Nonprofit law firm to pay Atlanta residents to come to town hall meetings

The entrance of Atlanta City Hall, early 2021.

Emil Moffatt / WABE

An advocacy group and non-profit law firm say they will pay Atlanta residents to participate in their town halls on policing.

The Southern Center for Human Rights created the ‘Use of Force’ project to get residents engaged in Atlanta policing, from resource allocation to violence, in all six of the city’s zones.

Hannah Riley is the Communications Director of the firm. She says participating residents will get a 50-dollar gift card for their time and input towards the initiative.



“It’s really a service, and I think at the end of this project, it will be a service to the entire city of Atlanta,” she said.

The project’s goal is to teach and increase policy recommendations based on the lived experiences of the community. The firm received a grant from Microsoft to fund the effort.

There will be a meeting for each of the six policing zones throughout the rest of August and September. Residents can sign up to attend the town halls online.