As communities across the nation engage in dialog about police brutality, three councilmembers have scheduled events to begin leading the discussions in South Fulton.
Councilwoman Carmalitha Gumbs will host a Community Conversation with Police Chief Keith Meadows tonight at 6:30 p.m. They’ll be joined by Charles Coleman, Jr., a civil rights attorney and CNN correspondent and Major Kelley Collier, Atlanta Police Department’s Zone 1 Commander and a former training academy director.
The discussion will focus on policing culture and the South Fulton Police Department’s current protocols. Residents can view the event live on YouTube and submit questions to the panelists.
On Friday, June 5, Councilman khalid will host “Future of South Fulton: Making #BlackLivesMatter Here.” He’ll lead a roundtable with community leaders, protest leaders, police officers, lawyers and families victimized by police violence. Panelists will educate citizens on Georgia’s current laws around policing and citizen’s arrests.
The event follows a special called meeting where Councilman khalid raised questions about protocols for reporting misconduct or misuse of format.
“I’m disappointed our conversation was so limited,” he said. “We talked about how to respond to riots, but not what people are rioting about. We’re doing pretty good here in South Fulton, but as the Blackest City in America, we should be leading on these issues.”
Councilwoman Helen Z. Willis will round out the public-safety themed events on June 18 at 6 p.m. Her town hall will feature Chief Meadows and Fire Chief Sterling Jones. Participants must register online to attend.
Photo: Councilmembers Carmalitha Gumbs, Helen Z. Willis, khalid kamau (Credit: City of South Fulton)