Grassroots Organization to Address Cobb Issues at Community Forum

A grassroots group of Cobb citizens fed up with various issues are holding a town hall meeting for any Cobb residents ready to bring about change. The forum will be held at 7 p.m. at  Trinity Tabernacle Baptist Church at 592 Veterans Memorial Highway in Mableton.

The group, Cobb United for Change Coalition, hope the forum will be the genesis of “an intelligent, open and effective dialogue with all Cobb and surrounding county community members” to help “reach an amiable resolution to current issues that are negatively affecting our communities, counties and community members.”

Some of the issues to be addressed include: Latino and immigration issues, racial profiling and law enforcement accountability, prison industrial complex and school-to-prison pipeline, public transportation in Cobb County, education and jobs.

“The purpose is really informational and educational,” said Austell resident and activist Rich Pellegrino. “It’s to reinvigorate a dialogue between local residents and community groups and law enforcement and county elected and appointed officials to figure out how we can work together to solve our problems, esp. from grassroots level and not just expecting a top-down solution from the elected and appointed officials.”

Thursday’s forum is the first of what is to become a regular town hall forum series hosted once every other month.

The coalition has existed in an ad-hoc status, but members wanted to unify various community groups. Pellegrino said the coalition has served as a “shadow county commission” for people who felt they weren’t getting what they needed or were abused.

“I think people are kind of tired of talk and tired of these meetings. I think they’re looking more for action,” Pellegrino said.

What are the biggest issues plaguing South Cobb or Cobb County? What are YOU going to do about them?