Albany City Commission members schedule Saturday town hall meeting to discuss violence

ALBANY – Albany City Commissioner Jon Howard will host a Saturday town hall meeting to discuss community safety in the wake of an outbreak of violence during July.

The town hall, set for 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. at the 210 Thornton Drive Boys & Girls Clubs facility, will feature law enforcement leaders including Albany Police Department Chief Michael Persley, Albany State University Police Chief Anita Allen, Albany Technical College Police Chief LaShawnda Ethridge, Sheriff-elect Terron Hayes and Mack Green, assistant chief of the Dougherty County School System Police Department.

Howard, whose Ward I includes east Albany, referenced Tuesday a series of fatal shootings that have occurred this month, including a July 5 mass shooting at the 312 Thornton Drive Reflextions club that left one man dead and three injured, and two fatal drive-by shootings that occurred on the night of July 18. The two slayings on July 18 brought the violent death total for 2024 to 12 in Dougherty County.

“This gangs and drugs and drive-by shootings have got to change,” Howard said. “This (town hall) is just to listen to what citizens are saying and telling citizens what we need to do.”

File Photo: Carlton Fletcher