City names members of prostitution ordinance task force
Group includes city officials, police leaders, service providers, community residents
- Joeff Davis/CL File
- Activists, lawyers, and service providers packed a City Council meeting in February to critique proposed ordinance
In late February, sex worker advocates and service providers convinced Mayor Kasim Reed and the Atlanta City Council to slam the brakes on a proposed ordinance that would "banish" prostitutes and johns from certain parts of the city.
The mayor's office announced it would instead create a group to embark on a Herculean task - crafting an alternate ordinance that would curb prostitution by "addressing the demand and the supply side of the issue" while also giving sex workers options to get off the streets.
Today, the city announced the names of the task force members. The list includes Atlanta City Hall officials, police and court officials, neighborhood leaders, activists, and service providers. They are:
Kristin Wilson, Innovation Delivery Team, City of Atlanta
Candace Byrd, Chief of Staff, City of Atlanta
Melissa Mullinax, Public Affairs/Office of Chief Operating Officer, City of Atlanta
Amber Robinson, Law Department, City of Atlanta
Lt. Scott Kreher, Atlanta Police Department, City of Atlanta
Alice Johnson, Atlanta Police Department, City of Atlanta
Raines Carter, City Solicitor, City of Atlanta
Rosalie Joy, Public Defender, City of Atlanta
Stephanie Davis, Executive Director, GA Women for a Change
Peggy Denby, President, Midtown-Ponce Security Alliance
Xochitl Bervera, Director, Racial Justice Action Center
Jeff Graham, Director, Georgia Equality
Terence McPhaul, Director, YouthPride
Douglas Dean, Resident, Pittsburgh Community
Bill Cannon, Resident, Booker T. Washington Community
Donna Hubbard, Pastor, Women at the Well Transition Center
The ordinance legislation will be held until the working group can create an alternate proposal, the city says.
It might be just a typo, but we wanted to note one thing that caught our eyes. A paragraph from the city's press release issued today is nearly the same as the statement issued in late February announcing the working group. However, the new statement omits a line about "promoting solutions for those that are victimized."
From today's press release:
The scope of the Working Group will be focused on a proposal for curbing street-level prostitution. The proposal should give the Atlanta Police Department additional tools to fight prostitution, fairly and appropriately address the demand and the supply side of the issue and draw on the best practices in place across the country to deter street-level prostitution.
From the Feb. 26 press release:
The scope of the Working Group will be focused on a proposal for curbing street-level prostitution. It should give the Atlanta Police Department additional tools to fight prostitution, appropriately address the demand and the supply side of the issue, and draw on the best practices in place across the country to deter prostitution while promoting solutions for those that are victimized.
We've asked the city for clarification. They're looking into it.
Update, March 19, 12:21 a.m. A city spokesman tells CL that the "language in the first release will certainly be part of the discussion for the working group. Omitting it from the final release was nothing but an oversight."