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ATTACHMENT B COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMISSION REPORT OF PROGRAM COMMITTEE Helen Bullard, Chairman PREFACE The Program Committee would like to list the premises on which the program is based, since in our opinion it was not possible to suggest program in a vacuum but rather to suggest program in terms of the implementation; in other words, when we suggested the following program we considered whether or not in our opinion it was feasible within the framework of limited staff, budget, and other facilities. We propose the following as a summary of the philosophy of the Program Committee of the Commission: 1. That the Commission make accessibility one of its prime objectives. 2. · That as far as possible the work of the Comm.is sion be in the area of prevention. 3. That the Commission avoid duplicating any function that is already the province of an e stablished agency or group and that its efforts be c h a nne l e d in the area s of impl e m e nting r athe r than duplication . 4. Tha t t h e p r og ra m of t h e Commission remain fl exible and within t h e capab ilitie s of the C ommission. 5. That the Commiss ion rec o gnize the re s p o n sib ility of a creati ve approach t o solv ing problems of our C o mmuni ty and its re s pon s ibility t o encourage the i nvolve m ent of th e citizens of the entir e City. �6. That the Commission's program include for consideration and possible implementation the suggestions from the citizens themselves. That the Commission then becomes, with the approval of the Mayor and the Board of Aldermen, the spokesman for the City of Atlanta. PROGRAM I The Program Committee proposes the following areas for immediate action (the se areas were included in the ad hoc committee I s r e port as b e ing the most obvious areas for survey of services and facilities): a. Blue Heaven (Location: Decatur Street - Atlanta DeKalb area) b. Cabbage Town (Location: Fulton Bag and Cotton Mill) c. M e chanicsville d. Summe r Hill (Location: Off G e or g i a Avenue , behind the C a pitol) e. Vine City (Location: Vine Street and Magnolia) f. Lighting g. Scotts Crossing (othe r suggestions) h. i. j. and such other areas as may be d e t erm i n e d b y th e Commi ssion o r requested by the neighborhood organizations or individ uals. The purpose of this investi - gation is to make recommendations to the Mayor and t h e Board of A l dermen r e garding the furnishing of necessary services and facilities within the control - 2 - �of the City of Atlanta which shall standardize the services furnished in the above mentioned areas with all the other areas of the City of Atlanta. As a basis for such information and recommendations, the Program Committee urges that this program be given first priority; that the information be obtained by holding public hearings in the suggested areas to which the public, neighborhood organizations and other interested individuals will be invited. We suggest that this be a simultaneous project and that the Commission be set up in teams · and a ss igned to specific areas and that each team designate one member as a secretary for the purpose of filing a joint report to the entire Commission. In areas where there i s not unanimous agreement within the team, we suggest a m inority repo rt also be filed. PROGRAM II For purposes of gaining information we suggest that the following people who a r e concerned with the community relations in the various areas and disciplines be invited to appe a r befo re the entire Commi ssion for the following purposes : a. To outline for t he community their present method of operation. b. To p roject plans for the future. c. To analyze what they consider their greatest problems, and d. To make whatever recommendations they care to to the Community Relations Commi ssion. We suggest the following a r ea s of concern: 1. A meeting of all agencies dealing with community problems. - 3 - �2. EDUCATION - Dr. John Letson, Superintendent of Atlanta Schools 3. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES - Mr. Charles O. Emmerich - Director of the E. 0. A. Program 4. JOB OPPORTUNITIES within the City Government - Col. Carl Sutherland, Director of Personnel, City of Atlanta 5. RECREATION - Mr. Jack Delius - Director of Parks Department, City of Atlanta 6. HOUSING a. Atlanta Housing Authority, Mr. M. B. Satterfield b. Mayor's Committee on Housing, Dr. Sanford Atwood and Dr. Benjamin Mayes 7. LAW ENFORCEMENT - Chief Herbert Jenkins, Atlanta Police Departmmt 8. WELFARE - Mr. Welborn Ellis - Director of Fulton County Welfare Department 9, 10. HEALTH - Fulton County Public Health Department, Dr. James F. Hackney In addition to the above official agencies, we would like to recommend that the Committee that is assigned to work with ministers be asked to select from the churches the significant churches in terms of community program. We think it would be helpful to have such programs explained so that other churches might be encouraged to similar or other community programs. (We are thinking partly in terms of clinics, counseling services, etc . ) - 4 - �TIME TABLE I. Public hearing of concerned citizens from various neighborhoods through. out the City. room #2. 2. Place: Purpose: City Hall - February 16, 7:30 p. m. - Committee to begin to pinpoint problems of the City. Meeting with agencies who are concerned with community relations. Purpose: to ask each agency to define their areas of operations and program, and to get their ideas as to the problems of the Atlanta Community. Suggest that the agencies be asked to file a brief with the Commission in addition to their verbal reports. Time: Thursday, February 23, 7:30 p. m. - City Hall. 3. Public meeting in areas suggested by ad hoc committee (committees of not more than three persons to each area) be appointed by the Chairman of the Commission and such meetings begin the first week in March, with area meetings being held simultaneously; that the entire Commission be called into extra session for reports and to formulate recommendation s. 4. That the heads of agencies suggested in Program I I be contacted as to their earliest availabilities for meeting with the Commission. - 5 - �ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS ( FOR DISCUSSION) I. Compiling of a simplified directory of community services - Check with C. P. C. as to the status of their directory. 2. Project involving newcomers into Atlanta - See what C. P. C. has done on this. 3. Establishing Speakers' Bureau. 4. Forming of an Advisory or Auxiliary Committee, for the Commission, names to be selected from proposed names for the Commission itself or by other means. 5. Internship program for students either in the field of social work, education, health, etc. 6. Prog r am to involve more groups and individuals for working with problems involving the entire City . - 6 - �