Mayor, city respond to protester demands

By John Ruch

Mayor Kasim Reed’s administration has responded in detail to a list of protester demands in the wake of Black Lives Matter marches in July.

“APD [the Atlanta Police Department] has adopted a philosophy of serving as protectors and guardians, and is continually working to build community trust and nurture relationships with Atlanta’s residents,” the city said early in its point-by-point answer, which is titled, “2016 Atlanta Civic Activism Response.”

Avery Jackson, one of the ATLisReady organizers who met with Reed and Police Chief George Turner during the Buckhead protest, said the coalition has made “no response” to the city’s answers. He did not indicate if or when there might be one.

Meanwhile, ATLisReady has carried out smaller protests aimed at gentrification and started a campaign named “Don’t Call the Cops,” urging white people not to call the police for minor incidents involving people of color. The coalition also continues to meet, with more than 45 organizations and 70 people joining a recent gathering, Jackson said.

But ATLisReady has not held marches on the scale of the five nights of protests in July that followed the police killings of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota, both of whom were black.

The Buckhead protest ended when organizers successfully demanded an on-thespot meeting with Reed and Turner, which was held inside a police truck outside the Governor’s Mansion on West Paces Ferry Road. A follow-up meeting at City Hall was held July 18, but fell apart in a dispute over whether it should be open to the public and questions about the legitimacy of Sir Maejor, a Black Lives Matter activist who had disagreed with many ATLisReady organizers on personal issues and their inclusion of LGBT rights activism in protests.

Despite the disputes, ATLisReady published a list demanding more than two-dozen policingrelated reforms for the mayor’s consideration.

Reed’s administration responded was published, apparently without notice, in August on the city’s website, in the “Projects and Initiatives” section of the Mayor’s Office page.

On many points, the city said it is already doing many of the demanded reforms, such as training police officers in de-escalation of potentially violent situations and in being aware of racial bias.

Among APD’s training principles, according to the city’s response, is that “All people, even well-intentioned people, have biases,” and that “Officers can learn skills to reduce and manage their own biases.” who was shot in the back of a police car last year after somehow escaping handcuffs and drawing a gun, according to police.

Operation Whiplash was created partly due to residents’ demands, the city said, adding that such “collaborative efforts…have been shown to be effective in making communities safer.”

Then there were some points where the city was willing to accept some room for improvement. They include more community outreach hours for officers; reviewing the “no-knock” search warrant policy; alternatives to private, outsourced probation companies; and improved mental health screenings and

The Center for Civil and Human Rights is now officially a polling location.

Registered voters in District 4F are now able to vote at CCHR in all elections.

On some points, such as a halt to immigration-violation detentions, the city said it has no power to change or disobey state or federal laws. The city said some other points are not applicable to it, such as reducing school system policing, which is now carried out exclusively by the district’s own police.

The city rejected several demands, including an end to anti-terrorism training in Israel; the halting of the “Operation Whiplash” gun-crime crackdown; and a release of all evidence in the controversial police killing of Alexia Christian,

Two-Way Streets

programs for officers.

The city acknowledged that a reform movement is underway for court fines and fees in the wake of the Ferguson, Mo., protests. A federal investigation found Ferguson relied heavily on such court income and that its impact on poor and black residents was part of the context for the protests and riots in 2014. “The Reed Administration is open to exploring alternatives to the use of private probation and private collection firms,” the city’s response says.

Midtown converting one-way streets for better connectivity

By Collin Kelley

There’s one less one-way street to navigate in Midtown with the conversion of 7th Street between West Peachtree Street and Piedmont Avenue to two-way traffic.

According to the Midtown Alliance, the conversion brings new wheelchair accessible ramps, striping, paving, installation of signage and three eastbound traffic signals at Peachtree Street, Juniper Street and Piedmont Avenue. Funding for this project was contributed via multiple partners: City of Atlanta ($250,000 in impact fees), Midtown Improvement District ($50,000) and The Loudermilk Companies ($62,000). With 7th Street complete, 13th Street between Spring and Peachtree Walk will soon return to two-way traffic. Part of the conversion would be implemented by developers to improve access to their buildings –1163 West Peachtree Street, 14th Peachtree Apartments Holdings LLC and 14th Peachtree Phase II LLC. Implementation of the two-way street between Peachtree Walk and West Peachtree is expected to be complete in September. The section between West Peachtree and Spring Street will be completed in late 2017 or early 2018.

The Midtown Alliance is also looking at extending 15th Street between West Peachtree Street and Williams Street. The

Atlanta Regional Commission in June awarded Midtown Alliance a $188K grant to advance planning and engineering designs for the extension. Several entities came together to fund construction, including commitments from Georgia Department of Transportation ($1m), City of Atlanta ($500K from impact fees), Midtown Improvement District ($750K) and private partners.

“This project is critical to reconnecting the street grid and relieving traffic pressure on 14th Street,” said Midtown Alliance CEO Kevin Green. “We appreciate our partners coming through with financial commitments that can move the 15th Street extension closer to reality.”

The two-way streets and expansion are part of the new Midtown Transportation Plan, which has more than 150 projects on the drawing board. Visit midtowntransportationplan.com to find out more.

Price Adjusted

Neighborhood Hot List: Lake Claire

There is no lake in the Lake Claire neighborhood, which is nestled between Candler Park and Druid Hills. An artificial body of water called Lake Ponceana, formerly at the intersection of Claire Drive and Lakeshore Drive, is believed to have inspired the name of the community back in the 1930s. Today, the neighborhood is home to professionals, artists, entrepreneurs; young families, empty nesters and everything in between.

The community-owned green space in the heart of Lake Claire is the pride of the community, featuring gardens, a children’s play area and regular drum circles.

2. Clifton Sanctuary Ministries

The oldest house-of-worship shelter operating in Atlanta (located at 369 Connecticut Ave.) provides food, shelter and counseling to 30 men every night of the year.

Located on four wooded acres just off DeKalb Avenue, this independent school has more than 100 students who attend grades K–12.

4. Homes

There are approximately 1,200 homes in Lake Claire, ranging from Revival and Victorian to Craftsman bungalows and 1950s cottages, with a smattering of new homes, too.

This European-style village with 12 townhomes and a common house holds community dinners twice a week, keeps a community garden, practices recycling and regularly holds performances in the courtyard.