(ATLANTA, GA.) — Fear, frustration and lack of trust in city leadership was at the forefront of public comments during the Atlanta City Council meeting on June 1.
Residents raised concerns about public safety and unsolved violence. For some speakers, the issue was deeply personal.
Valerie Anderson walked to the podium slowly as she opened up about the death of her son, who was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer on August 5, 2024. His name was Devon Anderson.
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“Friday would make 20 months [since] I lost my son and [I] pretty much feel the same way,” Anderson said. “Nothing has been done.”
Anderson has made several attempts to seek justice for his death and said attending council meetings has not provided any answers.
“The judicial system could look the other way and y’all have been looking the other way,” she said. “The sheriff, the chief of police — because you know each other, so you turn a blind eye to everything.”
Public safety was mentioned several times throughout the meeting. Stephanie Wright described experiences where she felt unsafe in the city and called for stronger action from city officials.
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“I don’t know if you’ve ever had to run for your life, but I have, twice — one of the times in Piedmont Park,” Wright said. “I never went back because I remember having to hide while a man pulled down his pants. Nothing is being done.”
Wright said she submitted a petition to the council aimed at addressing what she described as a “male crime epidemic” in Atlanta.
Rodney Mullins shifted the conversation to talk about the Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative (NRI) and questioned whether city leaders were moving too quickly without input from the community.
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“I respectfully request that you slow down and perform your due diligence the same way you would if you were buying a house,” Mullins said. “The NRI and TADs are dysfunctional, which is why you have poor communities on the west side and wealthy communities on the north side. Both of them have TADs.”
He also said the community is lacking access to information needed to make informed decisions.
“What we found at the meetings — in those NRI discussions — the community was not given information,” Mullins said. “We asked about information on TAD balances. How can the community make decisions if they weren’t well informed?”
Mullins closed out, asking the council to think about the children who are affected most by NRI and TAD legislation.
“With poor communities, we rush things,” Mullins said. “Let’s give the best to these children. We don’t even have bathrooms on the west side so we have young girls going to the bushes. We don’t have youth development programs on the west side. Hold up on the TAD legislation until we have a chance to see it and have an independent audit.”
Please email mia.s@lead4earth.com for questions, concerns or comments.
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