October 3, 2021

How the ACC Non-Discrimination Ordinance works

ACC Non Discrimination Ordinance

The Athens-Clarke County Mayor & Commission recently passed a comprehensive ACC Non-Discrimination Ordinance (NDO) to protect individuals from discrimination in Athens, Georgia. Here is how the NDO works & how people can file a complaint.

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August 23, 2019

Athens Mayor & Commission pass Resolution supporting Immigrant, Undocumented, & Latinx communities

Resolution supporting immigrant, undocumented, & Latinx communities

On Tuesday, August 20 the Athens-Clarke County Mayor & Commission unanimously passed a Resolution in Support of Athens Immigrant, Undocumented, and Latinx Communities brought forward by Commissioner Denson. [view the Resolution in English & Espanol at the bottom] In a powerful moment, Mayor Girtz took turns with community organizer Beto Mendoza, reading the resolution in both English and Spanish. Afterwards, …

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June 4, 2019

Inmate Labor Reform

Here in Georgia, it is the norm for communities to take advantage of inmate labor to have tasks and work done at a great value. Just because it is norm does not mean it should be accepted. At times such as these, we must stand and push for us all to be better. It is time that Athens-Clarke ends its …

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December 19, 2017

Can We Save Net Neutrality in Athens With a Municipal ISP?

The FCC has repealed Net Neutrality The internet and the content available through it must be available equally to all. Last week’s vote by the FCC to repeal the Net Neutrality policy puts that equal access at risk. What does it mean? By repealing Net Neutrality, the FCC has given internet service providers (ISPs) the ability to manipulate access to …

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December 6, 2017

Clarke County Sheriff’s Dept. Should Not Honor ICE Detainers

Supporters of undocumented residents march through downtown Athens with signs and banners.

It recently came to light that the Clarke County Sheriff’s Department is complying with ICE Detainers (sometimes called ICE Holds) and assisting ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) to deport undocumented residents that are brought into the Clarke County Jail. This is a reversal of the policy that had been in place for the last 3 years. ICE Detainers Violate the …

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November 3, 2017

Athens-Clarke Scores a 33/100 on HRC’s 2017 Municipal Equality Index

The Human Rights Campaign has released their 2017 Municipal Equality Index scores. Athens-Clarke County scored only 33 points out of 100. The national average is 57. About the MEI The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is “the largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans”. HRC has been publishing Municipal Equality Indexes for …

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