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The Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC) was built in preparation for the 1996 Summer Olympics as the "extra jail" in Atlanta and previously was divided into two sides- the "city side" and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) side.
All of the people detained on the "city side" of the Atlanta jail were arrested on "quality of life" or "broken windows" offenses like drinking in public or loitering. More than 8 out of 10 are Black.
Since community organizers successfully pressured the city to end its contract with ICE in 2018, less than 100 people have been detained in the jail, which costs the city $15 million dollars a year to operate.
The #CommunitiesOverCages #CloseTheJailATL Campaign won legislation in May of 2019 to close and repurpose the jail through a Community-Led Taskforce. But our campaign is not over- we still have to transform the facility into a complex with community-based services and temporary and permanent low-income housing. By resourcing--rather than punishing--our communities, we can build a safer Atlanta, We are dedicated to reallocating the remaining $15 million back into the community, and decriminalize the "broken windows" offenses that populated the jail.
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