Kevin called the meeting to order at 7:08pm
Kevin welcomed new attendees; welcomed Council Member Natalyn Archibong
Public Safety
APD, Zone 6 – Captain Shaw
Most of what was discussed last month is still in place
What is happening in Zone 6 isn’t just the responsibility of this zone; getting help from the rest of the City
Tactical Traffic Unit predominantly assigned to East Atlanta
APEX unit puts detectives in the area
Armed robbery on Glenwood Avenue (July 6)
Captain Shaw reviewed GPS reports of beat officer and verified that the officer was throughout the Village during his shift, minutes away from the scene
Beat is down on crime for the year; but specific crimes have been more serious
Lots in the news lately about thefts from cars (Decatur, DeKalb) believed to be a group of juveniles from Zone 6; lots of expensive items left in cars
Different from group of adults responsible for more serious crimes in Zone 6
DeKalb County made an arrest on July 4 and linked the perpetrator to one robbery; haven’t linked to violent crime
Continue to recommend vigilance; lots of victims have mentioned that they sensed something wasn’t right just before the incident
Q&A
Kevin saw report on EAV911 twitter for suspicious vehicle—what should we do with this?
Call it in; calls are prioritized in order of severity
Is there something more done in terms of investigating crimes given the recent increase? E.g., fingerprinting
Officers are expected to fingerprint every time; give Captain Shaw your address and he’ll investigate if responding officers have said they don’t fingerprint
Can you give us more info on the Van Vleck murder?
Captain Shaw called Homicide this afternoon and they wouldn’t release more information
Not believed to be a burglary
Any info on the arrests of two juveniles on Metropolitan Avenue last night?
Captain Shaw doesn’t have any info
Lots of write-ups/arrests recently
Council Member Archibong suggested deploying interactive neighborhood watch with community members’ cameras integrated for purposes of video evidence (not monitored)
Legislation in place for cameras in the Village; Chief has asked Ms. Archibong to wait as there may be ways to stretch the funds
Other option to consider is “community ambassador”
Outside of neighborhood initiatives, can APD shift deployment to support Zone 6 right now?
Zones 6 and 4 have had a greater deployment of late, e.g., motorcycle unit, Tactical Traffic Unit (~160 tickets last week), APEX unit
Is there a possibility of creating a local, storefront precinct?
Ed Gilgor suggested that the concept of a static precinct hasn’t panned out; better to have mobile officers
What about a dedicated beat cop?
Goal is to have officers working the same beat over time
Myron will speak to this later in the meeting
Kevin offered the “backdoor” 911 number for folks close to DeKalb County: 404-658-6666
DeKalb’s number is 404-294-2911
Can APD confirm or deny the release of eight members of the 40 Deep gang who had served 4-5 years for violent crimes? Supposedly out recruiting new members
No
Joint Neighborhood Public Safety Meeting tomorrow night (July 10) at 7:30pm
Introduction of EACA’s DeKalb Public Safety co-chair, Tim Todd
East Atlanta Security Patrol
People perceive that police come out to the neighborhood in weeks following crime, but then leave
EASP provides dedicated patrol
Have been meeting with EABA, APD
APD is committed to being part of the solution, working within limitations
Exploring new options for increased/improved patrols
Last year was record low for armed robberies, this year is on pace to match, but we can do better
Starting “Security Share” effort
APD doesn’t share info as much as we’d like
Getting info from other neighborhood associations on a more real-time basis
Council Member Archibong hopes this will include unincorporated DeKalb
Hoping to launch security patrol for unincorporated DeKalb later in the year; will need different team to run it
Business Matters
Land Use and Zoning, Andy Schneggenburger
Variance application for 671 Gresham Avenue
Seeking setback variations to build a second story within the existing footprint
Ed motioned to approve, seconded, 28-0-0
Streetscape Project Update
EACA/NPU pressed Public Works to understand why the project was expected to go through November, finally succeeded in holding a meeting with Council Member Archibong’s help
DPW conceded that the timeline was generous; releasing updated schedule later this week (expect to be done in September)
Re-prioritizing roundabout intersection to be done earlier in the process, in time for BATL and/or Strut
Q&A
How will roundabout work with fire trucks?
Designed to withstand fire truck and other emergency vehicles
EABA Update, Matt Armstrong
EABA has donated $1,000 to the Crime Stoppers reward for apprehending Patrick Cotrona’s murderer
Taste of East Atlanta and Pub Crawl upcoming in the Fall
EABA meets on the first Monday of the month at 5:30pm (possibly moving to 6:00pm)
Council Member Archibong asked Matt to let business owners know that City is citing business owners for graffiti
Upcoming Events
BMW Bike Race, Clay Parks/Jeff Blau
Coming up on August 17; race starts at 2:00pm, set-up will start at 11:00am
Circuit runs up Flat Shoals Avenue, right on Metropolitan Avenue, right on Metropolitan Place, right on Haas Avenue, right on Glenwood Avenue, back to Flat Shoals
www.litespeedbmw.com has more info
EABA asked for more info to send to members
BATL, Henry Bryant
Henry has lived here for 32 years; he is writing a book about the neighborhood and the Battle of Atlanta
Historic battle here in East Atlanta, very significant for our community
Next year will be the 150th anniversary (July 22, 1864)
www.batlevent.org for full schedule, tickets, additional info
Events run July 13 through 21
Tours across the battlefield on July 20
Three cemetery tours; pick them up at BATL headquarters at the old fire station
Main event on July 20
Authors and speakers
5K road race
Fundraising gala at East Lake Club on Friday night; raising money for BATL trail
EABA will be sponsoring, partnering with BATL for an iPad giveaway
East Atlanta Strut coming up on September 21
Looking for corporate sponsors, including small business owners
Living Walls
Living Walls’ Concepts Volume 9 book recently released; includes a great write-up on murals in East Atlanta
Council Member Archibong introduced several pieces of legislation related to the August conference, on the condition that the community reviews and approves proposed pieces
Living Walls hasn’t presented to NPU or EACA; TBD whether approval will be granted in time for August event
Announcements
July Brownwood Frolic coming up on July 21
Every third Sunday, 3:00 to 5:00pm; this is a great opportunity to meet neighbors and enjoy our park
Branding
Asking the community for ideas for a new EACA/EAV tagline; submit ideas here: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/events/199007640256517/
Adopt-a-Street training on July 20 at Branan Towers; stay tuned for communication from Tabitha
Parks
Looking for volunteers to help improve and maintain the park
Is there a wish list of things needed for the park?
Email parks@eaca.net
Closing
Other business
Steve Carr has sign-up sheet for referendum to put item on ballot for Falcons stadium
Minutes and treasurer’s report
Motion to approve minutes, seconded, approved
Kevin reminded the community about the public safety meeting tomorrow night (July 10)
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