THIS IS A SCAM!
The WEDNESDAY WIND DOWN; COVID 19; FEED THE HEROES BENEFIT on WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2020; 5-9 P.M. is A SCAM! The Mayor and Council of East Point, Georgia has not voted to present or sponsor any public fund- raising event period because it would be a violation of the City Charter, Constitution of the State of Georgia, and the Constitution of the United States.
CLICK HERE: 
East Point City Charter: Chapter 2. –REVENUE AND TAXATION states how the City can generate Revenue. The City Council shall levy by ordinances using the following categories to generate Revenue: tax levy; occupation and business taxes; regulatory fees; permits; franchise fees; service chargers; special assessments; construction; other taxes and fees for the City of East Point. The City Charter does not permit the City to raise money for any entity other than the City of East Point. There is NO reference in either the City Charter, State or Federal Constitutions for public fund-raising events or donations resulting from such events.
The flyer states that the “Funds raised for Feed The Heroes will be used to provide for frontline healthcare workers and first responders along with providing relief to East Point restaurants who have been impacted by COVID-19. Donations for Feed The Heroes are being accepted at atlantanaacp.org. Be sure to notate in the memo: East Point COVID-19. All contributions are tax deductible”.
First, East Point first responders are receiving bonus hazardous pay because of the Coronavirus.
Secondly, there are no Coronavirus intake healthcare facilities in East Point. So, what frontline healthcare workers are they talking about?
Thirdly, the City of East Point is legally barred from interfering in the operations and maintenance of private businesses beyond the requirements of permits, fees, licensing, health, and code enforcement. Also, the City could be sued for interfering with the businesses’ rights to free ,and competitive commerce if the City were to act arbitrarily or capriciously in isolating certain private businesses for special treatment.
If the Atlanta NAACP wants to have a fund-raising event, it can do so without any authorization from the City of East Point. Why should the City of East Point sponsor or present any fund-raising event and not collect the money? The answer is simple, the City can only raise money for the City as prescribed in the City Charter, and the City cannot act as a depositor for a second party. The City of East Point cannot issue any tax deductions for any monies collected for this event; nor does the City of East Point have any liability or control over the collection or expenditures of any monies raised by this event.
Likewise, the City of East Point cannot hire or pay for public entertainment for this event. No elected official has the legal authority to personally hire or request any Staff member to hire entertainers using taxpayers’ money. I suggest that anyone interested or connected to this event research who is truly behind this scam before he/she spends any money.
I cannot believe that Mayor and Council have not spoken publicly about this SCAM. Too many of East Point residents are facing evictions, disconnection of utilities, food shortages, and other daily necessities of life for the Mayor and Council not to provide all the legal assistance available to them. How could Council Member Sharon Shropshire even contemplate having any kind of large outdoor gathering knowing the status of the Coronavirus pandemic? How could she even consider illegally using taxpayers’ money again for entertainment that would encourage donors to provide food for restaurant meals for non-residents? If she or any of the Council Members or East Point residents want to help East Point restaurants, then they can do what I did using my personal money. I paid “Q’s” restaurant to provide lunch for five days for the twenty-eight Sanitation Department workers before the first Stimulus Package Checks were mailed.
Let me be crystal clear about what the City of East Point has done for the residents during the Coronavirus pandemic; ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! The robot calls that you have been receiving; the emails, newsletters, and postings on Facebook concerning the distribution of food from the Food Bank at the different churches and the recreation center; and the Coronavirus testing from Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham, CM Karen Rene, CM Thomas Calloway, CM Joshua Butler, CM Lance Robertson and CM Sharon Shropshire have been shameful campaigning and outright lying by providing misleading information. The City of East Point has not provided one penny to purchase any food from any Food Bank or to pay for any Coronavirus testing within the City. Mayor and Council did not violate the City Charter, State or Federal Constitution by making illegal donations or payments to the Food Bank or the different Coronavirus testing providers. The City can only legally spend money for services, goods, and work legally contracted for “tangible benefits to the City and residents” not excluded by State and Federal Constitutions.
However, within the last twelve months Mayor and Council have illegally budgeted and spent over $230,000 for Wednesday Wind Down and the City and residents did not receive one penny from the Party goers. Should not East Point residents be more deserving of legal support than non-residents of illegal partying? How many of you were the recipients of the spending sprees that Mayor and Council have had using City credit cards.
CLICK HERE: Council Bank Statements ,June 2019-Marc 2020
