December 07, 2021
Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement
Admin@aadmovement.org
1-800-9 AADM 07
(1-800-922-3607)
Athens’ Civilian Oversight Board: The Fight is Not Over
Athens, GA. – On Tuesday, November 2nd, the ACC Mayor and Commission voted unanimously to establish a Public Safety Civilian Oversight Board. The Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement (AADM), in collaboration with various community leaders, have advocated for this Board for two years and are pleased with its establishment.
Despite our support for the formation of the Board, however, the AADM believes there is more work to be done and has concerns that need to be addressed as we move forward.
The Civilian Oversight Board is a group of diverse volunteers from the community that are directly involved in citizen complaints and are tasked with making recommendations to improve government accountability. The goal is not to criticize police, but to improve the relationship between the police and the community through consistent accountability and transparency.
In order for the Board to operate objectively, effectively, and with integrity, we have the following recommendations:
● It must be overtly independent.
● It must be properly funded.
● The Board members and Monitor/Auditor must have legal authority.
● Police officers (retired or active), their immediate family members, or other individuals with potential conflicts of interest should be prohibited from serving on the Board. ● We must limit the law enforcement community to one ex-officio member to represent all agencies (including the ACC Police Department, Sheriff’s Office, Probation Services, and the Department of Corrections) instead of one ex-officio member per agency.
When asked for a statement on the issue, District 2 Commissioner, Mariah Parker, agrees that
“…it is extremely important that, when we as the Commission appoint civilian members to the board, we filter out applicants with law enforcement ties in order to keep the board balanced. As well, I feel it is very important that the commission appointee to the board be an empowering presence for the civilian appointees. I strongly recommend advocates consider who on the commission could be that voice and lobby the mayor to ensure that representative will work to uplift civilian voices on the board.”
In the near future, the ACC Unified Government will be accepting applications from the community to fill the vacancies on the Board; you’ll be able to find those vacancies here. In the meantime, we ask that you contact Mayor Girtz and advocate for the recommendations detailed above. We must stay engaged and involved as a community during the development process.
For more information on how you can support this initiative, please contact Mokah-Jasmine Johnson at JasmineJohnsonedu@gmail.com or AADMovement@gmail.com
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Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement
Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement (AADM) is a grassroots, 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2016 and based in Athens, Georgia. The group aims to combat discrimination through education and activism. For more information visit www.aadmovement.org, their Facebook @AADMovement, or their Twitter and Instagram @aadmovement706