Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is forming an advisory council to review police use-of-force policies for possible reforms.
The order, announced June 4, came as the city enters its sixth day of protests related to the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, and four days after the excessive-force firing of two Atlanta Police officers for a violent Taser arrest of two college students during the demonstrations and riots.
“What we have seen on the streets of our city over the past few days is a byproduct of an inexcusable racial bias that has been ingrained into the fabric of this nation,” said Bottoms in a press release. “While an open dialogue on racial injustice is desperately needed, action is needed as well. The establishment of this Advisory Council is designed to ensure that there is meaningful reform in action long after the fires burn out and the smoke clears.”
The press release said the advisory council will be composed of “community members and partners,” none of whom were yet named. The advisory council will “develop strategies to prevent misconduct by law enforcement officials while engaging the communities they are sworn to protect,” the release said.
The advisory council will issue recommendations within 14 days of its formation and a more comprehensive report within 45 days.
Bottoms said in the press release that she was inspired by a recent call for such reviews issued in a forum held by former President Barack Obama and the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, a program of his foundation that addresses unequal opportunities for men and boys of color.