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Public commenters press Atlanta council on police accountability, unresolved killings and homelessness
Summary
Several members of the public used the council's public‑comment period to demand answers on unresolved homicides, allege racial profiling by an APD employee, and call for better outreach to unhoused residents. Speakers named officers and cases and asked the council and city agencies for action.
During the public‑comment segment of the Atlanta City Council meeting on Jan. 6, 2025, multiple speakers urged the council to pursue police accountability for unresolved killings and alleged misconduct, pressed for better services for people experiencing homelessness, and raised concerns about transit safety.
Valerie Lance Anderson, identifying herself as the mother of the late Devon Anderson, told the council her son was killed on Aug. 5 and said she has received no information about the case in the five months since. "Where is the accountability for Melvin Potter murdering my son? I'm still waiting for the answer," Anderson said, asking council members for updates and assistance.
Ray Washington, who said he is a victim of racial profiling, asked the council to take action after the Atlanta Citizen Review Board sustained his complaint for false imprisonment and excessive force. Washington named an Atlanta Police Department employee, David Holloman, and called for Holloman to be arrested and jailed, saying the chief’s office had misattributed the incident in official paperwork.
Jay Wesley Day described being beaten into a coma in November 2018 and said no one has been prosecuted. "It's going on seven years without any justice," Day said. He said the delays in prosecution cost him employment and called the lack of accountability "disappointing."
Keoki Perry, a longtime transit rider and founding member of the Atlanta Transit Riders Union, asked council members to consider how fare enforcement and state policy affect transit safety, referencing the recent killing of a MARTA bus operator over a $2.50 fare.
Other speakers raised homelessness response concerns after a minister described an incident at Gateway where a young woman in apparent medical distress did not receive timely help, and labor and education groups announced upcoming events and awards.
What the council said or did in response
Councilmembers acknowledged the public comments on multiple occasions. Councilmember Michael Julian Bond asked that Gateway leadership and the Department of Community Health and Resources (CDHR) be invited to a future meeting to discuss the homelessness incident raised by the minister. The meeting record shows no formal motions or council votes that night to open new investigations; the comments were entered into the public record for follow up by relevant offices and committees.
Ending: Commenters asked for tangible follow up on cases and policy, and several councilmembers signaled they would pursue briefings or invite responsible agencies to committees. No new council‑level legal or disciplinary actions were recorded on Jan. 6.
