STOP THE HYPROCISY!
For too long, Black elected officials have been given a pass when it comes to living up to the legacy that other courageous and dedicated Blacks who were killed, lost their properties, forfeited educational and economic opportunities to create a better future for present and future Black Americans. It is a betrayal of astronomical proportions when Black elected officials use their elected office to harm their constituents, especially their Black constituents. Yet, this is happening every day in many predominantly Black American cities.
It is happening daily in East Point, Georgia. As a former Council Member and Mayor of East Point, I am in a unique position to know. I have tried repeatedly to address the wrongs perpetrated against the overwhelming majority Black population by the majority Black Mayor and Council. There is only one White Council Member on the nine Member Council. Yet, the Black Mayor and seven Council Members constantly fail to protect the financial resources of the City to the detriment of all the residents.
During the Covid-19 Pandemic, this Mayor and Council have spent over $300,000 providing free entertainment to the general public in and outside of East Point. Entertainers, outside vendors, Amazon, BJ’S, and a local hotel have been the recipients of taxpayer’s money without a single cent being added to the City’s coffer. Not a single resident or City permitted business has benefitted from East Point becoming the “Party City” of metro Atlanta.
Instead of addressing the true needs of the residents, Mayor and Council have turned their backs on residents with Stormwater problems despite the creation of the Stormwater Utility that charges every property owner in the City a yearly Stormwater Fee to pay for stormwater problems on private property. One resident’s basement flooded because a storm drainpipe that runs from a creek on one side of her home under her driveway and under the street to another drainpipe across the street backed-up due to the City’s failure to clean and maintain all the City’s storm drainpipes. When the City finally sent a vacuum truck to clean the drainpipe under the street, a television set, commercial mop bucket on wheels, and other debris were sucked out and placed on the right-a-way.
This house is next door to me. A single mom bought the house in December 2019, she and her daughters moved into the house in January 2020. After another heavy rain, the stormwater drainpipe under the street backed up and flooded the entire front yard and her basement. She filed a claim for the invoiced services of an electrician and plumber. The liability insurer and the City Attorney denied the claim based on a section of an Ordinance that was repealed in 2013. The Mayor and Council, City Manager, City Attorney, Liability Insurer, and the Department overseeing the Stormwater Utility did not know of the existence of the Stormwater Utility Ordinance that was signed by me in December 2013. However, the City began collecting the yearly Stormwater Fee in 2014.
After my neighbor’s repeated calls and emails to the City about the condition of the creek and the flooding, I intervened and organized two car parade protests to the homes of the Mayor and each Council Member to draw attention to the plight of the homeowner. I was given two citations by the Police Department for not having administrative permits for the car parade protests. I provided the Police Department with all the relevant information about the car parade protests prior to both events with no feedback from them. The Police Department did not know that there was no policy or guidelines for car parades outside of funerals and educational events.
The above information contains numerous examples of governmental indifference, lack of knowledge of City Ordinances, failure to implement the Stormwater Utility other than collecting fees and a lack of concern for the resident. The resident refiled the claim citing the outdated excuse and the City has not responded.
In fact, residents have and continued to be harmed by the Mayor’s and Council Members’ unbridled and illegal spending. They have violated the City’s Procurement Ordinance, 2021 Budget Ordinance, Mayor and Council Expenditure Ordinance, the State Gratuity Clause, and the City Charter too many times to count. For more overwhelming documentation of the above violations read the article, “PITTMAN’S POINT ZOOM 1: AGENDA”.
