The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Inside City Hall
WHY ATLANTA SHED MASK MANDATE, AND OTHER TIDBITS
s your insiders first sat down to write this edition of “Inside City Hall” late last week, we were initially going to question when the city would end its latest COVID-19 restrictions, after Mayor Andre Dickens said on Thursday that the mask mandate and indoor event restrictions “may not be in place in March.” We got an answer on Friday, when Dickens announced he was officially lifting the mask mandate.
The mayor’s office said in-person meetings will also begin again for Invest Atlanta, Atlanta Housing Authority and Atlanta Beltline, among others. Masks are still mandated at public meetings and programs in city buildings.
The announcement came shortly after the CDC released a new strategy on mask-wearing to allow most people to put away their masks in most indoor settings, including classrooms. And the COVID-19 community level for both Fulton and Dekalb counties is classified as “low” by the CDC.
Dickens said during a Politico Live event on Thursday that the city will follow the science, and if cases go back up again, “we go right back to those mandates and restrictions.”
On the other side of City Hall, we told you first last week that the City Council is aiming to resume in-person meetings on March 7, meaning residents will be able to give public comments directly to their representatives for the first time in two years. We’ll be there, too, to cover it all.
In the latest crime and public safety news, the Atlanta Police Department is heralding the launch of a new unit, dubbed simply the Anti-crime Unit, born out of a partnership with the Fulton County Sheriff ’s Office and the Georgia State Patrol to target locations that are known to be hot spots for crime by increasing their presence around them.
Some notable stats, according to APD: Since launching on Feb. 3, the unit is responsible for 482 traffic stops, impounded 41 vehicles, arrested 77 people and recovered 14 guns.
Citywide, murder and rape are up this year, while all other serious crimes have dipped, compared to last time this year.
ICYMI: Though the Buckhead secession movement is no longer an immediate threat, pressure still remains on Dickens to make a dent in the city’s crime numbers. Last week he met with members of the Mlk-ashby Business Association, many of whom said they want to see the return of community policing foot patrols, Channel 2 Action News reports.
The city is teaming up with the Enterprise Community Partners nonprofit to find 15 faith-based organizations with land that can be used for affordable housing. They’re planning to develop 1,000 homes in five years, and Dickens wants to work with religious leaders to build 1,000 more in the future.
Residents at the dilapidated Forest Cove Apartments received a small victory last week when the complex owner promised to freeze rent during the court-ordered relocation process. Dickens said the city has identified 170 units for some of the residents to relocate to, with more to come.
Dickens is partnering with the Truman Center for National Policy as a co-chair of the organization’s new Task Force on City and State Diplomacy. The group will develop a series of recommendations to broaden diplomatic engagement for cities and states nationwide.
Atlanta City Hall and Hartsfield-jackson International Airport were lit up Friday night with colors of blue and yellow, representing the Ukrainian flag. It was meant to show solidarity with Ukraine as Russia continues to invade its neighboring Eastern European country.
There were many positives for Atlanta United after its season-opening 3-1 victory against Sporting KC on Sunday at Mercedes-benz Stadium.
Despite not having as many as six regular starters among its opening 11, including Designated Player Thiago Almada, and losing Luiz Araujo after 26 minutes, the Five Stripes managed to beat a team that likely will make the playoffs. Last season, Atlanta United defeated just one playoff team.
“I think it’s pretty obvious that we are happy with the result, and the performance as well,” manager Gonzalo Pineda said. “I think we go game by game. So, every game we try to prepare with the best squad possi
ble available, and today was a very good standard for the players that started the game and then the subs. So I was pleased with that.”
Five players got on the score sheet for goals or assists, including two assists from Josef Martinez on goals by Araujo and Dom Dwyer. Caleb Wiley, a 17-year-old Homegrown making his professional debut, added the third on an assist by Marcelino Moreno.
“I don’t score many goals that often, so when I do it’s definitely a speechless moment,” Wiley said. “When I saw it go into the back of the net, it was a huge moment for me. To do it in front of this huge crowd, in front of friends and family is something special.”
The midfield, missing three possible starters in Santiago Sosa, Franco Ibarra and Emerson Hyndman, controlled the game. Ozzie Alonso, signed as a free agent, Matheus Rossetto and Amar Sejdic tied for the team lead — eight — in completed passes in the final third, and completed at least 82.5% of their overall passes.
“I do think that (Alonso) played a typical game of his level,” Pineda said. “A player that knows how to play offense and defense, that knows how to read the moments of the game, he knows when to stay calm, he knows when to put his leg in as well and he knows when to make defensive plays that are important.”
The team held on to its nerve despite Sporting KC trimming its deficit to one with a goal in the 85th minute. Holding on to results was a problem for United last season, when it dropped 13 points from positive positions after the 75th minute of games.
Centerbacks Miles Robinson and George Campbell, in for Alan Franco, with goalkeeper Brad Guzan and fullbacks Andrew Gutman and Ronald Hernandez, in for Brooks Lennon, helped limit Sporting KC to just two shots on goal. Gutman led the team in tackles won, with five, while Hernandez tied for the lead in crosses attempted (3) and recoveries (12). Pineda said he thought Gutman and Hernandez performed very well.
United finished with 2.38 Expected Goals, an important metric to Pineda, to Sporting KC’S 1.38, despite Sporting KC having more possessions, 56.2-43.8.
The bad:
■ Araujo’s injury, likely a hamstring, didn’t look good, according to Pineda. The team didn’t have an update on his status Monday.
■ The team created just eight chances, which isn’t a high number, but that could be chalked up to missing so many players and a central midfield whose talents are more about distribution and possession than aggressive passes. “I think we were creative,” Pineda said. “The problem is we missed a couple chances, a couple passes, right? ... We’re in those spaces creating those gaps, and then the final pass was missing.”
■ Some supporters expressed concern about Martinez’s form. He had just one shot and it was saved by the goalkeeper. He couldn’t get on the end of a couple of other opportunities.