As your insiders first sat down to write this edition of “Inside City Hall” late last week, we were initially going to question when the city would end its latest COVID restrictions, after Mayor Andre Dickens said on Thursday that the mask mandate and indoor event restrictions “may not be in place in March.”
We got an answer on Friday, when Dickens announced he was officially lifting the mask mandate.
The mayor’s office said in-person meetings will also begin again for Invest Atlanta, Atlanta Housing Authority and Atlanta Beltline, among others. Masks are still mandated at public meetings and programs in city buildings.
The announcement came shortly after the CDC released a new strategy on mask-wearing to allow most people to put away their masks in most indoor settings, including classrooms. And the COVID-19 community level for both Fulton and DeKalb counties is classified as “Low” by the CDC.
Dickens said during a Politico Live event on Thursday that the city will follow the science, and if cases go back up again, “we go right back to those mandates and restrictions.”
On the other side of City Hall, we told you first last week that the City Council is aiming to resume in-person meetings on March 7, meaning residents will be able to give public comments directly to their representatives for the first time in two years. We’ll be there, too, to cover it all.
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In the latest crime and public safety news, the Atlanta Police Department is heralding the launch of a new unit, dubbed simply the Anti-Crime Unit, borne out of a partnership with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia State Patrol to target locations that are known to be hotspots for crime by increasing their presence around them.
Some notable stats, according to APD: Since launching on Feb. 3, the unit is responsible for 482 traffic stops, impounded 41 vehicles, arrested 77 people and recovered 14 guns.
Citywide, murder and rape are up so far this year, while all other serious crimes have dipped, compared to last time this year.
ICYMI: Though the Buckhead secession movement is no longer an immediate threat, pressure still remains on Dickens to make a dent in the city’s crime numbers. Last week he met with members of the MLK-Ashby Business Association, many of whom said they want to see the return of community policing foot patrols, Channel 2 Action News reports.
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Quote of the week:
“2,000 of these units are going to come from the faith-based community ... The rest of it is going to be on the way by the good graces of God."
The city is teaming up with the Enterprise Community Partners nonprofit to find 15 faith-based organizations with land that can be used for affordable housing. They’re planning to develop 1,000 homes in five years, and Dickens wants to work with religious leaders to build 1,000 more in the future.
Credit: Miguel Martinez for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Miguel Martinez for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Residents at the dilapidated Forest Cove Apartments received a small victory last week when the complex owner promised to freeze rent during their court-ordered relocation process. Dickens said the city has identified 170 units for some of the residents to relocate to, with more to come.
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Dickens is partnering with the Truman Center for National Policy as a co-chair of the organization’s new Task Force on City and State Diplomacy. The group will develop a series of recommendations to broaden diplomatic engagement for cities and states nationwide.
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Atlanta City Hall and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport were lit up with colors of blue and yellow, representing the Ukrainian flag, Friday night. It was meant to show solidarity with Ukraine as Russia continues to invade the neighboring Eastern European country.
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Thanks for reading! If you have any feedback, story ideas, tips or City Hall insider info, please reach out — you can email us at wilborn.nobles@ajc.com and jdcapelouto@ajc.com, or find us on Twitter, @jdcapelouto and @WilNobles.
