Mayor Franklin Presents Working Group Report for Civil and Human Rights Center
Last week, Mayor Shirley Franklin joined a coalition of business, community and civic leaders in City Hall to unveil the first set of recommendations for a Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta.
In 2005, Mayor Franklin commissioned the coalition, staffed by professional members of Central Atlanta Progress (CAP), to develop the vision and concept for an Atlanta-based center. The mission of the Center for Civil and Human Rights is to commemorate Atlanta and Georgia’s contributions to the ongoing struggles for civil and human rights.
Included in the report are a timeline, recommendations for programming, site selection, identifying critical success factors and the scope of content. Recent milestones toward launching the Center include the acquisition of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers and a 2 ½ acre land donation from Coca-Cola as a potential site for the Center.
On January 4, Mayor Franklin will join the working group for a public Q&A session to discuss the recommendations. The public meeting will be held from 4-6 p.m. in Atlanta City Hall. To RSVP, call 404.614.8302.
“This highly skilled working group is ready to take off so that we can see the Center for Civil and Human Rights complete within the next decade,” said Mayor Franklin. “It is time for Atlanta to embrace and claim its history in a concrete way as the center for civil rights.”
To view the Working Group Report, visit here.
Mayor Shirley Franklin (front, center) joins members of the working group for the Center for Civil and Human Rights at a recent news conference in City Hall. The working group presented their first report for the construction and programming of a new center that will focus on Atlanta’s central place in the civil rights movement. |
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Atlanta Fire Rescue Helps Families Have a Merry Christmas
This Christmas, more than 60 families joined Atlanta Fire Rescue (AFR) department employees from Station No. 16 for its traditional dinner and gift giveaway.
The annual Christmas Dinner was conceived 36 years ago by the first 16 African-American firefighters employed at AFR. The tradition is one that fire personnel across the City of Atlanta have continued to take an enormous amount of pride in.
The dinner and gifts were provided by AFR employees. This year, AFR reached out to families in the Simpson Road community. Families enjoyed dinner and approximately 300 children received gifts courtesy of AFR.
“As firefighters, we live 33 percent of our lives inside the fire station. So we consider our station’s community as extended neighbors,” said event coordinator Captain Al Howard. “This charitable event allows us to share our blessings and reach out to the many families who may not otherwise be able to enjoy the season.”
Residents from City of Atlanta neighborhoods in the Simpson Road corridor join Sparky the Fire Pup for the Atlanta Fire Rescue (AFR) department’s annual Christmas Dinner. |
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Atlanta Restorative Boards Provide Unique Way to Administer Justice
Restorative Justice Boards, a component of the Municipal Court of Atlanta (MCA) Community Court, are an innovative way of administering justice that allows residents to play an important role in keeping their communities healthy and safe.
The restorative justice concept holds offenders of quality-of-life crimes (loitering, minor drug possession, vandalism) accountable for the harm they have caused and helps to build peace within communities. Offenders – typically first-timers, ages 17-24 – reimburse communities by performing visible, meaningful community service. Restorative boards, which are comprised of active community residents, determine the service.
Last month, MCA held a swearing-in ceremony for 24 new board members. These board members will represent neighborhoods in Districts 1, 2 and 12. There are also boards in the Mechanicsville-Pittsburgh, Vine City/ English Avenue and Washington Park/ Booker T. Washington neighborhoods.
The concept also helps offenders – many of whom are misguided youth – redirect their lives. Through partnerships with the Atlanta courts, Fulton County Juvenile Courts and the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency (AWDA), defendants receive GED preparation, develop parenting and resume-writing skills and participate in AWDA’s weekly job fairs.
Since the program began in 2001, more than 1,000 defendants have come before Atlanta’s restorative justice boards. “Restorative justice is fundamentally different from retributive justice. It is justice that puts energy into the future, not into the past. It focuses on what needs to be healed, what needs to be repaid and what needs to be learned in the wake of crime,” said Major Ruth Price, Restorative Board coordinator.
For more information about Community Court programs, visit here.
Judge Clinton Deveaux, presiding judge for the Atlanta Community Court, swears in 24 new members of the Community Court’s restorative board. |
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Families Invited to Attend Gun Safety Seminars
Dozens of children are killed – and many more are injured – from gun-related accidents every year in the United States.
The Atlanta Police Department (APD) invites families to attend a series of free informative and potentially life-saving gun safety seminars on Saturday, December 30 and Saturday, January 20, 2007. The seminars will be held in the Sherry Lyons-Williams Auditorium at City Hall East and will begin at 10 a.m.
The seminars are open to adults and children. APD will introduce the Eddie Eagle Gunsafe Program, which has been presented by more than 22,000 school systems, law enforcement agencies and civic groups nationwide, and influenced over 17 million youth. Parents will see and hear a demonstration and lecture on gun safety in the home. At the end of the seminar, parents will receive child-proof gun locks.
No outside firearms are permitted. For more information, call 404.853.4380 or 404.817.7949.
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Mayor Shirley Franklin holds a news conference to announce the Working Group’s recommendations for a Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta. The Center will commemorate Atlanta and Georgia’s contribution to the ongoing struggle for civil and human rights. Click here to go to Video on Demand (VOD) webpage where you can watch the news conference.
This is just one of the many videos you can view on the VOD page. Video clips include many of the programs you see on City Channel 26, like news conferences, groundbreakings and other events, as well as special programs that profile City departments and services.
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Rave Reviews!
- In 2006 the Friendship Club, a City of Atlanta non-profit corporation, raised $256,000 to support metro Atlanta charitable organizations. This was a 30 percent increase over last year’s campaign, which raised $196,000, with the Atlanta Fire Rescue (AFR) department leading City departments in giving with $45,854. In addition, the Friendship Club also raised $16,000 for confidential emergency assistance for City of Atlanta employees coping with illness, death and other unforeseen circumstances that cause severe financial difficulties. The campaign was held in October and November, 2006.
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Upcoming Events & Volunteer Opportunities
- On Thursday, January 4 from 4-6 p.m., Mayor Shirley Franklin will join the Center for Civil and Human Rights Committee for a public meeting in City Hall to discuss the committee’s recommendations for the new center. For more information, call 404.614.8302.
- On January 15, the Atlanta History Center will honor the 21st Anniversary of the Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday by unveiling a historic collection of the Nobel Prize winner’s speeches, letters and much more. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection will be on display at the Atlanta History Center from January 15 – May 13. Admission to the Center is free on Monday, January 15. There will also be free admission to view the Collection every Monday and the first full weekend of every month. For more information, call 404.814.4000.
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Job Announcements
With the City of Atlanta’s online application system, you are able to create an account and select a Username and Password and then log in to your account.
After your account has been established, you can create an application by clicking on the “Build Job Application” link. Once your application is completed, it will be stored in the system and can be used to apply for future job openings. To get started by viewing current open positions, click here.
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Weekly Features
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