Contributing writer: Richard Banton
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE–Until Friday, Dec. 21, 2018 Athens Clarke County residents will have an opportunity to provide input on what “they believe should be the characteristics, qualities, and priorities of the new Athens-Clarke County Police Chief.”
Feedback can be provided via an online form at www.accgov.com/policechief; printed forms are available at City Hall in the Manager’s Office (301 College Avenue, Suite 301) and at the Police Department’s East Precinct / Headquarters (3035 Lexington Highway) during normal business hours; and by phone: 706-224-3202 and leaving a comment.
Since mid-September, Athens-Clarke County Police Department has been without permanent leadership after County Manager Blaine Williams asked for ACCPD Chief Scott Freeman’s resignation. On Oct 4, AADM coordinated a forum at Hendershots to discuss the future of Athens policing and to have a say on the next Athens police chief. The panel featured interim police chief Mike Hunsinger, Commissioner Mariah Parker, Commissioner Tim Denson, former mayor Gwen O’Looney and UGA law professor Russell Gabriel, moderated by Blake Aued.
A petition was launched shortly after to rally community support and Demands for a Restorative Justice Culture in ACCPD. Currently, over 170 supporters have signed this online petition which is still available online and will be presented to the new Mayor and Commission in early 2019 www.change.org/p/athens-clarke-county-manager-demands-for-a-restorative-justice-culture-in-athens-clarke-county-police-department
January 5, 2019, AADM will host a follow-up meeting and panel to continue the discussion on Athens policing. It is critical that Athens continues to have honest and public conversations about race before a new chief is appointed.
AADM will continue to advocate for a police chief who will truly represent the most vulnerable – Athenians of color and undocumented immigrants. As of Dec 4, more than 65 percent of persons in custody at Clarke County Jail are black, an egregious over-representation according to 2015 data that show black residents at 27 percent. A quick search of charges for current inmates finds a troublesome pattern of arrests for probation and parole violations, failure to appear, and other minors, nonviolent offenses.
In its approach to “criminal justice” Athens is much like other American cities, where black and brown men are far more likely to be arrested, held, and prosecuted. For these reasons, our newest police chief must confront a department that is not entirely on board with accountability for officers who assault some Athenians in the spirit of “getting the job done”. We want a chief who will not cooperate with the Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) and who will assess existing practices that collude to make our jail overwhelmingly black. The new chief must be one of the people, by the people, and for the people of Athens, one who includes community input at every stage. Anything less is a tremendous disservice.
We need your voice!