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FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2015 • VOL. 18, NO. 6 • FREE

• A PUBLICATION OF ACE III COMMUNICATIONS • Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.

F REE P RESS

See School Board on page 15A

DeKalb schoolboard terminatesProAct contract

Poverty photo exhibitheld at Sanford Center

Ashley Oglesby [email protected]

he opening ceremonyfor the Society ofSt. Vincent de Paul(SVdP) and Georgia

Power’s “Profiles of Poverty”photography exhibit washeld on April 23 at the PorterSanford III Performing Artsand Community Center.Participating in the event wereDeKalb County Interim CEOLee May and DeKalb CountyCommissioner Larry Johnson.

Te 50-photo gallery willbe available to the public untilMay 15 and is co-sponsored byChick-fil-A, DeKalb CountyDevelopment Office and DeKalbCounty Recreation, Parks andCultural Affairs.

Te exhibit featuresphotography from

photojournalists throughoutGeorgia, including John Glenn,David Tulis, Joeff Davis,Stephen Morton, Chris Hunt and Tim Redman. Te groupconsists of current and former AJC , Associated Press, Creative

Loafing and Atlanta Magazine photographers.

“We have to talk about thereal deal and what’s going onin our society. We don’t like totalk about the things that aren’tin the pretty picture of ourcommunity. Te reality is thatone out of five Georgians, live inpoverty,” said May.

He added, “Tis exhibitis very important becauseit’s forcing a dialogue andconversation on the issues. Iwant people to be encouragedto go out and tell other people

about this exhibit. Come toDeKalb County, come to the

Porter Sanford Center to talkabout what poverty really lookslike — once people see that, thenwe can really have a proactivedialogue about what we can doabout it together.”

John Berry , executive

director of SVdP, said the exhibitwas planned to celebrate the110th anniversary of the societyin Georgia.

“People hope that if we don’ttalk about [poverty], then it willgo away but the reality is that,that is not going to happen, saidBerry.

“Te goal of this exhibitwas to light a fire to create aspark. As we come into 2016 ina presidential election, we haveto hold the candidates in bothparties accountable for whatthey’re going to do about this

issue.”

Community members crowd the exhibit which features photography

rom photojournalists throughout Georgia.

Guests view and discuss the photos selected for the traveling exhibit

fter the opening ceremony.

One of the 50 photos selected for the DeKalb

County Proles of Poverty gallery.

Interim DeKalb CEO Lee May greets guests beforethe ceremony at the Porter Sanford III PerformingArts and Community Center.

by Ashley Oglesby [email protected]

A day after alle-gation surfaced overconcerns of mis-conduct by ProActSearch firm, DeKalbboard of educationofficials voted to

fire the search firmresponsible for find-ing a replacementfor current schoolsuperintendent Mi-chael Thurmond.

The board an-nounced in a press release on May 5, that theyhad ended their contract with ProAct Searchfirm due to the allegations of misconductagainst SUPES Academy, a related companyof the board’s search firm ProAct.

“While these are allegations only, theDeKalb Board of Education is committed toensuring that the individuals representing usreflect our values and those of our commu-nity,” the release stated.

In Chicago, the firm is dealing with allega-tions involving no-bid contracts with a firmwhere the current superintendent once wasemployed. Before the principal-training com-pany came under federal criminal scrutinyfor its deal with Chicago Public Schools, GarySolomon, one of ProAct Search owners, pre-

viously faced allegations he used racial slursin emails sent when he was a north suburbanhigh school dean.

Councilwoman Joyce Morley said, “We’renot going to allow the district to be affectedby [ProAct].We can’t let anything taint whatwe’ve already accomplished in the last twoand a half years. Either you’re a asset or a li-ability and he was a liability and his firm was

Solomon

Business ........................18A

Education .....................19A

Sports...................... 21-23A

Opinion ...........................5A

Classified .......................20A

QUICK FINDER

LOcAL, 11A spORts, 21ALOcAL, 12A

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ENDS IN PENALTY

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JAIL VOLUNTEERS

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DeKalb Board of Education met on May 4 to discuss the futureof the superintendent search.

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Page 2A The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 8, 2015

LOCAL

Avondale Estates celebrates new business

B e c a u s e y o u g e t

w h a t y o u p a y f o r .

Thanks to the money saving tips on the Georgia Power website, I learned exactly how to turn my renovation into a reward.

First, I got $50 for taking advantage of the Georgia Power Refrigerator Recycling Program. Then, I got a rebate for

purchasing ENERGY STAR® certied appliances, and since these appliances use 10 to 50 percent less energy than

standard models, I get the benet of a lower monthly bill. For more information on tips and rebates, visitgeorgiapower.com/save.

Certain restrictions apply. Must be a Georgia Power customer. Rebate available through November 30, 2014.

Customer must submit receipt/invoice for the ENERGY STAR® appliance with the rebate form.

That’s why I invested in ENERGY STAR ®

appliances and received rebates in return.

by Carla [email protected]

Avondale Estates welcomed a newbusiness, and the Market in Avondales happy to be there.

The Market in Avondale held aibbon-cutting ceremony to officiallyelebrate its opening; the market orig-nally opened Dec. 1, 2014.

Nicol Turner, co-owner of themarket, said she and the co-ownersDena Stockton and Chris Beagle decided to open the business in Avon-dale Estates after receiving a numberof requests from the residents.

“A lot of people asked us to openup a market for here,” Turner said.

“They wanted a community marketfor families and kids.”

Turner and her husband, Jer-emy , own the Oak Grove Market inDecatur–a butcher shop with a delicounter that serves cold and hot pre-

pared food. The Market in Avondaleprovides similar services.“We sell high-quality meats and

seafood; and we have fresh salads ev-ery day,” Turner said. “We do limitedbreakfast, but we do a full lunch, andwe have protein and dinner for peopleto come pick up in the evening.”

Turner said she and her husbandhave been in the restaurant businessfor a “long time,” and love to servepeople.

“We just like to take care of peo-ple and make them happy,” she said.“So, that’s what we aim to do with thisplace.”

After Jonathan Elmore waselected mayor in March, he told The

Champion Newspaper that he wouldlike to see more businesses open inthe city.

“I just want to make sure thatour city is seen by entrepreneurs andbusinesses as a good place to be,” hesaid, “that we’re business friendly,that we’re a good place to establish abusiness, because once you get thatmomentum going it kind of starts tobuild on itself. I feel like we [have]it going for the first time in a long

time, but we need to make sure wekeep nudging that along and doingeverything that we can to make sureit doesn’t stop. We [have] a great city,and I want us to have a great down-town area.”

Turner said she and other busi-ness owners are working together toattract more businesses.

“We’re all in this together,” shesaid. “We’re getting ready to do a mapof Avondale and really support all ofthe new businesses because we’re allin our first year except for a couple.Our goal is to get more [businesses]to come in. We’re just trying to tie thecommunity together.”

City ofcials and owners of the Market in Avondale cut the ribbon May 1 to celebrate the opening of the new business. The market opened Dec. 1, 2014, and sells meat, seafood, saladsand prepared foods. Photos by Travis Hudgons

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 8, 2015 Page 3ALOCAL


Brookhaven Police are stillearching for an alleged rapist, who

has identified as 38-year-old Ro-

berto Gaona-Piña.Maj. Brandon Gurley of theBrookhaven Police Departmentannounced May 4 that warrantshave been issued for Gaona-Piña’sarrest; he is charged with rape andaggravated assault.

The alleged rape occurredApril 24 between 9 and 10 p.m.near Buford Highway and NorthCliff Valley Way. The victim, a His-panic female, received injuries andwas treated at a local hospital, ac-cording to police.

Police said the victim waswalking along Buford Highwaywhen Ganon-Piña allegedly ap-proached her. When the womanallegedly ignored his advances,he suspect grabbed her arm and

pulled her into a wooded area nearNorth Cliff Valley Way. Ganon-Piña allegedly hit the victim in theace several times and raped her,

according to police.Police said the victim fought

back and may have caused scratch-es and bite marks to the suspect’sarms or face. Police said Ganon-Pi-

ña ran away when two other malesapproached to help the woman.

“Detectives began canvasingthe area over the following days,going door to door passing out fly-ers with a sketch that was createdwith the help of the GBI sketch

artist,” Gurley said. “With thoseefforts, they were able to developleads in the case that eventuallylead to video surveillance footagefrom an area business where webelieve we have footage of the sus-

pect. When that was released ad-ditional leads were received fromthat information, and lead to put-ting a name to that face.”

Gurley said detectives believethat Gaona-Piña is somewhere inAlabama.

“We are looking to catch thisindividual before he is able to com-mit another rape,” Gurley said.

Brookhaven Police workingwith other local law enforcementagencies with similar cases andcomparing evidence to determineif Gaona-Piña is linked to otherAtlanta area rapes.

Anyone with information onGaona-Piña’s whereabouts is askedto call a local law enforcementagency. Anonymous tips may alsobe made by calling Crime StoppersAtlanta at (404) 577-TIPS (8477).

Brookhaven rape suspect identified


Lithonia Police is seeking information in thehooting death of 26-year-old Leevon Daniels of

Conyers.Lithonia Police Cap. Xavier Todd said police re-

ceived a call at approximately 5:20 a.m. about a manying on the side of Swift Street.

“A passerby saw something lying on the side ofhe road and the passerby noticed one of the off-duty

officers working part time at Red Hills [Club],” Toddaid. “He made contact with the officer saying, ‘theres something on the side of the road, a person lying

down. I think something is wrong with him and you

might need to check it out.’”Todd said the off-duty officer went to the scene

and saw a deceased Black male with a gunshot wound.Todd said he and other officers arrived the scene andsaw Daniels with a gunshot wound in the side of hisarm.

After speaking with the victim’s girlfriend, policedetermined that he was murdered between 2:30 and 5a.m.

“The victim allegedly attempted to attend a partyat the Red Hills on Main Street,” Todd said. “The in-

vestigation is still ongoing. [There is] no person ofinterest and no suspect right now.”

Anyone who has information about the shootingare asked to call Todd at (678) 267-4911.

Conyers man found dead in Lithonia

Gaona-Piña

Assistant District AttorneyAlejandro “Andy” Pascual will behonored by Georgia Asian PacificAmerican Bar Association (GAPA-BA) as the recipient of its 2015 Ris-ing Star Award.

The award will be presentedto Pascual’s wife and mother dur-ing the group’s annual gala on May14 at Fernbank Museum. Pascual,who has worked in the DeKalbCounty’s District Attorney’s Officesince 2007, is currently deployed asa judge advocate with the GeorgiaArmy National Guard and holds the

rank of captain.“I am deeply honored to be therecipient of GAPABA’s 2015 RisingStar Award,” Pascual said in a state-ment. “In the last few years I’ve seenGAPABA grow leaps and bounds asan organization where Asian PacificAmericans can network and com-municate about issues facing thelegal community. When I began mylegal career in the Appalachian Ju-

Assistantdistrict attorneyto receive 2015Rising Staraward

See Award on page 18A

Pascual

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It could have been avoid-d—the prison sentencesor eight administrators andeachers afer the seven-

month-long Atlanta Publicchools (APS) cheating trial.

Tey could have avoidedhe accusations, trial, publicumiliation, loss o incomend prison time by just say-ng “no.”

On April Fools’ Day, theAPS educators were con-

icted o crimes includinghe Racketeer Influencednd Corrupt Organizations

Act. Tey were accused byrosecutors o trying toaise the test scores at strug-ling schools by correctingtudents’ wrong answers ontandardized test.

According to an AP story,ormer Georgia attorneyeneral Michael Bowers,

who is now a special inves-

tigator looking into DeKalbCounty corruption, investi-gated the cheating scandaland in 2013 said “there were‘cheating parties,’ erasures inand out o classrooms, andteachers were told to makechanges to student answers

on tests. Bowers said he heardthat educators cheated out

o pride, to earn bonuses, toenhance their careers or tokeep their jobs.”

A jury believed thecharges and Fulton CountySuperior Court Judge Jerry

Baxter handed out prisontimes o one to seven years.“Everybody knew cheat-

ing was going on and yourclient promoted it,” Baxtersaid during the sentencingto a deense attorney.

Te sentences have beenthe talk o the town thismonth. I agree with thosewho say the sentences seemharsh. Educators wereshackled without warningand taken to jail immedi-ately afer their convictions.Some didn’t have an oppor-tunity to arrange or child-care or their children whowere in school at the time.Compare that treatment to

ormer DeKalb commission-er Elaine Boyer who plead-ed guilty to ederal chargeso mail and wire raud inSeptember 2014 and wassentenced to 14 months in

prison in March. Te ederal judge allowed her to remainree until afer her daughtergraduates rom college inearly May.

Although the punishmentmay seem harsh, the educa-tors could have said “no.”When first approached tochange students’ answers ontests, they could have said“no.” When invited to theso-called cheating parties,they could have declined. Ithey were threatened with

job loss, they still could havesaid “no.”

Afer saying “no,” the ed-ucators could have remainedquiet and waited to see what

happened. Tey could havereported those who were or-ganizing the cheating. Teycould have sought employ-ment elsewhere.

Tere are always choices.

We are never really orced todo anything. Even i some-one is holding a gun to yourhead and telling you to dosomething you would nor-mally never do, you have achoice: do what is right andpossibly be shot, or do whatis bad and live with the con-sequences.

Tese convicted APSeducators decided that it wasmore preerable to cheat andpossibly profit. Now theymust live with the conse-quences o those decisions—in prison.

The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 8, 2015 Page 4AOPINION

Convicted cheating teachers could have said ‘no’

@AndrewChampNews

Andrew [email protected]

Managing Editor

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OPINIONThe Champion Free Press, Friday, May 8, 2015 Page 5A

Le Us Know Wha You think!

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESS encour-ages opinions from its readers. Pleasewrite to us and express your views. Lettersshould be brief, typewritten and containthe writer’s name, address and telephonenumber for verification. All letters will beconsidered for publication.

Send Letters To Editor, The Champion Free Press, P.

O. Box 1347, Decatur, GA 30031-1347; Send emailto [email protected] • FAX To: (404)370-3903 Phone: (404) 373-7779 . Deadline for newsreleases and advertising: Thursday, one week priorto publication date.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The opinions written by colum-nists and contributing editors do not necessarilyreect the opinions of the editor or publishers. ThePublisher reserves the right to reject or cancel anyadvertisement at any time. The Publisher is notresponsible for unsolicited manuscripts.

Publisher: John Hewi Chief Financial Ocer:Dr. Earl D. GlennManaging Editor:Andrew cauhenProduction Manager:Kemesha Hun Photographer:travis HudgonsSta Reporters:carla parker, Ashley Oglesby

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F REE P RESS

STATEMENT FROM THE

PUBLISHERWe sinerely areiae hedisussion surrounding his and anyissue of ineres o DeKalb couny.The Champion was founded in 1991exressly o rovide a forum fordisourse for all ommuniy residenson all sides of an issue. We have nodesire o make he news only oreor news and oinions o effe

a more eduaed iizenry ha willulimaely move our ommuniyforward. We are hay o resenideas for disussion; however,we make every effor o avoidrining informaion submied ous ha is known o be false and/orassumions enned as fa.

ONE MAN’S OPINION

“I think if we were to justgo around this room, thereare a lot of immigrant stories.All my grandparents, youknow, came over here, andyou know my grandfatherwent to work in a lace mill inScranton, Pennsylvania, andworked there until he retiredat 65. He started there whenhe was a teenager and justkept going. So I sit here and

think well you’re talkingabout the second, third gener-ation. That’s me, that’s you,” aid Presidential candidate

Hillary Rodham Clinton during a recently videotapedbusiness roundtable in Iowa,discussing the plight o un-

documented immigrantsrying to work legally in theUnited States.

I am admittedly no greatan o ormer U.S. Secretary

o State and Senator, HillaryClinton. I do believe that theUnited States has long beeneady or a woman to holdhe position o president or

vice president. And person-ally, I don’t see avoring oneo these positions and op-posing the other as being inconlict. I will leave that callo our readers.

Politicians, candidatesand even some journalistswill occasionally bend a act,or stretch the truth to thepoint o breaking to make atrong point or better tell atory. Ask Brian Williams.

hat said, in this Internet

age, it runs not only counterto conventional wisdom, butit simply does not computeto begin new and easily

disavowed outright lies towin a political point or en-gender support rom a newdemographic group. I willleave alone migrating policyperspectives, as one man’slip lop is another’s wisdomdeveloped rom an evolvingperspective.

But some acts, such asone’s date o birth, schoolsor degrees held are easily

veriiable and simply notsmart to attempt to alter his-tory about.

his brings me to a re-cent inormal chat by can-didate Clinton with a smallgroup o Iowa armers andbusinessmen, while on thecampaign trail talking with“real Americans.” Clinton ismaking amily and the mid-dle class the centerpieces oher campaign, which causesone to believe that she might

consider brushing up on herown amily history.

Clinton’s ather was con-sidered a at Republican,and later a staunch support-er o Barry Goldwater. Herpaternal grandather was oEnglish descent and a long-time textile worker, and herpaternal grandmother wasborn in Scranton, Penn. oWelsh descent rom a am-ily o coal miners. Clinton’sarther ollowed his ather’sexperience with lace intoa custom drapery busi-ness. Despite all that, Hill-ary Clinton’s memories owhat and whom may be abit cloudy, but they are not

so easily swept behind acurtain. A review o recordson Ancestry.com and otherpublic documents quicklydemonstrates the true lin-eage o her amily tree, un-less, o course, it might bemore politically expedient tosay otherwise.

Seven o eight o Mrs.Clinton’s great-grandparents(three generations back),were born overseas intoworking-class amilies. Butonly her paternal granda-ther, Hugh Rodham Sr., wasborn in England and herother three grandparents areall native-born Americans. Itis, o course, possible thatClinton occasionally conus-es generations in her amily,in much the same way sheconused being ired uponby Bosnian snipers at an

earlier stage during her 2008campaign or the WhiteHouse, which ocused moreon her competency andexperience, being ready orthe job on day one. Unortu-nately or then Sen. Clinton,there were video cameraspresent in Bosnia to capturethe actually peaceul land-ing and welcome o the FirstLady o the United States.

U.S. Senator MarcoRubio (R-FL) and anotherpresidential aspirant, experi-enced considerable politicalire in his home state andelsewhere or reerring tohis parents, on more thanone occasion, as Cuban

exiles. hough both o hisparents are natives o Cuba,and both came to Americaas immigrants; the term“Cuban exile” is generally re-served or those orced romthe island or who led inthe immediate atermath othe all o Cuban PresidentFulgencio Batista in Janu-ary 1959, ollowed by thetakeover o Cuba’s govern-ment by Fidel Castro. Ru-bio’s parents let three yearsearlier, in 1956, during therevolution, but beore thegovernment ell. And yet,some label Rubio as a liar asa result.

he supposedly nonbi-ased and nonpartisan olksat Politiact.com are nowlabeling Clinton’s com-ments about all eight o hergreat-grandparents as im-

Bill Crane

[email protected]

Columnist

Hillary’s hill of beansmigrants as alse. houghthis doesn’t rise to the levelo the Birther’s ongoing con-test to ind Barack Obama’sbirth certiicate, I’m going tohave to give Hillary the evenhigher liar rating o “pant-suit on ire.”

Bill Crane also serves as a political analyst and commen-tator for Channel 2’s ActionNews, WSB-AM News/Talk750 and now 95.5 FM, as wellas a columnist for

The Cham-pion, Champion Free Pressand Georgia Trend. Crane isa DeKalb native and businessowner, living in Scottdale. Youcan reach him or comment

on a column at bill.csicrane@ gmail.com.

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LOCAL

If you would like to nominate someone to be considered as a future Champion of the Week, please contact Andrew Cauthenat [email protected] or at (404) 373-7779, ext. 117.

CURTIS WAITES

See Park on page 16A

Curtis Waites travels33 miles twice a month to

volunteer at Fernbank Mu-seum.

After graduating fromthe University of Georgia

and retiring from his careeras a commercial loan officerfor Suntrust Bank, Waitesbegan volunteering at Gwin-nett Medical Center and wasencouraged by a friend tostart volunteering at Fern-bank.

“The Good Lord wasgood to me so I decided tostart volunteering and giv-

ing back,” Waites said.Waites volunteered for

Gwinnett Medical for 16years and began volunteer-ing at Fernbank in 1997, as-sisting in Sensing Nature.

He said it was the varietyof interactions with peopleall over the world, that ledhim to become a greeter andIMAX attendant for the mu-seum.

“I’ve enjoyed meeting somany people. At FernbankI have met people from allover the world, and at thehospital I’ve met so many

interesting people and I enjoy that,” he said.

Waites also likes totravel. He said he has nevertraveled anywhere he didnot enjoy. His favorite desti-

nation has been the AmalfiCoast of Italy, but most re-cently he has begun to travelcloser to home. He hopes his

visits span the entire NorthAmerican continent, rang-ing from past destinationssuch as Nova Scotia, Canadato future plans for Yellow-stone National Park. He alsoloves to watch old movies;

The Sound of Music andGone with the Wind are twoof his favorites.

Waites suggested thatanyone looking for vol-unteer opportunities find

something that appeals tothem.He said, “There are so

many places that are good to volunteer…the medical cen-ter and Fernbank appeal tome but there is so much outthere to do.”

y Andrew [email protected]

Scottdale residents sayheir recreation center haseen neglected by DeKalb

County.“It’s so bad in the winter-

ime, kids got to come out-ide to be warm. They can’t

o inside the building be-ause it’s not warm enough,”aid Gail Lundy , who hasived in the community for4 years.

“We had to buy a [hand]dryer,” she said. “We didn’tven have that.”

Residents are lookingo DeKalb County to al-ocate $6.5 million of 2006ountywide parks bondunds to construct a new

Tobie Grant Recreation Cen-er. County plans call for a4,000-square-foot facility,

modeled after the Redan

Recreation Center with aew modifications, notably aaised indoor walking track,”ccording to county spokes-

man Burke Brennan.The community is in

state of flux. The 55-acreTobie Grant Manor publichousing complex is a con-truction zone. Old housing

has been demolished andunder way is $34 million innew construction, includ-ng 452 housing units, 180enior apartment units,00 multifamily units, and

2 town homes. Residentsf the old public housingomplex were relocated, andchurch in the commu-

nity, Travelers Rest BaptistChurch is fighting for its lifeamid the construction.

“The housing authorityhas their project going on,”said Sabrina Moore, a resi-dent of the Scottdale com-munity. “Parks and Rec hastheir downsizing and thingsgoing on, and there’s mon-ies that’s been allocated fora new recreation and we’refighting to get that.

“For years [the countyhas] tried to shut us downand close us down, and we’re

going to make sure that To-bie Grant stays,” Moore said.

The more than 30-year-old facility was painted forthe first time in 2004, Mooresaid. And the communityhas to “step in and supplythe necessary supplies as faras tissue and towels.”

“We’ve got this wholebrand-new housing centercoming with [more than] athousand…people fixing to

move into this area,” Mooresaid. “Ain’t no swimmingpool. Ain’t no library.

“What are we going todo [with these]...peoplecoming into this commu-nity?” she asked.

During the April 28DeKalb County Board ofCommissioners’ meeting,commissioners debatedwhether to approve thefunding.

Commissioner KathieGannon said she visited therecreation center “in 2004

when it was leaking, fallingdown, no air conditioning,paint chipping off the wall.”

“This community hasbeen working very hardon getting this rec center,”Gannon said. “I would liketo point out that over thoseyears, I have been the soleadvocate for trying to ekeout a million dollars here, amillion dollars there to getthe money for this rec cen-

ter. “I recommend we moveforward on this rec center[with] $6.5 million, the sameamount of money and thesame plan that Redan had,only on a smaller scale, sothat these folks can moveforward without being heldhostage over some list thatis a moving target,” Gannonsaid during the meeting.

Commissioner SharonBarnes Sutton said, “It’snot true that CommissionerGannon has been the soleperson supporting this

and looking for money tosupport Tobie Grant. I’vesupported this from the mo-ment I was elected.”

Sutton said she and herchild “would go over thereand volunteer over at thegym and go over there forthe summer programs.

“So I know the condi-tions so that was somethingthat I focused on once I washere,” she said.

Sutton made a motion todefer the item until commis-sioners review the various

items on the county’s parksprojects list “so that we’llknow exactly what is in that

Commissioners debate $6.5 million Tobie Grant recreation center

The Tobie Grant community may soon get a new multimillion dollar recreation center. Photo by Andrew Cau-then

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Atlanta

Fernbank offers Forest Bird Walk

Join an Atlanta Audubon Society volunteerand discover more about the feathered inhabit-ants of Fernbank Forest on May 23 from 8 a.m.o 10:30 a.m, 767 Clifton Road. This program is

open to all ages and will be held rain or shine,but may be cancelled in cases of severe weather.Participants are encouraged to bring binoculars,field guides and water with them. Once the walkbegins, participants must remain with the groupfor the duration of the program.

The walk is included with museum admis-ion and free for Fernbank members and Atlanta

Audubon Society members. Advance reserva-ions are required at (404) 929-6400.

Scientists to guide night in forest tour

Listen for owl and frog calls, search for batsusing a special echolocation detector, find or-ganisms that glow under UV light, and more atFernbank Museum, 767 Clifton Road Atlanta.

On May 8, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fern-bank Museum scientists will provide a guidedour of Fernbank Forest for children ages 8 and

older.The tours will cost $5 for members and $10

for non-members. Space is limited to 20 peopleand advance reservations are required at (404)

929-6400.

Avondale Estates

Second Life to host dog adoption event

Second Life is partnering with AtlantaAnimal Rescue Friends (AARF) May 9 foranother adoption event from noon to 3 p.m. at1 North Clarendon Avenue in Avondale Estates.Attendees can meet dogs and help them nda home. For more information, visit www.secondlifeatlanta.org.

Avondale Community Club to host auction

Avondale Community Club will host itsannual silent and live auction May 16 at6:30 p.m. at 59 Lakeshore Drive. The eventwill include live entertainment on the patio,food stations with eats prepared by localchefs, an ice cream dessert bar and more. Formore information, email Connie Bryans at

[email protected].

Brookhaven

City develops water study

Brookhaven has engaged Sustainable WaterPlanning & Engineering (SWP&E) to developa Watershed Plan for the Murphey Candler—Nancy Creek watershed. The study will assisthe city in securing grant funds for the projects,

programs and policies that are identified in theplan to improve watershed health and minimize

flooding. SWP&E will have professionals work-ing in various areas of the city during the nextfew months. They will be looking at waterbod-ies throughout the Nancy Creek watershed. Formore information, contact Bennett White, pub-lic works director, at (404) 637-0576.

Decatur

Junior League of DeKalb County to celebrate80th anniversary

The Junior League of DeKalb County (JLD)

will celebrate its 80th anniversary with a day ofservice at Peace Lutheran Church Healthy Bel-

vedere Community Garden May 16, from 10:30a.m. to 2 p.m. The garden is located at 1679Columbia Drive in Decatur. JLD’s CommunityImpact Day is a family friendly event that willinclude a Kids in the Kitchen food demonstra-tion. Children will also be able to participate inthe gardening activities. For more information,contact Rebecca Daniel Duggar at [email protected] or Lili Crymes at [email protected] orcall (678) 772-8718.

Lithonia

Library presents Authors’ Hour

On the second Saturday of each month,Stonecrest Library presents “Authors’ Hour.”

During this free event, which is open to allages, there is a variety of featured authors. Par-ticipants have the opportunity to meet, greet andask questions.

On Saturday, May 9, from 1 until 2 p.m., theshowcased authors will be Katrina K. Morris,author of Who Will Love Me? , Keshius Wil-liams, author of Who is Pepper Storm? and Pep-

per Storm and the Gang , and Gwendolyn Mack-Duffie, author of Vernon’s Piece of the Pie and

Alpha Gator Soup.From 2 until 4 p.m. the library will present“Scribes & Vibes™,” a blend of poetry, music, andart hosted by Queen Sheba and Reggie Love with spoken word by Theresa Tha Songbirdand Deja Tha Poet.

‘Bluesologist’ to be celebrated during poetryreading

Poet and educator Gwen Russell Green ishosting a poetry reading and discussion cele-brating the life and work of renowned “bluesolo-gist,” poet and musical artist Gil Scott-Heron.

“Gil Scott-Heron is one of the few artists thatintroduced me to new issues in the 1970s that

were very important to me. He addressed theapartheid in Johannesburg, South Africa, beforeit was a part of mainstream consciousness,” Rus-sell Green stated in an announcement.

The event will be held at the Stonecrest Li-

brary, located at 3123 Klondike Road, Lithonia,on Monday, May 18, at 6 p.m. The reading will

feature works inspired by Scott-Heron, read byRussell Green and invited guests. An open mi-crophone session will follow the featured artistsand all guests are welcome to participate.

Music will be provided by trumpeter NelsonRender of the P.R. Experience jazz band, and bysaxophonist Ollie Patterson. Admission is freeand donations are welcome.

For more information, contact Gwen RussellGreen at (770) 713-0711 or via email at [email protected].

Stone Mountain

Free introduction to photography classscheduled

A professional photographer will hold afree photography class Saturday, May 9, 11 a.m.at Grace Church for all Nations, 650 RowlandRoad, Stone Mountain.

“If you want to stop taking picture, and starttaking photographs, this is the class for you,”states an announcement about the event. “Learnfrom a pro.”

To reserve a seat, text or call (770) 912-4769,or email [email protected].

Keep DeKalb Beautiful to host documentshredding, shoe collection event

Keep DeKalb Beautiful (KDB), a unit of theDeKalb County Sanitation Division, in partner-ship with Berean Christian Church, will host afree sensitive document shredding and shoe col-lection event on Saturday, May 16, from 9 a.m.to noon. The event will be held at the BereanChristian Church parking lot, 2201 Young Road,Stone Mountain.

Event participation is free and open toDeKalb County residents. Participants will havean opportunity to dispose of sensitive docu-ments, such as old tax records and legal docu-ments. All documents will be shredded on-site,and each participant will be limited to five stan-

dard-sized boxes of documents for shreddingpurposes. Shredding services will be provided byShred-it North Atlanta.

Participants will also have an opportunityto donate gently used shoes for recycling andrepurposing. All shoes, with the exception of skior winter boots, slippers and rubber flip-flops,will be accepted.

For more information on this event or howto plan a beautification project with KDB, con-tact KDB at (404) 371-2654 or [email protected], or visit www.keepdekalbbeautiful.org.

AROUNDDEKALB

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LOCAL

Ex-cop accused ofaccepting a bribe

Decatur bishop receivesnational honor again

by Andrew [email protected]

A former DeKalb Coun-y Police officer is scheduledo face a judge May 26 on a

bribery charge.“This is one of those

disturbing, unfortunateituations where an officer

breached that trust andold his badge for $40,” said

DeKalb County District At-orney Robert James.

Brandon Brown, whoworked for the police de-partment from November2010 until he resigned inAugust 2013, worked part-ime at Meskerem, an Ethio-

pian restaurant and hookahbar on Clairmont Road.According to officials,

Brown solicited a bribe froma patron in exchange for notssuing a citation for posses-ion of marijuana.

While working on Aug.4, 2013, Brown allegedlyapproached a table and indi-cated that he smelled mari-uana, James said.

Brown “keyed on onendividual and told that

person that he was going towrite him a citation for themarijuana,” James said. “Atome point during the con-

versation [the officer] indi-cated that if [the man] gavehim $50 he would not writehe citation.

“The individual gavehim $40 [and] got upwalked away,” James said.The officer followed him

and his party out of the res-aurant and told him that

wasn’t enough; he neededmore. At some point dur-ng this confrontation an-

other individual in the partytarted videotaping on her

phone the interaction be-ween the police officer andhese people.”

When the police officerealized the incident was

being video-recorded, “hereached out and knockedthe phone out of her hand

and grabbed her hand andpulled it,” James said.Brown resigned when

the incident was reportedthe next day to the DeKalbCounty Police Department.

In addition to beingcharged with violating hisoath of office by taking abribe in lieu of issuing acitation, Brown is accusedof simple battery for slap-ping and grabbing the handof Kadie Ann Walters asshe recorded the exchangebetween the officer and thepatron.

“This obviously is abreach of a public trust,”James said. “Officers areentrusted with the authorityto enforce the laws and toprotect citizens.

“No individual is abovethe law, including the of-ficers who have been swornto protect and uphold thoselaws,” James said. “My pub-lic integrity unit has workedtirelessly to address cor-ruption issues throughoutDeKalb. This is yet anotherexample of our commitment

to weeding out every badapple in the bunch.”Brown’s arraignment is

scheduled for May 26.

by Andrew [email protected]

A Decatur pastor be-lieves the national honor herecently received is a licenseto do more good.

“What do you do withsuch an honor, a distin-guished honor, as this? Ifeel that recognitions like

this are given not only be-cause of a person’s service,but are also given for thatperson to take that recogni-tion and make a difference,”said Bishop Quincy LavelleCarswell.

Carswell, who foundedThe Covenant Church inDecatur in 1993, was oneof 15 ministers inductedinto the Morehouse Col-lege Martin Luther King Jr.Board of Preachers on April9.

“I don’t want to be able

to say I’ve been inductedinto the Martin LutherKing Board of Preachers atMorehouse College just tohave a label to wear,” Car-swell said. “It opens anotherdoor that I can influence,mentor, [and] encourage.”

The awardees are select-ed by pastors and educators

through a nationwide nom-inating process. Carswell isthe only two-time recipientof the award.

The 62-year-old is mar-ried to Gwendolyn JonesCarswell, and is the fatherof two children, Quinae’Aresia Ford and QuincyLavelle Carswell II.

Carswell, who holds

degrees from Bethune-Cookman College andInterdenominational Theo-logical Seminary, has beenpreaching since he was 8.

“I just love to spreadthe gospel,” said Carswell,who was the pastor of Tab-ernacle Baptist Church inAtlanta, from 1975-1992.

When he received theaward the second time,Carswell said he thoughtabout his parents andchurch.

“I thought about my

mother and father and allthey had instilled in me andhow proud they would be,”he said. “I was grateful toThe Covenant Church andthe people I serve for givingme a platform…to shareand express and becomethe activist I feel I am. Itwould have never happened

without Covenant and theexperiences have had.”

Carswell said he startedthe nondenominationalchurch “to serve the peo-ple.”

“I’m more interestednow, more than ever, inour young and making animpact in their lives, help-ing them understand the

future is now,” he said. “I’mconcentrating on youth andmen. Men have to becomemore productive, more re-sponsible, more spiritual,more energetic.”

Carswell said he has a“passion for people [that]has led me to a passion foryouth and developing men.”

“I would never be ableto stand before God if Ididn’t make an impact,”Carswell said. “What are wedoing to impact the com-munity? This recognition

is another tool [or]…op-portunity to say, ‘Hey, let’smake an impact.’

“I believe the churchhas to somewhat transitionfrom the four walls to thecommunity, to the street,”Carswell said.

From left, Bishop Quincy Lavelle Carswell, a two-time honoree of the Morehouse College Martin LutherKing Jr. Board of Preachers, is joined by Morehouse professor Lawrence Edward Carter Sr., wife GwendolynJones Carswell, and son Quincy Lavelle Carswell II. Photo provided

Brown

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Copies of the proposed Operating and Capitalbudgets will also be available for public viewing atMARTA’s Headquarters Office of External Affairs,2424 Piedmont Road, N.E. Atlanta, Georgia 30324during regular business hours, Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m. to5 p.m. For formats (FREE of charge) in accordancewith the ADA and Limited English Proficiency regula-tions contact, (404) 848-4037. For those patronsrequiring further accommodations, information canbe obtained by calling the Telephone Device for theDeaf (TDD) at 404 848-5665. In addition, a sign language interpreter will beavailable at all hearings. If you cannot attend thehearings and want to provide comments you may:(1) leave a message at (404) 848-5299; (2) write to

MARTA’s Office of External Affairs, 2424 PiedmontRoad, N.E. Atlanta, GA 30324-3330; (3) completean online Comment Card at www.itsmarta.com; (4)or fax your comments no later than May 21, 2015 to (404) 848-4179. All citizens of the City of Atlanta and thecounties of Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton and Gwinnettwhose interests are affected by the subjects to beconsidered at these hearings are hereby notified andinvited to appear at said times and places and pres-ent such evidence, comment or objection as theirinterests require.

Keith T. Parker, AICP, General Manager/CEO

METROPOLITAN ATLANTA RAPID TRANSIT AUTHORITY

Notice of Public HearingsMay 11, 12 & 14, 2015

Notice is hereby given that the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Atlanta RapidTransit Authority will hold public hearings for the purpose of considering the

Proposed Fiscal Year 2016

Operating & Capital BudgetsMARTA continues its fiscal sustainability with balanced FY16 Proposed Operatingand Capital Budgets. New fare products are included to provide customers with

additional purchasing options and more secure fare products are scheduled to beimplemented December 2015:

• Breeze Card surcharge increase from $1 to $2 featuring a more secure card

• Breeze Ticket surcharge increase from 50¢ to $1.00 featuring a moredurable and secure ticket

• New discount tier levels Convention/Visitors passes that allow minimumpurchase comprised of any combo of 1,2,3,4, or 7-day passes effectiveJuly 1, 2015.

• Holiday Group Fare One-day Breeze Tickets - $7 per pass (min 2- max 5)effective January 2016

Monday, May 117200 Church Street, Riverdale

30274

RiverdaleTown Center

Community Exchange: 6-7 P .M .

HEARING: 7 P.M.Riding MARTA: Bus Route 196 from

College Park Station.

55 Trinity Avenue, Atlanta30030

Atlanta City HallCouncil Chambers


HEARING: 7 P.M.Riding MARTA: Bus Routes 32 and 55

rom Five Points Station.

1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur

30030Maloof

AuditoriumCommunity Exchange: 6-7 P .M .

HEARING: 7 P.M.Riding MARTA: Walk one block west of Decatur

Rail Station.

7741 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs

30350North FultonGovernment Center


HEARING: 7 P.M.Riding MARTA: Bus Route 87 from Dunwoody or

North Springs Stations.

2424 Piedmont Road., NE30324

MARTAHeadquarters


HEARING: 7 P.M.Riding MARTA: Across the street

from the Lindbergh Center Station.

3717 College Street, College Park30337

College ParkPublic Safety Complex

Community Exchange: 6-7 P .M .HEARING: 7 P.M.

Riding MARTA:Bus Route 172 from College Park Station.

Tuesday, May 12

Thursday, May 14

CITY OF STONE MOUNTAIN PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

The City of Stone Mountain hereby gives notice that a Public Hearing will be held to consider the

update process to the City’s Comprehensive Plan.

The Mayor

and

City

Council

will

hold

a Public

Hearing

on

this

matter

on

May

18,

2015

at

City

Hall

located at 875 Main Street, Stone Mountain, GA at 6:00 P.M. Anyone wishing to attend the public

hearing may do so and be heard relative thereto. Please contact the Atlanta Regional Commission at

404‐463‐3302 for any questions.

After announcing majorhanges to the Development

Authority of DeKalb CountyDADC) in early March, in-erim DeKalb County CEO

Lee May has presented anew slate of candidates tohe county’s Board of Com-

missioners for approval.In March, May said he

was replacing the DADCoard members to “providefresh start for the DADC.”

The six board positionsre all vacant or expired, andome of the board membershave dedicated more thanive years to the board, andne member has served

more than 10 years,” Mayaid.

The announcementame nearly a month afterhe Development Authority

named Ray Gilley , the for-mer president of the Metro

Orlando Economic Devel-pment Commission, as its

new president.The candidates for the

Development Authority ares follows:

Don Bolia Bolia is the principal of

Peachtree Government Af-

fairs, a Georgia lobbyingfirm that focuses on mattersbefore the state’s executivebranch and Georgia GeneralAssembly, and procurementmatters on the state and lo-cal level.

A graduate of EmoryUniversity, Bolia worked forformer Congressman NewtGingrich before being ap-pointed the political directorof the Georgia RepublicanParty in 1991. Two years lat-er, Bolia was appointed chiefof staff of the Fulton CountyCommission chairman. In1994, he was appointed ex-ecutive director of the Geor-gia Republican Party

In 1995, Bolia foundedD&B Communications, agovernment affairs and pub-lic relations firm.

Kevin Gooch

Since 2007, Gooch ofDecatur has been a partnerin Alston & Bird LLP Fina-cial group, where he focuseson representing financial in-stitutions and corporate bor-rowers in transactions suchas syndicated credit facili-ties, acquisition financings,notes offerings, assets-based

financings and restructuringtransactions.

During his career atAlston & Bird LLP, Groochhas worked on more than$15 billion in financing andrestructuring transactions.

From 2004-2007 Goochwas a corporate associatewith McKenna Long and Al-dridge LLP. He has a bach-elor’s degree from EmoryUniversity and a doctoratefrom the University of Geor-gia School of Law.

Miranda Mack McKenzieMcKenzie has more

than 25 years of experiencein community affairs, is-sues management, govern-ment affairs, marketing andsales. The Stone Mountainresident has more than threeyears of fundraising and de-

velopment experience.

McKenzie, who hasa bachelor’s degree fromMorris Brown College andhas attended University ofGeorgia and Georgia State,currently works for AtlantaTechnical College as an in-stitutional advancement/community engagementexecutive. In that role she is

Development Authority boardcandidates presented

See Candidates on page 16A

Gooch Taylor McKenzie

RachalBolia Vu

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LOCAL

Lakeside community remembers teacher killed in car accident

Expand your mind,not your tuition.

visit gpc.edu

GPC provides a great education and multiple majors

online and on campus. Clubs and student activities

complete a rich college experience at the lowest

tuition within the University System of Georgia.

. :

by Carla Parker [email protected]

Last school year, MartaKeen’s mother fell ill, and whenshe needed someone to talk to,her teacher Leah O’Brien wasthere.

“She comforted me and toldme she would pray for her,”Keen, a junior at Lakeside HighSchool, said. “She was just agenuinely good person, she wasnice to everyone, and she was just a really good person.”

O’Brien’s smile andcaring personality were thecharacteristics Lakeside HighSchool students, faculty andstaff focused on during acandlelight vigil held April 30on Lakeside’s track.

O’Brien, 33, was on herway to chaperone Lakeside’s

prom April 25 when hervehicle was hit by a vehicledriven by 19-year-old RamiroPedemonte of Tucker, who washeading to the same prom withan 18-year-old student. Bothteens are students at Lakeside,where O’Brien was a familyand consumer science teacher.

O’Brien was later pronounced dead at a nearbyhospital. Her 8-year-olddaughter, Kori, was in the carwith her and remains in criticalcondition. The two studentswere treated for non-lifethreatening injuries.

Students said O’Brien was beloved by all students, whetheror not she taught them. GabyZumaran, a sophomore atLakeside, did not have a classunder O’Brien but still has fondmemories of her.

“We had a broadcasting classand we lmed her a couple oftimes [for an assignment], andI just remembered her beinghappy all of the time, and she

always had a smile on her face,”Zumaran said.

Keen was in O’Brien’sinterior design class last schoolyear and said class was alwaysa fun experience.

“I had her during lunch,so I would eat lunch in herclassroom,” Keen said. “Shewould let her students eat there,and she just made everythingfun.

“She was involved in a lot ofthings and she associated witha lot of students, so it’s beenreally hard because she toucheda lot of people,” Keen added.

Keen said she would missO’Brien’s smile.

“I didn’t have her this year, but I would still see her in thehallway and she would say, ‘hiMarta, how are you doing?’”Keen said. “She still cared,

even if you weren’t her studentanymore. She just had this bigsmile and she just cared abouteveryone. I’m just going tomiss her. I can’t believe thishappened.”

Decatur police arrestedPedemonte April 30 on chargesof rst-degree vehicularhomicide, serious injury byvehicle and reckless driving.Police said O’Brien was turningonto Scott Boulevard when shewas hit by Pedemonte who wasdriving a Dodge Charger.

O’Brien’s funeral was heldMay 2. An education fundnamed “Leah’s Lil Angels”was set up for her daughtersRachel and Kori. Accordingto the “Go Fund Me” page, theeducation fund was set up “sothat these ‘Little Angels’ have afoundation for their educationalneeds, now and in the future.”More than $32,000 has beendonated.

To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/Leahslilangels.

akeside students remembered Leah O’Brien (center) as a caring teacher with a big smile. Photorom gofundme.com

People who attended the candlelight vigil for Leah O’Brien wore purple ribbons. Photo by Carla Parker

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Pittman delivers state of city addressPartnerships key to Doraville’s future

Doraville mayor to run againby Ashley Oglesby [email protected]

Doraville Mayor DonnaPittman announced April27 that she will be runningfor re-election.

“As mayor I’m veryproud of the progress wehave made over the last

four years. When I wasfirst elected mayor, the GMplant stood dormant andhe city was operating with

very little reserves–that

has since changed,” saidPittman, “Today, we standproud leading the way andcreating new opportunitiesfor the citizens of Doravilleand the entire region. Weare expecting the economicimpact of upwards of $3 bil-lion over the next decadefrom the ‘Assembly’ project.

I am running for re-electionto make sure that these ini-tiatives–and other projectsessential to the positivegrowth of Doraville–come

into fruition.”In her term as mayor,

Pittman said Doraville’smajor accomplishmentsinclude the acquisition ofthe former General Mo-tors plant, growing thecity’s general fund, leadingDoraville to financial sol- vency, improvements in city

services and implementinga citywide Capital Improve-ment Plan, which includesmore street paving over thelast two years than in the

previous decade.Elected as mayor dur-

ing a special election in thesummer of 2011, Pittmanwas re-elected to a full four-year term after capturing61 percent of the vote. Priorto being elected mayor, sheserved on the DoravilleCity Council–representing

District 1, where she rose tomayor pro tem.

Pittman


From the creation of As-sembly, the former GeneralMotors (GM) site to a pro-posed new live-work-playproject on the old K-Martsite to major capital im-provements, master parkplans, etc., it has been an ex-citing time for Doraville.

More than 100 residents,special guests and local dig-nitaries gathered on April 28on the west side of City Hall

for Doraville Mayor DonnaPittman’s state of the cityaddress.

Dunwoody HighSchool’s color guard openedthe evening with the pre-sentation of colors and localblues singer Francine Reed received a standing ova-tion following renditions ofStand By Me, It’s a Wonder-ful World and Georgia onMy Mind .

Growth, revitalizationand partnerships were pri-

mary themes throughoutPittman’s state of the cityaddress.

Pittman acknowledgedthe efforts of employees incity departments–the policedepartment, code compli-ance, parks and recreation,and public works.

Highlights of these de-partments, achievementsinclude revitalization of cityparks, renovations at the citylibrary, a citywide capitalimprovement plan, imple-mentation of new financial

and document managementsoftware, new police andcourt software–all of whichPittman said aim to increaseefficiency of operations andsave taxpayers money foryears to come.

“Partnerships are a keyto our success and this is ev-ident, for example, throughour parks and recreationprograms,” Pittman said.

She added, “We part-nered with Brookhavenand Dunwoody YMCAs

See Doraville on page 16A

Mayor Donna Pittman acknowledges the crowd of stakeholders, governmentworkers and supporters for their involvement with the city of Doraville.

Georgia Piedmont Technical College president Dr.Jabari Simama stands for the presentation of colors.

Blues singer Francine Reed sings a renditionof Stand By Me .

Commissioner Nancy Jester attends the city address in

Doraville.

Parks and recreation director Rip Robertsonwelcomes guest to the mayor’s state of thecity address.

Interim CEO Lee May standsfor acknowledgement byDoraville Mayor Donna Pit-

tman.

Dunwoody High School color guard opens the event with the presentation of

colors. Photos by Ashley Oglesby

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LOCAL

Jail volunteers help in ways staff can’tby Andrew [email protected]

Three times each week,Leland Chapman goes toail; he is a volunteer chap-ain at the DeKalb Countyail.

“It’s a special calling,”aid Chapman, who attends

Beulah Missionary Baptist

Church in Decatur. “It’s notfor everybody, but it’s a spe-cial calling for those whohave compassion for the in-mates.”

On Sundays Chapmanholds three to four services,and during the week he hasone-on-one counseling withapproximately 20 to 25 in-mates.

“Being here has beenvery rewarding for me andhe inmates,” he said. “I feelight at home being withhem.”

Chapman, who has been

volunteering at the jail forfive years, said the chaplain-cy program is important.

“It’s a good secondchance start for the inmates

to have an opportunity tomake a change in their livesand to change their walk inlife,” Chapman said. “I wouldlike to think that I’m a partof that change, and I lookforward to sharing the wordof God…and to see them onthe other side of these wallsone day.”

Chapman and dozens

of other jail volunteers wererecognized April 30 duringthe DeKalb County Sheriff’sOffice annual volunteer ap-preciation banquet.

Major Lydia Edmonson,chief of jail operations, said volunteers “do what the paidstaff doesn’t necessarily dowell.”

The job of jail personnel“is to come in and make surethat the inmates receive theirmeals, [and] their medica-tions,” Edmonson. “The vol-unteers are here to counsel,to assist, to do things that

are out of the purview of thedetention staff that have setrules as to what they can andcannot do.”

In addition to chaplains,

volunteers include yoga in-structors, and representativesof Alcoholics Anonymousand Narcotics Anonymous.

Volunteers “facilitatea lot of the programs thatwe have that the staff is nottrained to do. It’s just a bighelp having them here,” Ed-monson said. “As long as I’vebeen here there have been

volunteers. I can’t imaginewhat it would be like [with-out them]. It would probablybe a lot of confusion.”

Edmonson said manyinmates look forward to the volunteers, especially thechaplains.

“It’s a calming thing,”Edmonson said. “It keepsa lot of people grounded. Ithink it would be a lot of an-gry people, if we didn’t havechaplains…and other volun-teers.

“I truly appreciate themfor the work that they do,”

Edmonson said. “They makeit easier for our staff to comein every day and performthe duties that they perform.Without them it would be a

lot harder place to work forour staff.

“Decatur resident JaninaEdwards is a yoga instructorwith Kashi Atlanta, whichhas a prison yoga program.Yoga instructors work withinmates who have addictionissues.

“We teach them yoga,but it’s not just the yoga pos-

es,” Edwards said. “Yoga alsohas meditation. It also hasethical principles and otherbenefits that we try to sharewith them that especially arehelpful for these women asthey are trying to make posi-tive decisions and choices fortheir lives.

“We do the poses,” Ed-wards said, “but we also…[help] them to make space intheir minds to make differ-ent choices as they go backout in the world.”

A chaplain since 2009,Ruth Cawthon said she was

inspired to volunteer at the jail because of “the verse inthe Bible where it says to goto prisons, [and to] peoplewho are lonely, and that

verse in the Bible [that says]‘in as much as you’ve doneit to the least of these mybrethren, you’ve done it tome.’”

Cawthon, who attendsCorpus Christi CatholicChurch in Stone Mountain,said volunteering at the jail“has been the best blessing Ihave ever done or received.”

“The inmates are so re-sponsive and it’s been a joy,”Cawthon said.

Will Dixon, who was thefirst lead chaplain at the jailwhen it opened years ago,said the volunteers “are verydedicated people. They dothis out of a love for peopleand out of the passion ofGod put in their hearts.

“This is a unique minis-try,” said Dixon who attendsHouse of Hope in Decatur.“Everybody can’t do it. Alot of people think they canuntil they come in here and

see the challenges that theinmates can present and…ofhearing those doors lockedbehind them.”

Dozens of DeKalb County Jail volunteers were recognized April 30 during an appreciation banquet by the Sheriff’s Ofce. Photos by Andrew Cauthen

Pastor Phillip Nash of Berean ChristianChurch sings to the volunteers.

Volunteers included chaplains, yoga instructors, and representatives from AlcoholicsAnonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.

Curtis Crocker, director of chaplaincy at the jail,

welcomes volunteers.

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WEEKPICTURESIn

Photos brought to you by DCTV

23

DCTV Channel 23

@DCTVChannel23

DeKalb County Gov

Ustream.tv/channle/DCTV-Channel-23

VISIT US AT WWW.DCTVChannel23.tv E-mail us at [email protected]

Get your front row seat to all things DeKalb County

through your EMMY Award-winning station

2323

Kale Me Crazy opened its Decatur location, 358 W. Ponce de Leon, on April 29.It serves cold-pressed juices, smoothies, coffee, wraps and acai bowls. Photoby Travis Hudgons

Outside the downtown Decatur re station a young child admires a re/rescue vehicle. Photo by TravisHudgons

Construction of the new Avondale Estates re station is underway. The 11,000-square-foot building willhave three bays and accommodate a 12-person crew. Photo by Travis Hudgons

8/9/2019 FreePress 5-8-15

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LOCAL

Lithonia residentsfurious over noisefrom Igloo festival

Caribbean festivals to

welcome thousands of visitorsby Kathy Mitchell

For some May 23–in ad-dition to being the start ofhe Memorial Day holiday

weekend–will be carnivalime. Thousands of people

are expected to celebrateCaribbean culture with fes-ivals that include parades,ostumes, island food andraditional Caribbean music.

Although there havebeen carnivals in DeKalb

County for more than aquarter of a century, a Carib-bean carnival to be held thisyear around the KensingtonMARTA Station will be theirst in Decatur in several

years.“Some people think this

s the first year for a car-nival in Decatur, but that’snot true. There have beenhuge Caribbean carnivals inDecatur in past years,” saidRukuumba Nedd, who hasworked with a number ofAtlanta area carnivals overhe years. He explained that

here are multiple organiza-ions in Georgia–includingeveral in DeKalb County–ocused on promoting Ca-ibbean culture.

“People in organizationsdon’t always agree on issuesuch as leadership and how

money should be distrib-uted so groups break awayand form their own groups,and we have breakaways ofbreakaways,” Nedd said.

Carnivals, he added, arehe primary showcase forsland culture. Caribbeanarnivals are a tradition dat-ng back to the 18th century

and inspired, according tovarious sources, by a blend

of European, North Ameri-can and African culturaltraditions.

Charles Baker with theAtlanta Bandleaders Asso-ciation, one of several Carib-bean culture-focused organi-zations, said it’s appropriatethat DeKalb should hostCaribbean carnivals. “Thereare so many people from theCaribbean living and votingin DeKalb County. Thereare thousands of us. This iswhere our homes and ourbusinesses are,” he said.

More than 2.5 millionAmericans trace their ances-try to a Caribbean nation,according to recent censusfigures. Georgia is amongthe states with significantCaribbean-American popu-lations.

Bringing carnivals toDecatur, Baker said, enhanc-es the city’s reputation as agreat place to live, work andhave fun.

There also will be a May23 carnival in Wade WalkerPark, which has hosted Ca-

ribbean carnivals in pastyears.

Nedd said that the At-lanta carnivals are specialbecause each year they arethe first of the Caribbeancarnivals held in major citiesacross the country. “Peoplecome from all across thecounty and even from out-side the country to celebratewith us,” said Nedd, whoadded that some years hun-dreds of thousands of people

attended or participated.Part of the difficulty in

finding a venue for a Carib-bean carnival—in additionto the large numbers ofpeople they attract—is theparade, which is an essentialpart of the event, accord-ing to Nedd. “Our paradesaren’t like American paradeswhere the bands and thefloats move along the streetto the end of the paraderoute where they disperse.A Caribbean parade is streettheater. The people in theparade are telling stories to

the crowd—they need time.At the end, they don’t gotheir separate ways. That’swhen the party begins.”

Nedd said that those at-tending the Decatur carnivalare strongly urged to usepublic transportation ratherthan private cars.

In spite of the fact that,according to Nedd and manyother organizers, the carnivals are a major boost to thelocal economy, not everyneighborhood wants to hostone. “They can be noisy andsome businesses see themas a disruption even thoughthey are one-day events.” Hesaid it’s important that or-


On the afternoon of May

3, some Lithonia residentsheard loud noises and thenfelt their homes shake.

It was not an earthquake;it was music coming froma large party at the LithoniaAmphitheatre. The event wasthe IGLOO—Di OriginalCooler Party. According to itswebsite, IGLOO is “the onlyevent produced island-wide inJamaica with branches in bothFlorida, Atlanta and NewYork. The essence of the eventis that patrons are allowed tobring their coolers with spiritsof choice, chasers, and brew

or in summary, their drinkof choice and be their ownbartender while partying tothe best DJs from around theworld.”

The event, which was at-tended by more than 1,000people, was held from 4 to11 p.m. in a grassy area nearthe amphitheater and acrossthe street from the Terracesat Parkview apartments onPark Drive. Residents of thecomplex–as well as residentsfrom surrounding homes onChurch Street, Albert Way,Parkway Drive and BondStreet–went to the LithoniaCity Council meeting May 4to complain about the noiselevel and behavior they sawfrom partygoers.

Joyce McCoy told councilmembers that her son couldnot go to school the morningafter the party because thenoise kept him up most of thenight.

“This function started at10 a.m. and it didn’t end until1 a.m., and when I say 1 a.m.I mean we could still hearpeople taking down certain

things or whatever they weredoing,” McCoy said. “We hadpublic intoxication in ourapartment area from partiersthat we didn’t even know.They had marijuana in ourpark, smoking it as well as atthe festival.”

Shemeka Arnold, wholives in the apartment com-plex, said her windows shookfrom the noise of the party,and her daughters could notsleep.

“My oldest daughter, whoattends Lithonia High School,had the end-of-course test

and she got no sleep,” Arnoldsaid.McCoy also said there

were large coolers of alcoholand open containers, trash onthe property of the apartmentcomplex, including tampons

in the breezeway and feces onthe property.

“I feel that we were verydisrespected, we were notaware, no one even told usthat we were having a party,”McCoy said. “I wake up andI hear music. I feel as if it was

very inconsiderate for whom-ever to sign that contract toend at 11 p.m.”

According to Lithonia cityordinance 12-0502, events canbe held inside the city from 7a.m. to 11 p.m.

“No laws were brokeninside the event,” Lithonia

Police Chief Roosevelt Smith said after the council meeting.

Residents also com-plained that partygoers wereparking in the apartmentcomplex, blocking residents,and parking in Good NewsCommunity Church’s parkinglot, which residents said weretrashed. McCoy alleged thatpolice officers were chargingpartygoers to park in someareas, but Smith said that isuntrue.

“There were residentscharging people $15 to $20to park at [the complex] andat the church,” Smith said.“When we saw that we madethem give the people theirmoney back.”

City Councilman AlFranklin, who is vice presi-dent of the city’s DowntownDevelopment Authority—which handles events at theamphitheatre, said there werenotices disseminated aboutthe event.

“The reason why therewasn’t such a broader ap-peal in regards to the noticebecause it had something to

do with the completion of themanagement contract for theDDA and the managementcompany,” Franklin said. “So,there was a little delay to seeall of that portion throughso that hopefully everythingwould flow in a smooth fash-ion.”

Franklin said he pickedup the trash at the church,and the promoters of the par-ty removed the trash wherethe party was held.

Despite the happeningsoutside the event and thenoise level, Smith said event

went on without incident.“Not one fight, not onecussing, not one anything,”

See Festival on page 18A See Lithonia on page 18A

Elaborate colorful costumes are among the major attractions of Caribbean carnivals. Photos courtesy ofAtlanta Panyarders Group

8/9/2019 FreePress 5-8-15

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School BoardContinued From Page 1A


Muddy fun benefits education foundation

a liability.”Morley added,“My vision is to

see that we start over. When youlook at the process and the peoplethat were involved you can’t sepa-rate all of that out. I think it’s in

the best interest of the community,our children and the district as awhole that we start over and get anew batch coming in and movingforward.”

Morley said that process maynot happen right away. “Lookingat what we can do with the super-intendent we have to continue tomove forward with a successionplan and a plan to be able to tran-sition into a new superintendent.Sometimes you have to make surethat it’s the right time and now isnot the right time,” Morley said.

District officials said last month

that ProAct Search received 112applicants to replace hurmond,who has said he doesn’t plan tocontinue after his contract expiresin June.

Melvin Johnson, chairman ofthe board of education, released astatement on April 27 acknowledg-ing the board was aware of SUPESAcademy investigations with Chi-cago Public Schools but said it was“not aware of any evidence thatany such allegations relate to thesearch in DeKalb nor do they re-late to any of the candidates.”

Johnson said, “While we willcontinue to monitor the situation,

the board is committed to thecompletion of the search processand the selection of DeKalb’s nextsuperintendent.”

he application deadline forcandidates looking to fill the su-perintendent position in DeKalbwas April 10. A community liaisongroup helped select candidates,bringing its results to the board forconsideration in choosing the sec-ond round of interviews.

Parent Councils United mem-ber Allyson Gevertz who par-ticipated in the liaison group sentan email on April 30 to board

members commending theirwork in finding a replacement forhurmond. Gervertz wrote, “Weare thrilled to hear that boardmembers will begin interviewingsemifinalist candidates tomor-row. Board Chair Melvin Johnsonand other board members havebeen remarkably transparent andresponsive to stakeholder inputthroughout this process. We sup-port their efforts on behalf of all ofDekalb’s students.”

According to Johnson, theboard has not decided on what todo with the candidates selected byProAct.

he first round of interviews isexpected to begin this week, fol-lowed by more interviews and se-lection of a candidate in early June.


Mud runs have becomea filthy, fun trend—kidsdashing for pools of mud,parents running beside

their little ones and crowdsof ooze−covered runnerscheering near the finishline.

As a fundraising eventon May 2 for ChambleeMiddle School’s educa-tion foundation, dozens ofpeople participated in theinaugural fun mud run, a5K course of obstacles anda heap of mud that windedthrough Keswick Villageand Sexton Woods neigh-borhoods.

here was also a 3Kmuddy buddy race, lessthan two miles, that fol-lowed the fun mud run.

Runners shelled out $15-$35 to participate in fourdifferent obstacle courses.

Chamblee councilmanand event director TomasHogan said the idea for theevent came from collabora-tions with city officials, de-partments and the school’seducation foundation asa way to provide an activ-ity that would be fun forstudents and their parentsto do together.

Te event includedrefreshments, music, rafflesfor prizes, hose-off stations,a fire safety house, awardsceremony, sponsor boothsand more.

Hogan said, “Te educa-tion foundation is new andChamblee is in the middleof a great revitalization. Tefun run is an event that thewhole family can partici-pate in and we thought thatwe would be able to raise alot of money for the foun-dation and create a phe-nomenal branding event forthe entire city; for people toproud of the fact that theyattend Chamblee MiddleSchool or live in the greaterChamblee area.”

He added, “Te partici-pants have had a wonder-ful time, there have beenmiles of smiles and I thinkthe Chamblee fun mud runwill definitely be back nextyear.”

Amy Granelli, presidentof the education founda-tion, said proceeds from theevent will go toward helping

classrooms at the school.

Families trek the nal stretch of the mud run. Photos by Ashley Oglesby

A Chamblee Middle School student isdrenched in sludge.

Muck-covered runners cheer for other participants.

Runner’s mud-covered shoes and socks are piled together after the 5K run.

Muddy participants wait in line to be hosed down with water.

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LOCAL

Reno (ID#25069698) specializesin the art of being aninstant best friend.

When you first meetReno, he can barelycontain his wiggles!This little lover hasnever met a strangerin his life! Reno lovesto make funny facesand play with tennis

balls. He is also great at catching treats and toysin the air. Reno would love to have a home and afamily of his very own. Come meet this sweet boyat the DeKalb shelter today! Throughout May, inhonor of Mom, all pets over 25 pounds may beadopted for FREE! They will be spayed/neutered,vaccinated and microchipped at no additional

charge. If you would like more information [email protected] or call (404)294-2165. All potential adopters will be screened toensure Reno go to a good home.

Pet of the Week

Doraville Continued From Page 11A

or youth basketball, hadeven teams participate inhe Georgia Recreation and

Park Association tourna-ment and hosted six tourna-ments for the girl’s division.We have worked with Geor-gia Soccer and through theArthur Blank Foundationso fund two soccer mini

pitches at Halpern Park.”Pittman also announced

hat Integral Group, own-ers of the former GM

ite–Assembly, signed aoint venture with Hotwire

Communications to providebroadband service to theAssembly development.

“Hotwire will bring fiberto all of Assembly, makingit one of two fiber hoodsin Georgia,” she said. “Thefiber network at Assemblywill provide residents, busi-nesses and visitors up to10 gigabit download andtransfer speeds. This means100 times faster connectionspeeds than those currentlyavailable in Atlanta and weexpect Hotwire’s installationwill result in economic de-

velopment opportunities forAssembly as companies andresidents are drawn to thistechnology,” Pittman said.

Integral CEO Egbert

Perry , the face behind thedemolition and develop-ment of the former As-sembly said, “Providingbest-in-class infrastructurehas been a priority sinceday one. Our partnershipwith Hotwire to offer gigabitbroadband connectivity isa critical first step towardlaying the groundwork for acommunity of ‘makers’ thatwill call The Yards home.We look forward to witness-

ing innovation throughcreativity and collaborativeeffort and are proud to sup-port these local businessesin doing so.”

Park Continued From Page 6A Candidates Continued From Page 9A pot of money and how it’s sup-posed to be divided up.”

“I am absolutely 100 percentor the funding of Tobie Grant,”

Sutton said. “I supported thisrom the very beginning. I wanto make sure we do this properly,hat we allocate this money prop-

erly and that the projects that weagreed upon are taken care of.

“I don’t want to have to inad-vertently sacrifice very neededprojects in all of our districtswhen it’s unnecessary,” she said.

Commissioners said that onhe 2006 parks bond list, $3 mil-ion was set aside for the Tobie

Grant project. That money waseventually reallocated to otherprojects.

Sutton said the recent pro-posal to allocate $6.5 million tohe Tobie Grant project is “con-ingent upon some things hap-

pening” and she wants to makeure District 4 gets its fair cut.“This project wasn’t the only

hing that you were denied,” Sut-on told her constituents at the

April 28 commissioners’ meet-ng. “All of the districts got newibraries. District 4 did not. All ofhe other districts got senior cen-ers. District 4 did not. These arehings that we need to address.”

Sutton said she wanted a two-week deferral on the Tobie Grantvote to “talk about the distribu-ion of money in District 4 sohat our children will have the

Tobie Grant Recreation Centerand they will have a new publicibrary. Then I want to talk aboutenior centers. I’m trying to take

care of District 4. It has been leftout and now there’s an opportu-nity to do some good things.”

“You don’t have to give up aeg just to get a finger,” she said.Just give me two weeks and seef we can get the whole body.

Give me a chance to make sureyou get this and your library.”

The recreation center will beon the board’s agenda on May 12.

responsible for executing the capital campaign tofund the supply and logistics center. She also sup-ports the fundraising efforts of the Atlanta Techni-cal College Foundation.

Tyrone RachalAn Atlanta resident, Rachal is the principal of

Red Rock Global Capital Partners, and president ofUrban Key Capital Partners.Rachal has a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth

College, a master’s from the University of ChicagoBooth School of Business, and a doctorate from theUniversity of Chicago Law School.

From 2007 to 2013 he worked with the AtlantaDevelopment Authority, doing business as InvestAtlanta. He also has worked with Merrill Lynch &Co., and Price Waterhouse.

Keisha TaylorAs the senior director of entertainment mar-

keting at Turner Broadcasting since 2013, Tayloris responsible for driving daily viewership for pri-metime and special programming for the TNT andTBS networks.

Taylor worked at CNN from 2005-2013, ad- vancing to the director of strategic marketing po-sition. Prior to that, she was a senior marketingcoordinator at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta fortwo years.

A graduate of Hampton University, she has vol-unteered with Habitat for Humanity as a member ofthe family selection committee.

Baoky N. VuSince 2013, Vu of Decatur has been the vice

president of business development at VetConnexx,a firm that offers veterans with disabilities, return-ing veterans and their spouses meaningful opportu-nities for permanent employment.

With more than 15 years in various capacities

with A. Montag & Associates, including Director ofResearch and Portfolio Manager, Vu has experiencein investment management and research.

Vu is a 2008 graduate of Leadership Georgiaand has served on the DeKalb County Board ofElections. He is a graduate of Georgia Institute ofTechnology and Georgetown University.

Biographical information for this story wassourced from resumes, LinkedIn accounts and com-

pany profiles.

The Champion’s graphicdesign and advertising teamwas recognized at the April30 Georgia Press Asso-ciation Advertising AwardsLuncheon in Macon for out-standing design and market-ing.

The team consisting ofgraphic designers KemeshaHunt and Travis Hudgons along with John Hewitt wasrecognized with a total of13 first and second place

awards.First place awards in-clude Best Special Section

for the 2015 NewcomersGuide to DeKalb publishedin partnership with DeKalbChamber of commerce,Best Small Page Ad for theDeKalb County’s televisionstation DCTV, Online Ban-ner Ad and Classified Page.

Second place awardswere given in the categoriesof food, service/institution-al, non-traditional, miscel-laneous, online banner, full-color, newspaper promo-

tion, newspaper promotionout of print and advertisingcampaign

Champion recognized for

advertising excellence

Chief operating ofcer John Hewitt and production manager KemeshaHunt accept awards for The Champion .

8/9/2019 FreePress 5-8-15

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, May 8, 2015 Page 17ABUSINESS

Floral and gift business ownerprepares for Mother’s Day boom

DeKalb Chamber of Commerce • Two Decatur Town Center, 125 Clairemont Ave., Suite, Decatur, GA 30030 • 404.378.8000 • www.dekalbchamber.org

CONNECTEDNESS

by Kathy Mitchell

When Stone Mountain residentBrenda Maddox found her work ina government office so stressful thatt was taking a toll on her health, she

decided that it was time to try some-hing new.

“I was having multiple healthproblems and even lost my eyesightor a while. It turned out that my

problem was stress. When I gotbetter, I returned to work but myymptoms returned. I decided noob was worth my health so I startedo think about other ways I could

earn a living,” Maddox recalled. “Mydaughter reminded me that I have

creative talents and I was alwaysmaking things for people. She asked,Why not use that to make a living?’”

Additional inspiration camerom her pastor, she said. “He

preached that sometimes you justhave to step out on faith and I felthat was meant for me. I paid all my

debts and took my remaining sav-ngs to start a business.”

Now the owner of Lejoy’s Floraland Gift Shop, Maddox said sheinds her current work rewarding

and fun, and she enjoys the flexibil-ty that comes with owning her own

business. The name, she explained,comes from a childhood nickname.“My father’s name was Leroy andpeople called me Little Leroy, butmy father didn’t like that for a girl sohe changed it to Lejoy.”

Through years of working forthe federal government Maddoxknew how to organize and oper-ate an office, but felt she needed tosharpen her skills as a gift makerand floral designer. She took classesin floral arranging and gift basketmaking at Georgia Perimeter Col-lege along with a number of aca-demic courses.

Small business programs atGoodwill Industries and United

Way helped Maddox set up and pro-mote her business. “They gave mea lot of valuable information aboutmeeting legal requirements and pro-moting my business,” she said.

Maddox initially opened Lejoy’sin 2005 on Main Street in StoneMountain, but when her businessassociate became ill and was no lon-ger able to help pay for the space,Maddox moved the business to herhome.

Her specialties are gift basketsand floral arrangements, which sheoffers both premade and custom-

ized. “Right now, most of my busi-ness is established clients and otherswho hear about me through estab-lished clients,” she explained, addingthat she participates in temporarymarkets throughout the area severaltimes a year, including one on Me-morial Drive the first weekend inMay.

Maddox said she has a steadyflow of customers throughout theyear who need floral arrangementsfor weddings, funerals and otheroccasions, but her boom periodsoccur around holidays. “I get a lotof Christmas orders, but Valentine’sDay and Mother’s Day are reallybig,” she noted.

American consumers are expect-ed to spend an average of $172.63on Mother’s Day this year, up nearly$10 from last year’s total of $162.94,according to a survey conductedfor the National Retail Federation(NRF).

Much of that will be spent onthe type of personal pampering giftsthat Maddox offers. “My gift basketsare often themed, giving the recipi-ent a collection of items to enjoy.For example, I have an aromathera-py basket,” she said.

Maddox offers another item

NRF said is popular for Mother’sDay—jewelry. According to itsmost recent survey, 34.2 percent ofMother’s Day shoppers are planningto choose jewelry this year, spendinga survey high of $4.3 billion nation-ally for the special day, up from 31.7percent and $3.6 billion last year.She also offers perfume, another bigMother’s Day seller.

While she has offered silk flowerarrangements since she opened,Maddox will offer fresh flowers forthe first time this Mother’s Day.The second most popular Mother’sDay purchase after greeting cards,flowers are purchased by more thantwo-thirds of consumers who cel-

ebrate Mother’s Day, the NRF surveyindicates.“Thanks to one of the small

business programs I participated inthat matches money owners saveto invest in their businesses, I wasable to purchase a cooler for storingfresh flowers,” she said. The new ap-pliance is in her garage, but Maddoxsaid she hopes that’s only temporary.Her dream is to once again have aretail shop.

Brenda “Lejoy” Maddox shows a oral arrangement offered at a recent temporary market at the Goodwill Industries Career Center in Decatur. Her business also offers jewelry, top left,nd perfume, bottom left—two other popular Mother’s Day gifts.

8/9/2019 FreePress 5-8-15

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LOCAL

Award Continued From Page 3A

Lithonia Continued From Page 14A

Festival Continued From Page 14A

Two women win lawsuit against countycommissioner

DeKalb County Commissioner Stan Wat-on will have to pay $150,000 to two women he

falsely accused of stealing his wallet after a 2012nightclub argument.A police report from the July 12, 2012, inci-

dent states that Watson “appeared intoxicated.”According to the report of an off-duty DeKalbPolice officer moonlighting at the club, Watsoncomplained that someone had stolen his wallet.

Watson accused the two women of stealinghis wallet containing approximately $200. Onewoman was cited for disorderly conduct after re-fusing to calm down when warned by the officer.

The officer reported that Watson used pro-fanity and continued to make accusations againsthe women.

“I inform

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