Community calls for new APD Zone 6 precinct

Zone Locality Safety Leaders are calling on the City of Atlanta to commit to a new Atlanta Police Department precinct serving the city s east side The Zone Area Safety Leaders represent neighborhood associations area groups and residents across nearly neighborhoods on Atlanta s east side including Druid Hills Kirkwood Old Fourth Ward and Poncey-Highland The coalition which includes Atlanta City Council Member Alex Wan Morningside Lenox Park Safety Chair Phyllis Wingo and neighborhood members Kay Stephenson and Susan Kanellos argues that the current Zone precinct located at Hosea L Williams Drive does not reach safety and functionality standards In a press release the organization alleged that black mold had been discovered on the property prompting a second remediation in the last two years In August Zone Society Safety Leaders contacted Mayor Andre Dickens the Atlanta City Council and Chief of Police Darin Schierbaum to request a new facility After Dickens promised a review and set of recommendations and actions thereafter the organization says they have not received any follow-up Zone officers protect thousands of residents and businesses every day They deserve a facility that protects them too Stephenson commented A clean safe and secure precinct that is designed for the demands of st-century policing is not a luxury it s a necessity Our officers workplace conditions reflect how much the City values their operation Wingo revealed Zone deserves the same level of commitment that other zones have received nothing less Kanellos announced that district members have raised nearly over two years to spackle and repaint walls and make other additions to the facility which is owned by Israel Baptist Church and one of only two rental properties housing APD zones but the coalition says these fundraising efforts can t replace the City s responsibility for funding a permanent site for the precinct Rough Draft has reached out to the Mayor s Office for comment Check back for updates Related stories Trans woman s Tucker library encounter sparks study by DeKalb County Police Flights trimmed at Atlanta and other major airports as leadership shutdown drags on The post Locality calls for new APD Zone precinct appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta