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.. "COMMUNITY RELATIONS CO/-iJv\ lSSION MEMORIAL DRIVE ANNEX BLDG. 121 MEMORIAL DRIVE, S. W. ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30303 ~22-4463 July 25, 1969 DR. SAMUEL W. WILLIAMS, CHAIRMAN VICE MAYOR SAM MASSELL, JR., • . EX-OFFICIO . COMMISSION MEMBERS. MR.T. M.ALEXANDER , SR . R . BYRON ATTRIDGE MRS. SARA BAKER MISS HELEN BULLARD MR . R. J. BUTLER MR . f,!: :-:E CH ~ ~A~ TH A~-~ REP. JAMES E . D EA N MR. ROBERT DO BBS REP.C.G . EZZARD . MR. L . L. ~ELLERSTEDT, J~. MR. CHARLES HART DR . ROB E RT E . L.EE · - - · - -·MRS. F. W. PATTERSON RABBI JACOB M . ROTHSCHILD · MR. PAUL SHIELDS MR . L. D . SIMON \ . - • ..MRS. MA RY STEPHENS DR. J. RANDOLPH TAYLOR -REV. J.·A. WILBORN TO: M~yor Allen and the 1?oard of Aldermen · - -irn. FROM: Community Relations Commission SUBJECT: Summary of Complaints from Town Hall Meetings and Recommendations of the Commission · The key role of the Community Relations Commission (CRC} in the Mayor I s Sumni.e r Program has been in holding Town I MR. WILLIAM McGEE, E X-O FFICIO Hall me e tings in the disadvc.nt age d ares of the City. The ATLANTA YOUTH CONGRESS ! Commission initi;:i.lly g oes in to h ea r the compla ints of MR. NAT WELCH EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR citizens and returns some t hir ty clays later and r e ports on actions taken by City Hall and other agencies. In many cases, CRC has been able to report corrective action taken -·oy City Depa rtments a nd other agencies {note Suppleme nt · ..!½". for _responses this week to complaints at Perry H01nes). Town Hall meetings have b ee n held since March in the following communiti~ s : Blair Village, Grant Park, Mechanicsville, Perry Homes, University Homes and EdgewoodKirkwood. ·- -- -· o _ . (;; This report tabulates the frequency of complaints registered _·_in the initial me e tings. The frequency of compla ints is not in itself conclusive evidenc e of the gravity of problems faced ·- ·by ·Atlan ta. 0 The purpose of this memorandum is to m ake recommenda tions on proble ms the Com.mi ssion h as been unab l e to r eso lve . ~<:?~ · ~~t~\:}J ~ \\ . .,, "'< ,\..~ ~ ~:;;.\/3 '\_,\ ·. '.V · ··1 ,~,·::-..., -~, ~ ·., ~ l\~ '\ i),J ' • ~'l \\,;~ t~ ~ ~~r>\\ ~\v.>~'\. ~~i~y\M ~\ b/ 11 (",,.., _ . tf:;"'$>- \<:)~ ~f·!..~s Far and away the most frequent complaint received was th e need for more and b e tter recreational facilities. T v,renty -six -complaints were received on this s ubj ect comp ared wit h • 111,... eac h o n po 1·ic e an d gar b age service. · T wenty- f our e1g complaints on re cr eation dea lt with the need for m o re s wim n1ing pools, more play lots for tots, and pr ogr ams for t ecnagers. Two complaints had t o do with lack of services by - t- o ~v\~ .-. �I?age 2 Summc1;,ry of Complaints Community Chest agencies in the disadvantaged areas. The Commission would like to recommend four areas for improving this situation: 1. The Parks Department capital improvern.ent budget of approximately $35 0, 000 is grossly inadequate. This . - sum can easily be expended to build one new park; but this $350,000 has to be spread over 65 parks. For example, a modern swimming pool costs approxim ~\ely ·· - · : --- ----- ·· · - --$220,-000; -·The City of Atlanta needs to give serious consideration to a multi-million dollar bond issue for . .. -. improvement and expansion of its Parks system. It should b~ pointed out that the Parks Department is operating 80 play lots of which 40 are staffed. These are constructed and maintained principally from Federal Poverty Funds. If these funds ar.e reduced, this would throw an immediate and substantial burden on this City. r - ·--i.---Emphasis ·should be _Placed on expanding and improving _ play lots for tots and neighborhood parks in such com ···-- _________·__ __!!1:u_njttes_ cts _J\1echanicsville, Surn.merhill, Fulton Village, Blue Heaven, Bowen Hom e s, Perry Homes and Grant _ __:· ____park: are_a . Parks need to be in walking distance of these citizens where possible; ghetto families have very poor transportation. Imp r oved transportation in disadvantaged areas will help broaden recreational opportunities. 3. Better utilization must be made of school playgrounds -- --~ -=-a nd facilities. ··· This re·quire s more co ope ration between ·. the Atlanta School Board and the Parks D epartment . .. _ ... With the costs of construction and real estate spiraling, . Atlanta has to make better use of school facilities for i-ecreaHon. 4. Th~ need is pressing for improved recreation in public · ··housing. The Atlanta Housing Authority c an build recre·-ational, buildings. The City should urge action here by · the Authority. The Board of Aldennen has offered to pay 50% of the costs of operating recr eat ional programs in public housing if the A uthority would do like wise. Under Federal law, AHA can not do so. Therefo re, the City must accept its responsibility here in as much as it has as surned responsibility in providing other services in public housing. 0 0 A major burden for improving recr eation in the City rests w ith the Pa rk s Department. Churche s have be e n remiss in developing re creational programs �Page 3 Summ~ry of Complaints - - and using their facilities for their neightborhoods. Community Chest agencies need to step up their programs in disadvantaged areas and to guard against serving just the middle class. The Atlanta Children 1 s and Youth Services Council has done an outstanding job in coordinating and promoting volunteer services and warrants continous support. Complaints abo.ut the Atlanta Police Department were eight in number ••.••.• seven dealing with the need for greater protection and quicker, response and - ----one -about segregation ·in the department. Four suggestions were made by citizens for improving police services: I. M·.:>re foot·.patrolmen in areas of high crime. 2. Quicker switchboard answering at headquarters. 3. . Complete desegration of the Police Department.

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Improved street lighting in areas of high crime. This has sharply reduced crime in some American cities. ll Atlanta is to cope with its nsmg crime rate, citize ns must share this responsibility with the Police Department. The Atlanta Police Department must be given a d_eguatc funds for operations, salaries, .training and res ear ch. Atlanta citizens have a strong responsibility t o report crimes and to serve as witnesses where needed. __ ______ G~:r:}Jage s e rvice also ranked second in _number of complaints. The Commission received six complaints on the quality and frequency of garbage collection and - - __:_-two complaints on garbage being strewn over premises. The Commission held a special meeting in June with the Director of the Public Works Department and the Director of the Sanita ry S ervic e to inform the m of these facts and to make recommenda tions. The Public Works Committee of th e Board of Aldermen . ·. needs to take furth er steps to mechanize garbage collection and to increase the pay-of ·sanitary wo1.·ker s -and ·to elevate· the - dignity- of·th·e · job. - Citi zens need to. show more appreciation for the men who p erfo rm this important public service. -A serious complaint h eard a t Town Hall meetings during the spring d ealt with . the f ailure of the City to remove junk c ars . The responsibility for removing junk ca.rs on private prope1·ty rests with the Sanitary D epartment and on streets with the Police D epartnient. In the last few weeks both d epartments have moved forward with aggressive pr9grams for coping with this nagging problem. Other complaints receive d by the Commis si on are list e d below in the frequency in which rec e ived: 7 complaints ..•· ..• on sewers and dr a, inage - -5 on flood e d streets and 2 on di r.ty sewers and smelly creeks. 5 compla ints •••••• lack of jobs for youth. �~ . . Page 4 Summary of Co1nplaints 5 complaints •• _. ... Comprehensive Health- -3 on services offered and 2 alleging discriminatory hiring practices. 5 complaints .•••• ~ Model Cities - -lack of knowledge of program, inadequate community representation, objections to ho1n~ purchase and repair programs, and community contractors not getting a chance to _bid. -· ·· __ _:__4 · complaints •••••• repair of and the need for better street lighting. 4 complaints •••••• need for new streets and the paving of existing streets. 3 complaints •••••• rats. 3 complaints .•.•.. City of Atlanta- -2 on the lack of coordination of City Departments and 1 on the lack of responsiveness _ to cou-1plaints of citizens. 3 complaints .....• Atlanta Housing Authority- -2 on the condition of housing and 1 on· high rents. 2 complaints.~ o ••• stra:,r dogs c: 2 complaints .•...• Urban Renewal--thc desire of citizens for information, and representation on urban renewal committees. 2 _complaints •.•.•• Economic Opportunity Atlanta The Co~~unity Relations Commission itself was not above criticism. One . complaint was registered on the lack of youth representation on the Commission and another on the inability of the Commission to respont to complaints. / / .· 0 •. �p • • 0 SUPPLEMENT i 11 A 11 I f The follow-up meeting in the Northwest Perry Homes area was held on July 22~ fThe CRC was able to report the following positive actions on complaints registered by the citizens: 1. Transportation--the CRC met with Mr. William Maynard, President of the Atlanta Transit Company, to encourage the extension of the Perry Boulevard Bus to Holiywood Road. This would enable the residents of Perry Homes to have bus transportation to the K-Mart and several large grocery stores in the Ba1:ld1ead Highway area_. The Atlanta Transit Company agreed to make this extension on a three month trial basis. New bus schedules were handed out to residents of Perry Homes at the CRC meeting~ - -z.--- Recreation: a, Through the efforts of the Atlanta Youth Council, the Butler Street Ylv1CA and Community Che st a recreation program for teenagers at Northwest Perry Homes has been · developed. / /' This program will provide recreation four . 0 nights a week during the remainder b. of the summer. Mr, Persells reported that the Atlanta Housing Authority will begin surveying for the construction o_f a ne w r e cre ation building w ithin the ne x t few w eeks . . .. 0 . �... Page 2 Supplement "A" 3. -- -- Consmner Services: a. CRC reported that Mr. Alterman, of Big Apple Food .Stores, has agreed to build a new supermarket in the area ·provi_ding a minimum of three suitable acres can be found. ______ ____M:1-°: .. Welch sur_veye~ the area with a large shopping ·center developer who promised a best effort to develop a shopping - Center ·fo-r the Perry Homes Area. b. Mr. Lindskoog met with Mr. Yates, of Yates & Milton _D rug Stores, to request that a pharmacist be placed in their . . --------·Drug Store in Perry· Homes. Mr. Lindskoog plans tc work further on this is sue -4. Atlanta Housing Authority: a. In response to the residents request, new railings will be plac e d on unprotected stairways. _ - -- - ·b. -- Mr. Persells reported that operations are now under way to eliminate the m aggots that have become a serious problem ·_ in one. section of the housing project. _· · s. · Proctor Creek--citizens were pleased with the report that .• the Cit_y is p·resen~ly doing extensive work to e liminate the / . / odor of Pr octo r Creek. 0

. .. �Community Relations Commission Pe.i:cent of Total 87 26 8 8 7 Total Complaints Parks Police Sanitation Sewers, etc. Employment Health Model Cities 5 5 5 30% 9% 9% 8% 6% 6% 6% Cities Services Percent of Total (July) ~:< Total Complaints Parks Police Sanitation Sewers, etc. Employment Health Model Cities 708 32 133 267 59 5% 19% 38% 8% No Figures Available 19 No Figures Available

Other

Prominent Complaints Housing Code Traffic Engineering 36 40 3% �