Cobb commissioners approve revised anti-racism resolution

After some testy public clashes and behind-the-scenes wrangling, the Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a revised resolution decrying racism in the county.

The vote was a unanimous 5-0, as was a companion resolution to support a proposed state hate crimes bill.

After a draft resolution of the anti-racism measure was proposed late last week, a revised resolution was the subject of heated discussion at a board work session Monday morning.

Commissioner Lisa Cupid of South Cobb, the only Democrat and lone black member of the board, said then that she could not support the revision, proposed by commissioner Keli Gambrill of North Cobb, who shared it with her colleagues minutes before the work session.

But later Monday night, a third proposal was circulated and Cupid sent out an e-mail saying she would back that version, which while it “has some deviation from the original, this is a version I can support.”

The resolution that was approved (you can read it here) differed from the original near the end, declaring that commissioners “stand with all citizens of Cobb County against racism and reaffirm our commitment to provide an environment that supports civil rights for all.”

That final portion replaced initial language that called for “fighting for racial and economic justice, gender equality and human and civil rights for all.”

When she posted the initial draft to her Facebook page on Thursday, Cupid said she had heard that some thought the language was too strong, and urged citizens to contact their commissioners to express their views.

When the board met on Monday, Cupid learned that some of her colleagues didn’t appreciate her distributing the resolution publicly before they could meet to discuss it as a group.

That’s why Gambrill said she didn’t send out her revision until right before the work session. Her version included specific language about Cobb Police Department community outreach activities, including the Police Athletic League, faith forums and a community affairs unit that “works daily with all our diverse communities to make their neighborhoods a safer, happier and more productive place to live.”

Cupid didn’t like any of that being included, but she was upset by the whole process, saying she was bearing a heavy burden as the only black commissioner. “I wanted the community to see the stress level I had to deal with and see the boldness of these modifications,” she said.

On Monday night, Cupid—a candidate for Cobb Commission Chairman—sent out word via her campaign e-mail that “although this process has been an uphill battle, I am confident that citizen communication to commissioners have resulted in us now having a resolution that has better likelihood of passing unanimously.”

She reiterated that sentiment during the commission’s virtual meeting Tuesday.

“This resolution gives us an opportunity to get it right,” Cupid said before the vote. Near the end of the meeting, Cupid said the resolution “presents an opportunity for a new day” in Cobb County. “A lot of people are watching us.”

Before the vote, several citizens spoke in favor not only of the resolutions but also urged the county to improve procedures for complaints about law enforcement excesses, and some called for the creation of a citizens’ review board.

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell of Northeast Cobb, the board’s public safety liaison, made some emotional remarks about the issue while a video played of Cobb police officers last week retaking their oath of office in a stand against brutality and racism.

She pledged to “take the lead” in continuing county-led efforts to forge stronger ties with Cobb’s minority and ethnic communities.

“We are a diverse county,” Birrell said, “but more importantly, we are all children of God, created equal in the likeness and image of God. We all deserve to be treated equally, with mutual respect and love for one another.”

But commissioner Bob Ott of East Cobb said he was “both disheartened and disappointed in the members of this board” for how the process over the anti-racism resolution unfolded.

“It is unbelievable to me the week we’ve spent haggling over the language in the resolution over racism,” said Ott, who supported Gambrill’s revisions. “Every member of this board supports removing racism from community.”

Ott said that Cobb County, while “not perfect,” has been working to address racial issues, and referenced a community-based outreach program by former public safety director Michael Register.

“I am concerned that this past week’s wasted opportunity will cause more harm than good,” Ott said. “If this board can’t immediately agree on the language in this resolution, I fear it will take far too long to take the steps forward.”

Ott then read a letter written last week by Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams, the black superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy, as an ideal of what he thinks the board should follow.

“Consider how your words, actions and attitudes impact other people,” Williams wrote in remarks to cadets. “Muster the moral courage necessary to confront and solve problems with effective, honest and empathetic dialogue that seeks solutions rather than sowing seeds of division and disunity.”

Ott said that “until all members of this board are extending forgiveness and actively listening to other points of view, and are color-blind, we cannot move forward.”

The hate-crimes resolution (you can read it here) supports a bill introduced in the Georgia legislature following the death of Ahmaud Arbery, a black Brunwick man, who was shot to death while jogging in a residential area in February. Three white men have been charged with murder.

Georgia is one of the few states without a hate-crimes law. The bill has been endorsed by the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police.

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