ATLANTA — The Fulton County Board of Commissioners is working to figure out the next steps to improve the county jail after the Department of Justice released a report last week citing deplorable conditions, pests, drugs, violence, understaffing and unwarranted excessive force.
The commissioners met on Wednesday to cover a litany of topics since they're planning a new budget. During the meeting, they also received an update on what's being done to improve the Fulton County Jail. Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for civil rights, referred to the jail conditions last week as "long-standing, unconstitutional, unlawful and dangerous.”
Four people gave public comment to ask the board to fire Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat. The sheriff ran unopposed in the recent November general election.
Melodie Rosser, an organizer with Women on the Rise Georgia, spoke during the meeting about some of of the horror stories she's heard.
"Like the officer who choked a woman unconscious in the booking process. Before she even entered the jail, she was brutalized by someone now responsible for her safety," Rosser said.
Another person addressed the board during public comments and questioned some of the actions taken.
"If this was an animal shelter where dogs are being left injured, untreated, there would be criminal action taken. Why are Black bodies not valued as much as our dogs and cats?" she said.
More than an hour of the meeting was spent questioning county asset manager Joe Davis and other leaders behind the Jail Blitz Plan. Davis shared that padded cells are on the way. Crews are working to repair fire alarms, doors that won't shut properly, kitchen equipment, two broken elevators, and more than 500 unusable beds. He said the bulk of the damage is caused by inmates.
However, the board didn't reach a consensus on what to do and who was to blame for ongoing problems.
Commissioner Bridget Thorne agreed with Davis.
"Most of the damage is being done by the residents themselves, not by the building falling apart. So, whether they spend $2 billion on a jail, they're going to vandalize it," Thorne said.
Commissioner Dana Barrett pushed back. She said the DOJ report should be taken seriously and wondered if the current efforts are enough.
"Things that we're planning for five years out, in terms of a $300 million upgrade, and projects, and all of that—that doesn't make things safer tomorrow," Barrett said.
Two commissioners expressed they want a new jail. But Commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman said she used to agree with them until she realized that without better management, the jail is doomed to fall apart again.
"If I have a home, and I don't manage my home, and I allow my children to swing from the windows, and I allow them to do a lot of things -- that home will not last 10, 20, or 30 years," she said.
Sheriff Labat showed up to the meeting to ask for more than $2 million for hiring staff and overtime. The meeting continued into the evening as the board was working on the budget for the next two months.