Asheville residents invited to reimagining public safety listening sessions

Asheville -- City of Asheville: In September, the City of Asheville will launch an extensive series of listening sessions with the community to help us reimagine the way public safety services are delivered.

Following a clear call from our community, City Council voted to remove or repurpose the Vance Monument, passed a resolution supporting community reparations, and passed a budget that only funded departments for three months so that City staff could work with the community to reimagine public safety.

The City then contracted with community facilitators Shemekka Ebony and Amplify Community Consulting to hear your ideas for how public safety in Asheville could be improved before any future budgetary decisions are made. 

We encourage everyone to give their input over the next few weeks as we consider how our public safety services can better promote racial equity and economic inclusion. See below for virtual community meeting dates, in-person drop-in sessions, and a link to the online survey (coming Sept. 3).

All community members are invited to the following meetings. 

Listening Session #1

TIME/DATE: 12:30-2 p.m. Sept. 8 

LOCATION: Virtual – Join by phone or online

Click to here register for this session. 

Listening Session #2

TIME/DATE:  12:30-2 p.m. Sept. 9 

LOCATION: Virtual – Join by phone or online

Click here to register for this session.

Listening Session #3 plus Civics 101

In addition to the listening session, participants will also learn about City operations, who’s responsible for what, and how you can get more involved in the community. 

TIME/DATE:  6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 9 

LOCATION: Virtual – Join by phone or online

Click here to register for this session.

Listening Session #4

TIME/DATE: 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 10 

LOCATION: Virtual – Join by phone or online

Listening Session #5

TIME/DATE: 11 a.m.-noon  Sept. 11 

LOCATION: Virtual – Join by phone or online

Click to here register for this session.

Listening Session #6 — In-person drop-in event

This event will be conducted in 30-minute intervals to provide adequate safety for all attendees. Use the registration link to let us know what time you plan to attend! We will provide interactive experiences to learn about current public safety measures and imagine what our future public safety could look like. All attendees are asked to wear a mask. If you do not have one, we will have masks and other protective equipment available.

DATE: Sept. 11 

TIMES:

2 – 2:30 p.m.

2:40 – 3:10 p.m.

3:20 – 3:50 p.m.

4 – 4:30 p.m.

LOCATION: In-person location to be determined

Online engagement too!
A link to the online questionnaire will be posted at this link on Sept. 3.

Connecting with community
Intentional efforts will be made to connect with people who are most impacted. Being out in the community with paper copies and survey links will be an important part of gathering input. We are always learning. If you see we have missed a group, please email us at  ReimaginingPublicSafety@PublicInput.com with the subject line, “Missing in the discussion.”

Please know that we realize this is only the beginning. We are committed to the ongoing work that will be needed by all of us in the coming months and years to reimagine public safety in Asheville.

Keep up with our progress, including a timeline for reporting back to Council and the community, at this link on the City of Asheville website.

Learn more and register City of Asheville