Commissioners delay racial justice resolution amidst confusion, resentment

In a chaotic and tense meeting, ACC commissioners chose to delay making a formal statement of support for racial equity on Tuesday despite a large turnout of constituents who urged them to do more for the Black community in Athens.

Dozens of people took the podium at city hall to speak out for racial justice, affordable housing and other topics. While there was broad agreement among the public that more needed to be done on these issues, speakers were not completely unified on how to go about it.

Most speakers pleaded with the commission to first make a formal statement of support for racial equity, arguing that such a statement would be the basis for future action.

The specific statement, or resolution, on the commission’s agenda that night was written by local activists in the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement in conjunction with Commissioners Patrick Davenport, Melissa Link, Carol Myers and Dexter Fisher. This resolution starts by acknowledging the persistent racial wealth gap and other inequities suffered by the Black community in Athens. It reaffirms the local government’s commitment to addressing these issues by achieving housing security, economic empowerment and safety for Black residents and other marginalized communities.

“[This resolution] is not just a document. It is a call from the people, urging our local government to take meaningful steps towards racial equity,” said Mokah Jasmine Johnson, co-founder of the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement. “It demands action on housing security, youth safety and economic opportunities for Black and minority-owned businesses. We are not here for empty promises or symbolic gestures, we are here for action.”

Some speakers harshly criticized the body for failing, from their perspective, to take action over the years on these issues.

“Y’all failing us. Y’all failing us. Housing is a real issue in this town. We need y’all to step up. No delays, no passing the buck, no letting things die on this floor. We need every last one of y’all to stand up,” said Devon Doss, a Black resident of Athens.

“[There have been] over three centuries of constant economic assault on Black and brown people. The history is undeniable, but more importantly, it’s not just the history. It is still happening right now,” said Tamika Money, a Black resident of Athens who was referring to how the local government is making existing racial disparities worse through its procurement and contracting policies.

A smaller group of speakers supported the goals of the resolution but called for it to be delayed so that more specific and tangible action might be taken over the next few months.

“I commend everyone who worked on this resolution. It’s definitely a step in the right direction,” said Xavier Walker, a Black resident of Athens. “But I now just respectfully ask that the commission table the vote for at least 60 to 90 days to give the community, city attorney and commission an opportunity to turn the resolution into a city ordinance…turn it into something more than a resolution.”

Unlike resolutions, which are statements of opinion, ordinances represent concrete actions by the local government that have the force of law.

However, it is unclear how the broad statement of opinion written by commissioners and the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement could be directly converted into a law within 60 days or, indeed, within any time frame.

Commission discussion

Given this uncertainty, Davenport, Link and Myers advocated for going forward with the resolution as written. Myers in particular pointed out how the commission could continue to act after passing the resolution by drafting specific ordinances and by making funding allocations during budget season.

“From this resolution, we can move forward and allocate another $4 million in next year’s budget for affordable housing and another $1 million for a strike fund to help low-income residents stay in their homes. We could draft specific ordinances or policies to follow through on the recommendations of the disparity study. We could allocate general budget funds to help continue funding for some of the programs…for youth,” Myers said. “This [resolution] is a diving board into taking more action as a commission and I hope we will do that as we move forward.”

While the commission could do all of these things without first passing a resolution, formal statements by the body are often helpful in giving political direction to ACC staff who are otherwise expected to do their work without political agendas.

Commissioner Ovita Thornton, who has expressed discomfort with “social justice” resolutions in the past, called for the vote to be tabled for 60 days while commissioners and members of the public work together on a separate piece of legislation, an ordinance. She did not mention what topics the ordinance would cover or whether she would even vote for the resolution after the 60 day-period ended.

Commissioner Tiffany Taylor seconded Thornton’s motion, saying that she wanted to see real “impact” instead of just “another document that goes into a folder.” Taylor was also not specific as to what she wanted to see in the ordinance, except that she wanted Black community needs to be “properly funded.”

Long-standing grievances

Link objected to delaying the resolution, saying that she understood the “despair” in the community which she feels “has to do with our Black neighborhoods being wiped out by student gentrification.” She implied that those calling for a single ordinance to replace the resolution didn’t quite understand the legislative process. 

“If an ordinance were to come of this, it would be multiple ordinances scattered throughout our code,” Link said.

This was a bit too much for Thornton, who lost decorum and started pointing fingers at her colleagues.

“I have really tried to be patient,” Thornton said. “I’m trying not to call your name, Melissa. Don’t do that. If you want the resolution, fine, vote for the resolution. But please don’t play on our hearts, that’s what Black people are tired of. Y’all act like we are just so dumb, we can’t even think for ourselves. You can’t speak for Black folk. You ain’t been there.”

Thornton continued her tirade, bringing up long-standing grievances she’s had with Link and Davenport to try and show the audience that they were being disingenuous in their support for the resolution.

1010 Oglethorpe Avenue

Thornton called out Link for supporting a small “missing middle” housing development in 2022 which was intended to be built on Oglethorpe Avenue. This development included some affordable units but it was opposed by nearby Black residents due to traffic, noise, parking and gentrification concerns. Link and other white progressives prioritized housing over the desires of nearby residents in approving the development, causing resentment.

Insufficient support for the Linnentown resolution

Thornton also called out Davenport for supposedly not supporting the Linnentown resolution in 2021. In fact, Davenport voted to approve the Linnentown resolution, although he did express reservations before he did so.

“To the white people, I don’t want nothing from you. I don’t want your guilt. I don’t want your pity. I don’t want reparations,” Davenport said in 2021. “Because what’s the point? What’s the point when tomorrow, we’re gonna have someone put a knee to my neck? What’s the point when I can’t even walk down, in my own neighborhood, with a bottle of tea and a bag of skittles, because someone fears me because of the color of my skin?”

Davenport was referencing the police murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012.

Accusations about Mariah Parker’s resignation

Thornton also accused Link of conspiring to deny Black residents in part of District 2 representation on the commission for over four months after the resignation of former Commissioner Mariah Parker. 

The background to this accusation is complex, but it focuses on the decision of the ACC Board of Elections to hold the special election to replace Parker in March of 2023, when Link was eligible to run for re-election, rather than November 2022, when Link was not eligible. Thornton feels that Link and other white progressives put undue pressure on the Board of Elections to make this decision in a way that would favor them politically.

However, holding the election in November would have been infeasible for ACC staff, according to ACC Elections Director Charlotte Sosebee who spoke under oath about this issue. Superior Court Judge J. Wade Padgett determined that the Board of Elections made this decision properly, based on their responsibility to hold well-run elections and serve ACC voters in an impartial way, and not based on any undue pressure from Link.

“That’s what I meant when I said, ‘how can I believe what you say, when I watch what you do?’” Thornton said, referencing a famous quote from James Baldwin.

When Thornton finished her speech, Davenport asked his colleagues to refrain from criticizing each other directly. “I’m just going to advise the chair that we keep decorum so that we can get through today,” Davenport said.

The vote

Thornton’s motion to delay the resolution for 60 days passed 6-3 with Davenport, Link and Myers voting no and Commissioner Stephanie Johnson abstaining. 

Commissioner Stephanie Johnson did not give a reason for her abstention.

Next steps

Thornton says that she will meet with community members to develop a racial justice ordinance over the next two months. Then, Girtz would place the resolution back on the commission’s agenda alongside this new ordinance.

Thornton was not able to articulate at this stage what the ordinance would contain. The items that might be included, as listed by Myers above, are mostly funding allocations. However, these would probably not be voted on separately from the budget itself, which is finalized in June. That means they are not likely candidates for Thornton’s ordinance, if the idea is to vote on it in April, although it’s possible.

Other government policies could be considered, such as those encouraging equitable government contracting and procurement. An ordinance like this is the most likely candidate for Thornton. However, the eventual ordinance might end up being fairly small in scope. It might not be satisfying for community members who want to make a strong impact on the problems of structural racism and increasingly unaffordable housing.

Another option would be for a large allocation to go to affordable housing, for example, which might really make an impact on the problem. This may require a significant tax increase. Therefore, an ordinance like this may not be supported by most commissioners, including Thornton herself.

We’ll have to wait and see what Thornton comes up with and if her ordinance is able to satisfy the community’s demand for justice and equity.

Mokah Jasmine Johnson gave her perspective on these events in a comment to APN.

“Not passing the resolution seems like a way to stall real action under the guise of wanting to create something more concrete,” said Mokah Jasmine Johnson. “I am concerned about the delay, especially given the lack of clarity on what the ordinance would entail. Also, the reality is that passing the resolution wouldn’t have stopped them from creating an ordinance. In fact, this resolution provides an opportunity for multiple ordinances to be created. It would have laid the foundation for immediate action while still allowing room to develop more specific policies as needed.”

If you’d like, you can watch this video summary to learn about what the ACC Commission has done for affordable housing over the years.

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