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The Official Legal Organ of DeKafb County, GA. Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Ctiamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doravi lie, Dun woody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.
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SECTION A: VOL 25 NO. 26
DECEMBER 24 - 30,2015
500
Shaq-a-Claus in town
by Ashley Oglesby
ashley@dekalbchamp.com
A n invitation-only
Shaq-A-Claus
event aimed to
increase diabetes aware
ness and promote healthy
living was recently hosted
by the American Diabetes
Association with Feeding
America, in collaboration
with Atlanta Food Com
munity Bank and other
organizations.
Rena Cozart, execu
tive director at American
Diabetes Association,
said, “We are so grate
ful to be working with
the food bank in DeKalb
County and all the sup
port that we get. In
DeKalb County, if trends
continue, one out of two
children will have diabe
tes in their lifetime and it’s
preventable.”
Columbia Middle
School leadership said
they invited 400 families
to the event. More than 33
families participated. The
event was held on Dec. 19
inside Columbia Middle
Schools gymnasium.
NBA All-Star and
current TNT broadcaster
Shaquille O’Neal, who
made an appearance at
the event and took pic
tures with local residents
See Shaq on Page 13A
Families attending the Shaq-a-Claus event received toys, food and took photos with
NBA All-Star and TNT Broadcaster Shaquille O’Neal. Photo by Travis Hudgons
Slain sheriff-elect remembered after 15 years
Eddie Moody, former DeKalb Police chief and current Lithonia city
administrator, joins Brandy Brown-Rhodes, daughter slain sheriff-elect
Dervin Brown, during a candlelight vigil. Photos by Andrew Cauthen
Friends and family of Derwin and Phyllis Brown honored their memory.
by Andrew Cauthen
Andrew@dekalbchamp.com
For the family of Sheriff-elect Derwin
Brown, who was assassinated days before
taking office in 2000, the wounds are still
fresh.
“Fifteen years have passed, but to us
it’s like 15 days, 15 minutes, said Brown’s
daughter Brandy Brown-Rhodes. “There’s
not a night that goes by—sometimes it hits
me so hard I cry as hard as if it were happen
ing at that moment.”
Rhodes’ comments were during a candle
light vigil Dec. 15 at the graves of Brown
and his wife Phyllis, who died Dec. 24,
2006, after a bout with ill health following
the murder of her husband.
Eddie Moody, former DeKalb police
chief and current Lithonia city administra
tor, remembered Brown’s work in the com
munity.
“This young man, who was probably
more bolder than any of us, would go out,
would not bite his tongue, and would tell the
people in this county what needed to be done
so all people could be represented,” Moody
said.
“As a result of his leadership, his hard
work, his labor, DeKalb began to change,”
he said. “We are all recipients of the work
that he did while he walked this earth.”
“While I call him the rebel, Phyllis was
really the tyrant,” Moody said. “Phyllis was
the person that kept everybody in order.
She would let you know that she was Mrs.
Brown. So we all had to follow behind Phyl
lis. We didn’t really follow Derwin, we fol
lowed Phyllis, because Phyllis was really the
bold one in the family.”
Moody recalled one of his last meetings
with Brown.
“One day Derwin came to my office—I
was assistant [police] chief then, and he was
about to become sheriff,” Moody said. “He
said, ‘You know, in just a few short days here,
because I know you’re going to become chief,
we’re going to turn this place upside down.
We’re going to make DeKalb what it should
be.’
“And then, unfortunately, some selfish act
occurred and we lost a great leader,” Moody
said.
Reginald Carter, a DeKalb County Po
lice chaplain, said the vigil was held to “com
memorate the life and legacy of a man of
great honor and great distinction.”
“I had the most fruitful experience in
being a partner—and when I say ‘partner,’
I’m talking about riding along with Derwin,”
Carter said. “I found him to be a person who
was genuine. He loved people. He loved his
job. He loved his family.
“This man, Derwin Brown, was a man of
integrity,” Carter said. “I believe today, had
he been living today and had been able to
See Vigil on Page 13A
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