Efforts to reinstate former Clayton County police chief Greg Porter failed Tuesday.
Despite vigorous appeals from community activists for his return, commissioners handed down a split 2-2 vote, effectively killing the resolution on Tuesday’s agenda. Commissioner Michael Edmondson was on vacation and not present at Tuesday’s meeting.
Tuesday's appeal at the commission meeting comes a week after a group of clergy and activists known as Concerned Citizens sent a letter to the commissioners asking for Porter's reinstatement. They said his removal was unjustified. Some 200 signatures accompanied the letter. The group also recently met with Chairman Jeff Turner and commissioner Shana Rooks about their concerns.
The group vowed Tuesday night to continue their efforts to get Porter restored to the job. Porter was removed from June 29 and re-assigned to head the county's e911 department.
Rev. Joseph Wheeler, one of the group’s leaders, said the grouop would begin protesting outside the county administration building at the next commission meeting on Oct. 20.
“We gave them the opportunity to do the right thing and they chose not to,” Wheeler told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after the vote.
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