CLARKSTON, Ga. — Dozens of neighbors in one metro city are heading to their local city council meeting Tuesday night to protest.
They say police officers are leaving their city in record numbers because of low pay and a toxic environment.
The neighbors told Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes that they don’t feel safe and say it’s all because their city officials can’t get along.
They plan on speaking up during public comment to tell the Clarkston City Council they don’t feel safe with only 12 officers on their police force right now and they’re going to be clear about what they believe the problem is.
Brian Medford and his family have lived in the city of Clarkston for decades and they’ve always been pretty aware of what’s going on in city government.
“As a citizen, I am disappointed,” Medford said. “I noticed earlier this spring that we weren’t seeing as many officers on patrol, and we had an incident in my own park with a shooting and I started asking about it and found out well, we were very understaffed and as I spoke to some of our local officers, I found out it wasn’t because they couldn’t hire. It was because they were unhappy and so that kind of snowballed from there.”
Several Clarkston police officers have left the job since Shawanna Qaiwy became city manager. Some of the officers said they left because of low pay.
Police chief Christine Hudson has been fighting for higher pay, but the city manager won’t respond to her proposals.
Fernandes spoke to one former officer who said she left only because the city manager created a hostile work environment by not letting Hudson lead.
“When you have a manager who can’t manage, I can’t work for that. It’s not safe to work here and it’s toxic. It’s hostile,” former officer Alberta Powdrill said.
Nine officers have left, leaving only 12 on the force.
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“I don’t know if I call for an emergency whether my house will receive an officer here. I know we have DeKalb County backing us up, but they’re also understaffed so that concerns me,” Medford said.
In April, things got worse when the city manager suspended Hudson for five days with no pay for alleged insubordination.
Then, Hudson filed an EEOC complaint claiming racism.
While that investigation is still open, the city manager demoted Hudson and brought in a new person with a new title to be over the police chief.
Fernandes has tried talking to the city manager and the new director of police services, John Pearson. Neither has returned her calls.
Fernandes also called the city’s finance director, Dan Defnall, after he sent an email to councilmembers Friday saying the city manager is spending money without council approval.
He also told the council: “There’s an obvious lack of communication in this city and the city staff need some immediate relief from all the unnecessary stressful work environment that has existed for months now and continues to escalate daily.”
Fernandes got no response from Defnall on Tuesday, but he’s expected to be at the council meeting.
Medford told Fernandes that he’s tired of getting ignored and that’s why he’s leading a protest at the meeting.
“Those who are concerned are wearing red shirts to show our concern and to show that we are not happy with the situation. And I predict that tonight’s meeting will be quite fiery actually. We have people who have never attended city council meetings now saying I will be there because I’m not being listened to. I will be heard tonight,” Medford said.
The meeting is expected to start at 7 p.m. at Clarkston City Hall. The doors open at 6:30 p.m.
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