East Atlanta Community Association
  Newsletter
September 28, 2009 
In This Issue
Fall Films on the Hill
Fruit Tree Orchard for Burgess-Peterson
East Atlanta Library Events
MARTA Fee Change
EASP News & Information
EABA Business Briefs
Trees Atlanta Annual Sale
Training for New Block Watch Captains
Upcoming East Atlanta Meetings
EACA Public Safety
2009 EACA Membership
East Atlanta on Facebook
Join Our Mailing List!
Quick Links
 
 Greetings!
EACA Logo
Hello!
 
The Fall Films on the Hill series is slated for Saturday, barring inclement weather.
 
This week Councilmember Archibong and DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson are hosting a Crime Prevention Town Hall meeting - see below for details.
 
Also, please read below for a Public Safety update with information regarding Cedric Walker's case and a stolen car BOLO amongst other crime-related news.
 Fall Films on the Hill:  Big Fish
The first Fall Film on the Hill was rained out yet again but the forecast looks good for this Saturday's free showing of  Big Fish!  The show begins around 7:30 on the hill overlooking the tennis courts.  Bring blankets and snacks - camping chairs for the back row only.  Presented by the East Atlanta Beer Festival.

 Checklist ImageBig Fish (2003):  Starring Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange and Helena Bohnam Carter.  Directed by Tim Burton.  The story revolves around the incredible life of Edward Bloom, and his son, who is trying to learn more about his dad by piecing together the stories he has gathered over the years. The son winds up re-creating his father's elusive life in a series of legends and myths inspired by the few facts he knows. Through these tales, the son begins to understand his father's great feats and his great failings.  PG-13.  Watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d-kjzBmz6I.

 Fruit Trees for Burgess-Peterson Academy
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East Atlanta Library Events
Checklist ImageKidz Crafts
Monday, October 5. 3:30 p.m.
Children will make easy crafts that can be taken home or displayed in the library.
Ages 5-12.  Reservations are required.
 
Teeny Tiny Tales
Tuesdays, October 6-27. 10:30 a.m.
Children will enjoy stories, songs, puppetry and crafts.  Ages 18 mos.-36 mos. Reservations are required for groups of 10 or more.

 MARTA Fee Change


As of October 1st, MARTA fees will be changing. In summary, one-way rides will increase to $2.00 (from $1.75) with a Breeze Ticket fee of .50 (currently .25). Please see the attached flier for full information.

 East Atlanta Security Patrol News & Information
Checklist ImagePlease be on the lookout for a silver or grey Nissan Sentra that was used in an attempted burglary in the 1500 block of May Avenue about 11:45 am on Thursday, September 24th.  The perpetrator kicked in the front door but fled when he saw the resident was home.  The driver was a light-skinned black female with long curly hair, and the passenger (who kicked in the door) was a dark-skinned black male with dreads.  If you see a similar vehicle with occupants matching this description, call 911 immediately.  This pair is suspected of numerous burglaries throughout the city of Atlanta.  Just minutes after the attempted burglary on May Avenue, there was a burglary on Shadowridge.  The resident left for just 35 minutes and returned to find their home ransacked, which leads one to believe that someone was watching the house.  If anyone has any information about this burglary or saw anything suspicious in that area, please call the EASP at 404-429-8815.  It's also possible that the May Avenue burglars came to this house and randomly picked a time the residents were not home.  With so few daytime burglaries in recent months, it seems possible that the same burglars were at both houses.  The unfortunate aspect of the Shadowridge burglary is that the alarm was turned off due to some recent malfunctions, which will now be fixed.  After speaking with crime victims in East Atlanta, it's often discovered that residents failed to turn on their alarms because they were leaving for a short time, or turned off their motion sensors because they have a dog.  While an alarm does not guarantee that your home won't be burglarized, it makes it highly unlikely that the burglar will remain in the house long, and in many cases it does scare them away.  It's also wise to keep the alarm on when you are at home, with the incident on May Avenue proof that burglars make mistakes and sometimes try to break in when the house is occupied.
  
East Atlanta has suffered through a couple extremely difficult couple of months of increased crime.  With the recent arrest of Cedric Walker inside a home on Stokeswood, the crime in the Brownwood Park area has declined dramatically.  We encourage community members to come to court when asked in order to guarantee that Mr. Walker does not return to our neighborhood for a long time.  A less publicized arrest of Mr. Ahkeem Rasheed Simmons has also appeared to have a positive impact.  Numerous crimes were being committed in the area surrounding his Ora address.  Mr. Simmons was arrested by the DeKalb County Police Department, and appears to be part of a burglary ring stealing big ticket items like flat screen TVs and laptops.  The community is encouraged to attend his bond hearing this coming Wednesday.  The bond calendar begins at 9 am, and is usually held in courtroom 5B at 556 McDonough Street.  In the case of Cedric Walker, he will not be appearing on a weekly bond calendar.  Community and APD pressure on the Dekalb DA's office encouraged them to quickly indict Mr. Walker late last week.  Quick indictments are usually a positive for our community, as any bond hearing for Mr. Walker will now come before Judge Barrie, the judge assigned to his case.  Mr. Simmons on the other hand will most likely end up before a retired judge, and the lawyer representing us will be a rotating ADA who handles the week's bond hearings, not the ADA assigned to Mr. Simmons' case.
 
In order to keep crime down, don't forget that we as a community are the eyes and ears of the police.  If you see a suspicious person or vehicle or a crime in progress, call 911 immediately and then call the East Atlanta Security Patrol at 404-429-8815.  If you have an ongoing Public Safety issue on your street, it's also recommended that you call the East Atlanta Security Patrol.  Even if you aren't a member of the EASP, we're all working toward the same goal of making East Atlanta a safe place for residents and visitors.  Many people ask what incentive there is to join EASP if anyone can receive assistance.  One benefit is that your street will be patrolled be off-duty APD officers largely based on membership.  Streets with ten members receive far more frequent patrols than those streets with two members.  The other popular benefit is a single source for extra patrols for your household.  If you will be out of town or someone recently tried to break into your home, a single contact with the EASP will enable you to receive extra patrols from EASP, APD's beat officers and Safe Watch.
 
As part of its commitment to the community, the EASP provides frequent news updates on our website that can be accessed by members and non-members.  Feel free to visit the EASP news page at http://patrol.eaca.net/index/News.  Updates are posted on the latest crimes in the area, including streets where the EASP is currently working with APD to reduce criminal activity.  Any alerts or information of note from APD or the DA's office is also posted.  In the coming weeks, the EASP will be further segmenting this information so that you can more quickly see current crime alerts or find out the status of criminals that have been arrested in our area.
 
To learn more about the East Atlanta Security Patrol or to enroll, visit the EASP website (http://patrol.eaca.net). There is a 50% discount for longtime residents and those 65+. To qualify, you must have lived at the same address for 20 years or be over age 65.  We also have a 20% discount for members of an APD-sanctioned Neighborhood Watch.  Please contact us if you're interested in setting up a Neighborhood Watch on your street.
 
If you have additional questions, please direct them to [email protected], or call EACA Public Safety Chair Myron Polster at 404-429-8815.
 EABA Business Briefs
First Friday - October 2nd
Checklist ImageThis month's First Friday in the Village benefits Imagine Wesley International Academy's quest to expand technology in the classroom. Come out and shop at participating retailers, eat and/or drinking at participating restaurants and purchase donation vouchers. As always, participating businesses will have balloons out front.
 
 
Graveyard Red Brick Beer DinnerChecklist Image


7:00 - 9:00pm, September 30, 2009
Only 17 spots left!
Join Chef Justin Bright for three courses featuring food grown by farmers from the East Atlanta Village Farmers Market, paired with Atlanta's own Red Brick Brewery.  Grab your friends and reserve a six-top for good food, good beer, and a good value:  $35. Reserve early by emailing [email protected]. Preview the evening's menu at www.graveyardtavern.com.

 
 Trees Atlanta Annual Sale
Trees Atlanta is hosting their annual tree sale on Saturday, October 10th. Mark your calendas!

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 City of Atlanta Training for New Block Watch Captains
The City of Atlanta Police Department and Public Safety Committee members are inviting residents to "Training for New Block Watch Captains" on October 10th. If your street has recently formed a neighborhood watch or is in the process of doing so, this training may be a good resource for you. Find more details HERE.

 Upcoming East Atlanta Area Meetings
SAND Monthly Meeting

Thursday, October 1st, 7:30 p.m.
Location: Beulah Heights University Center
For more information, contact SAND President Steve Norman at [email protected]
 
Town Hall Meeting - Commissioner Johnson / Councilmember Archibong
Thursday, October 1st, 6:47 p.m.
For more information, contact the Office of Commissioner Larry Johsnon 404.371.2988

NPU-W Monthly Land Use & Zoning Meeting
Tuesday, October 6th, 7:00 p.m.
Location: Zoo Atlanta - ARC
For more information, contact NPU-W Chair Ed Gilgor at [email protected]

 EACA Public Safety - Weekly Crime Report - Week 38
The crime report for Week 38 can be found here:
 
  2009 EACA Membership

Join EACA today! Annual dues are $10 per household. As an EACA member, you can vote at EACA meetings on topics of interest within our community. Additionally, there are numerous local businesses who offer discounts to EACA members. See the official list of EACA member discounts and take advantage of them by showing your 2009 membership card throughout the Village.

You can sign up for your 2009 EACA membership and order EACA Yard Signs on-line! Pay electronically through your online banking site or via Paypal HERE.
 
 East Atlanta on Facebook/Twitter
If you're a Facebook member, be sure to join both the EACA group and become a fan of the East Atlanta Village page, too! Click on links below to take you directly to each.
East Atlanta Village Page <--- East Atlanta Village Page
 
 
 
EACA Group <--- EACA Group


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Contact Information:
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://eaca.net

Submissions:
If you're interested in submitting an article to the EACA weekly newsletter, send it to [email protected] by the end of the day on Friday. Include relevant dates, times, locations and contact information, as well as details of the event or announcement.