Story by: David Wingo
There's a new 30-second YouTube ad, paid for by the Working Families Party, currently making its rounds on the internet.
The ad calls for the immediate closure of the Atlanta City Detention Center, and directly calls out three well-known Atlanta politicians for advocating against its closure.
In May of 2019, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced her decision to close the Atlanta City Jail and transform it into a center for equity and wellness. This would be a place for community members in need to come and receive help with securing jobs, housing and childcare.
However, it’s been nearly two years since then, and it doesn’t seem like the jail is anywhere close to being closed.
In fact, many of Atlanta's political leaders and residents are hoping to keep the jail open in order to manage the city's rising crime rates, as well as the severe overcrowding currently taking place at the city's other detention center, Fulton County Jail.
The new ad, which has been airing since April 12, calls out longtime city councilman Michael Julian Bond, former mayoral candidate Mary Norwood, and Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat.
Last year, Sheriff Labat came on our podcast, A+Political, and laid out his plan for getting the city of Atlanta to sell the ACDC to Fulton County.
Councilman Bond and Mary Norwood have both come out publicly in support of Labat's plan, agreeing with him that it makes no sense to close the ACDC, while the Fulton County Jail is facing such dire overcrowding issues.
The Atlanta City Jail currently has 1,300 beds, but only houses around 30 inmates per night. Meanwhile, the Fulton County jail is over capacity by 400 inmates, and at least 300 of them are having to sleep on cots on the floor in the jail's common areas.
Sheriff Labat admitted in a recent Instagram post that leasing the Atlanta City Jail to Fulton County is not a permanent solution, but he does believe it will provide a "feasible short term solution."
Local activists continue to emphasize the fact that jails do not keep communities safe, and that the millions of dollars used to upkeep ACDC every year, should be reinvested into social services for low-income citizens, who are most at risk of getting caught up in the justice system.
Despite the back and forth, so far, Mayor Bottoms has stood firm on her position to close the jail. She believes the best course of action is to continue moving forward with its closing and to divert some Fulton County inmates to the equity and wellness center once it’s complete.
The Atlanta City Council will be discussing this issue further Monday April 19 at their full council meeting. We'll be sure to keep you updated on this story.