By Lyn Hillman
The East Atlanta Village Neighborhood Assembly (EAVNA) is holding monthly meetings to discuss several issues of interest to the community. EAVNA is a grass-roots organization that is working to identify issues of importance to residents of the East Atlanta neighborhood and beyond. The group held its initial meeting this past February in response to events that took place in Minneapolis in January, specifically the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that occurred in that city, along with the resulting protests and the deaths of two local residents while encountering ICE agents.
Since that meeting, the group’s focus has widened to include neighborhood issues and to develop creative solutions to local concerns. EAVNA’s goal is to form sub-groups to work on community projects such as technology skill sharing workshops, gardening, and first aid training. The group is planning a series of “Disco-Tech” skill-sharing workshops, including a session on switching personal computers to the Linux operating system. The aim is to facilitate co-learning and knowledge sharing among members, volunteers, and the community as a whole.
The organization is planning to develop a disaster plan with infrastructure including backup generators and street medic training that will be in place to assist the community in the event of severe weather, civil unrest, or other emergencies.
Another goal is to establish a public policy group to address area residents’ concerns around the construction of data centers and the related environmental and privacy issues. Another topic of interest is the nearly $19 million no-bid contract that Dekalb County signed with Flock Group, Inc. without residents voting to approve it. The contract is part of the county’s “Digital Shield” crime-fighting initiative and will be used to create a network of cameras, license plate readers, and drones. According to an article by WSBTV, the technology provided by Flock aims to monitor major intersections and neighborhood entrances in real time, allowing police to track vehicles and search for any car that has passed by. EAVNA will encourage residents to attend county commission meetings and speak out about concerns regarding transparency and the actual benefit of this use of taxpayer funds.
EAVNA’s next monthly assembly will take place on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. in Brownwood Park, at 602 Brownwood Avenue. To confirm the meeting time or to see the current calendar of events or sign up for volunteer opportunities, visit the organization’s website at eavna.com.
