As Atlanta enters night 7 of a curfew slated to go through the weekend, concerns are being raised by workers whose shifts starts or ends during curfew hours---the night shift--or those trying to get from a protest.
Join us in asking the City of Atlanta to make the curfew less damaging for those who don't have a car by replacing "this shall not prohibit persons from traveling through the City of Atlanta via motor vehicle with "this order shall not apply to individuals traveling to or from work or traveling home by any form of transportation."
This may seem trivial to some. But for those of you who've been stopped on your way home from work this week, on foot, on or from MARTA, on bike, etc, it's not trivial, and could be the difference between a night in jail and making it home.
16% of Atlanta families don't have a car. Many more share a car, leaving many who ride public transportation, walk, bike, etc. Car ownership is lowest and transit ridership highest among Black Atlantans. And with MARTA still running a reduced schedule due to COVID-19, that means more people are going to be walking as part of their trip, and are more likely to be still on their way home past the curfew. In addition, racial disparities in who works the night shift, due to the wealth gap and caused by racist policies and practices, make this order more likely to harm Black Atlantans and other communities of color.
We are asking the City of Atlanta and Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to revise the curfew language to reflect these realities.