citizens who visited our venue and answered their questions about the agency, supplied them with information materials and giveaways. Thousands of citizens, many of whom had been couped up in the house for months, seemed thoroughly engaged in the festive atmosphere, including Vice-Chair McDaniel who found time to dance to the live music.
October
A rare ACRB moment: (left) Melissa Jean-Baptiste, ACRB Communications Specialist; Naomi Bonman, Community Affairs Coordinator; and Charles Curry, Outreach Specialist (pictured) and Executive Director, Lee Reid, (not pictured) engaged citizens at the 13th Annual Festival of Lights Parade and Celebration in the English Avenue community. It was the first time the event was held inside Kathryn Johnston Memorial Park, named for the 92-year-old grandmother, Kathryn Johnston, killed by corrupt APD sworn officers who broke into her home, blocks away, 15 years ago. It ultimately led to the creation of our independent, investigative agency and the City of Atlanta naming the park in her honor.
November - December
Mayor-elect Andre Dickens stunned Council President Felicia Moore in a run-off election, having received endorsements from former Mayor Shirley Franklin. His predecessor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, named the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Violence Reduction, Jacquel Clemons Moore, to run the newly-formed Office of Violence Reduction that she promised to establish earlier this year.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AND BE HEARD!
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 corrections. This is why it is so important for Citizens to be registered and 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 and ACRB KNOW YOUR RIGHTS Training Workshops. Become a member of the ACRB. There are currently two vacant seats. (Representative entities, Atlanta City Council President’s office has determined a candidate. Atlanta Planning Advisory Board for NPUs A-F has not.) Call the public comment lines when Council or ACRB votes on issues that matter to citizens like you. Thank you, citizens of Atlanta, for your continued support.
L.E.A.D. Center for Youth Hosts an ACRB Know Your Rights Training
ACRB thanks the coaches and the Ambassadors team from the L.E.A.D. (Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct) Center for Youth for inviting the agency to conduct a Know Your Rights training workshop. ACRB was honored to train the young student athletes from Atlanta Public Schools on the best course of action to take during an incident with the APD. Coach Kelli Stewart, Co-founder/Executive Director L.E.A.D. Center For Youth, said “While I’m hopeful for a day when the relationship between the Black community and law enforcement will be more harmonious, I cannot ignore the generational rift that is ever present in the daily lives of our youth. That’s why it was so important for the L.E.A.D. Center For Youth to partner with the Atlanta Citizen Review Board, so that our Ambassadors can be educated and informed of their rights if/when they have an encounter with law enforcement. Charles Curry, who the Ambassadors have officially named Coach Curry, shared vital information in a culturally relevant way that allowed our boys to not only hear it, but also retain it so they can protect and save their own lives as well as the lives of their loved ones and friends.” ACRB congratulates L.E.A.D. for helping thousands of at-risk kids over the years. Co-founded by former Chicago Cubs outfielder, noted professional hitting instructor and Atlanta native C.J. Stewart, L.E.A.D. launches student athletes toward educational opportunities after converting their raw talent into the skills required for entry into college athletic programs. L.E.A.D. programs have resulted in a 100 per-cent graduation rate, 93 percent college enrollment and college scholarships for 90 percent of the young men in the program. It reflects the excellence and discipline that is required to be the best.