Speakers press city for coordinated encampment removals and a low‑barrier shelter; neighborhood petitions target commercial floodlighting

During the public comment period on May 5, several people described harms from recent encampment clearances and asked the city to adopt coordinated procedures that include social workers and nonprofit partners.

Cat Zwitter, executive director of Atypical Place for Transformations, said on-the-ground outreach has repeatedly failed to reach people being cleared and that removals without coordination “create harm”: medications and identification are lost, pets go missing and people are pushed further into crisis. Zwitter asked the city to implement a clear communications protocol, to ensure a social worker unaffiliated with enforcement is present during removals, and to prioritize creating a low-barrier shelter.

Missy Crutchfield (Highland Park) and other commenters reinforced those requests and said nonprofits must be notified in advance of clearings. Crutchfield said community support is coalescing around a low-barrier shelter and urged sensitivity training for departments that interact with people experiencing homelessness.

Regional and other public comments: Brian Hill (Georgia Highlands Labor Chapter) offered to coordinate cross-jurisdictional support ahead of major events that could displace people regionally. Jeff Garin and Lyall Hastings presented a neighborhood petition and described repeated problems with new flood lighting installed at a commercial building on Cummins Highway; Garin, a disabled veteran, said the light intrusion aggravated health conditions and asked the city to enforce Chapter 38-47 to limit exterior luminaire color temperature and directionality.

Council response and follow-up: Councilman Henderson and staff said outreach and communication had taken place in Lookout Valley and that city homeless services staff (Casey Tinker) had been in contact with encampment occupants; Henderson and others requested that nonprofit representatives and department staff remain after the meeting to follow up on specific cases. Council members asked staff to continue coordination with willing community partners and to report back.

Why it matters: The requests involve operational policies for encampment clearances and shelter capacity, both of which affect vulnerable residents, nonprofit service providers and public safety staff. Light-pollution complaints implicate code enforcement and neighborhood quality of life.

Quote: “We are asking for communication, a clear, consistent line of coordination between the city, law enforcement, and community organizations... We are asking for a social worker unaffiliated with the enforcement to be present during these removals,” Cat Zwitter said.

What’s next: Council members and staff agreed to follow up with nonprofit contacts and public-safety staff; council asked staff to continue communication with affected residents and report back as appropriate.