NAACP to host Macon town hall on education, jail conditions and school zone cameras
NAACP leaders say the community meeting will focus on education, school zone cameras and concerns about Bibb County Jail conditions.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Macon’s NAACP branch is set to host a town hall meeting Tuesday evening at St. James AME Church, aiming to address pressing issues facing the local community.
Education, school zone cameras and conditions at the Bibb County Jail are among the main topics.
Macon Bibb NAACP President Gwenette Westbrooks is urging parents and community members to attend.
“We have to stand together for what we believe in, and we have to stand together even if it means getting into trouble,” Westbrooks said.
Education is a key concern, with Westbrooks warning that cuts from the current presidential administration are impacting schools. She spoke out about potential impacts of the Georgia Promise Scholarship, a $6,500 voucher offered to some parents for institutions such as private school or tutoring. While the scholarship aims to provide more options, Westbrooks fears it could undermine public schools.
“We just want to make sure that we’re not going back into segregating the schools by using these vouchers,” she said.
The use of school zone cameras is another item up for discussion. Westbrooks argued that before installing cameras, there should have been a study completed of safety risks and accident rates.
“There had not been any more or less accidents since the school cameras, so what purpose are they serving?” she said. “We eliminated cross guards.”
She also claimed the cameras were not installed equitably, with some communities receiving them years before others.
On the issue of the Bibb County Jail, Westbrooks called the recently announced expansion a temporary fix that fails to address the community’s real needs. She questioned where inmates will be housed during renovations and suggested that the new jail should have been prioritized over other projects like the amphitheater and coliseum.
The town hall begins at 6 p.m. at St. James AME Church, located at 4416 Bloomfield Road.
