The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Inside City Hall:
Ski mask ban in public places nixed in committee after residents’ criticism.
A legislative proposal that would have banned wearing ski masks or hoods in public places to conceal the wearer’s identity was quashed last week after a number of residents spoke out against it.
Council member Antonio Lewis, who introduced the bill, said it aimed to help law enforcement fight crime by making it easier to identify suspects.
“You can keep your ski mask on walking from the Cleveland Avenue barber shop to the library,” he said last week at the public safety committee. “But you walk into that library, roll your ski mask up.”
At the height of the pandemic, Georgia state lawmakers
passed similar legislation that makes it a misdemeanor for someone to conceal their face in public with a mask or hoodie.
But the proposal caused many to flock to City Hall to speak out against the idea. Civil rights advocates — including the ACLU — were concerned that the legislation would hurt protester’s First Amendment rights while other religious groups felt it criminalized practices like wearing a hijab.
Exemptions in the legislation included individuals wearing “traditional holiday costumes,” masks in “theatrical productions” or safety gear for their jobs.
“The city should not be in the business of controlling what a person can wear on public property,” said resident Christina Shivers. “The City Council should instead be spending their time investing in communities amidst rapidly increasing cost of living in the city.”
Lewis noted at the beginning of the committee meeting that members would vote to file the bill after pushback.
After gunshots rang out in his neighborhood
while walking his dog, one council member is renewing calls for increased gun control. Council member Amir Farokhi wrote in his regular newsletter that the close run-in with gunshots reminded him of the country’s tendency to “normalize” gun violence.
“It should not be normal. Republican or Democrat. Urban or rural. We don’t deserve to live like this,” he wrote. “Guns have been part of the American experience since the start. The right to gun ownership is codified in our Constitution. Yet, our current level of gun violence has eroded our ability to live healthy lives.”
Farokhi called for increased gun control measures at the city, state and federal level, including more restrictions on gun ownership and the types of guns available for public purchase. Last May, the council member also called for further gun control measures after a gunman killed one and injured four others at Northside Hospital Midtown. --
Council President Doug Shipman made a special appearance
on WABE’S “Closer Look” as another year of legislating comes to an end for council members.
He talked more in-depth on the possibility that state lawmakers attempt a takeover of Atlanta’s Hartsfield-jackson International Airport. But why would they want to do that? Money, of course.
“Because of federal regulations, money from the airport has to stay at the airport — it’s not a piggy bank for Atlanta,” Shipman said.
“I think a lot of it comes down to contracting, if the state were in charge of the airport, they would have the ability to define the rules around contracts and potentially change who is the vendor,” he said. --
As 2023 comes to an end,
we want to extend a thank you to all the readers who follow our “Inside City Hall” newsletter to keep up with everything happening at Trinity Ave. Our weekly report will be on a hiatus through the holiday season until City Council returns on Jan. 8.