At the most recent Westside Future Fund Summit on August 4th, 2017, Laurel Boatright, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, gave a presentation about the English Avenue Drug Market Intervention, an ongoing Police and Community Partnership that has been in place since 2014. Boatright detailed how and why the English Avenue DMI was implemented, the key goals of the program, and the process of building trust in the neighborhood.

As one of the largest open-air drug markets in the Southeast, the English Avenue neighborhood was once a thriving community of working-class residents that has become stagnant over the past few decades and slowly evolved into a haven for crime and drug activity. The English Avenue DMI has been critical to efforts in the community to provide alternatives to illegal activity for community members while reclaiming the vibrancy the neighborhood was once known for.

Throughout her presentation, Boatright emphasized the importance of community involvement and giving “second chances” as the hallmarks of the English Avenue DMI, while highlighting some of the social service partners and providing some statistics demonstrating the success of the program so far.

At the end of her presentation, Boatright invited community residents—including Mother Mamie Moore, Brother El, and Latia Perry—to share their experiences and thoughts on the English Avenue neighborhood and the work underway to fulfill the promise of its residents.

To view the full presentation on the English Avenue DMI, click here. To view our full August 4 Summit photo gallery, click here.

The Westside Future Fund’s Transform Westside Summit is held on the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month and is free and open to the public. Registration for future Summits is available on the main Events page of our website.