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800 DeKalb school employees resign
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SECTION A: VOL 26 NO. 4
JULY 21-27,2016
500
Town hall meeting attendees demand answers
Host Rickey Smiley speaks in front of guest panelist at the “Real Strategy for
Change” town hall meeting. Photo by Horace Holloman
by Horace Holloman
horace@dekalbchamp.com
I n front of a packed crowd in
Decatur, radio personality Rickey
Smiley tried his best to quell an
anxious crowd that wanted to
hold law enforcement officials
accountable for their actions during
a town hall meeting, urging guests to
“act in decency.”
Smiley served as the event’s host
at the star-studded town hall meeting
July 12, to address issues in the
Black community and police brutality.
The meeting was held at Greater
Travelers Rest Church House of
Hope and featured musical artist and
activist David Banner, musical artists
Young Jeezy, Tyrese, 2 Chainz and
Lyfe Jennings.
Also in the panel discussion
was DeKalb County Deputy Chief
Operating Officer Cedric Alexander,
former officer Cariol Horne, social
media comedian DC Young Fly,
representatives from Black Lives
Matter and civil rights leader and
Martin Luther King’s youngest child
Bernice King.
Attendees in the town hall
meeting, named “A Real Strategy
for Change,” asked panelists what
policy changes could be made
to avoid incidents such as recent
police shootings in Louisiana and
Minnesota.
In Louisiana, Alton Sterling was
shot by a police officer outside a
convenience store and in Minnesota
See Town Hall on Page 5A
Tucker’s planning commission with Mayor Frank Auman (right).
Tucker establishes
planning commission
by Carla Parker
carla@dekalbchamp.com
Five residents were selected
to serve on the inaugural Tucker
Planning Commission, the city
announced.
The city appointed Katherine
Atteberry, Daymon Claar-
Pressley, Ann Coppage, George
Wellborn and Michael Williams to
the planning commission. They held
their first meeting on July 7.
The commission will offer
recommendations to the mayor and
city council regarding land use and
zoning matters. The commission will
also participate in the development
of a comprehensive plan for the city,
and make recommendations on
special studies.
“Each individual brings an
exciting wealth of knowledge and
expertise to the commission,” Mayor
Frank Auman said. “The city of
Tucker is lucky to have them as part
of our team.”
Atteberry, who ran for city
council, has a master’s of public
administration from the University of
Georgia. She is an environmental
project manager with Jacob’s
See Tucker on Page 5A
Brook Run Theater to be demolished
by R. Scott Belzer
sbelzer@dekalbchamp.com
D espite a favorable
presentation and voices of
support, Dunwoody City
Council voted to demolish
Brook Run Theater on July 11.
Brook Run Theater, located
inside Dunwoody’s Brook Run park,
has been a topic of discussion in
the city since March. City council
tasked a group of residents to report
on renovating the facility, how the
renovation could be funded and how
city officials could help.
The theater has been closed
and unused since the late 1990s.
It has since grown mold, attracted
vandalism and been a source of
consternation for residents and
officials alike.
On July 11, Randy Lewis,
head of the Brook Run Theater
Conservancy group, presented a 57-
page financial feasibility report which
included citizen comments, petition
signatures and potential sources of
funding to a meeting room filled to
capacity.
“I’m excited to make this
presentation—there’s a lot of good
news to share,” Lewis said.
Lewis’s findings included a
financial partnership with Coxe
Brook Run Theater has been closed
since the late 1990s and has since grown
mold and attracted vandalism.
Curry & Associates to seek private
funding, interest from the Marcus
Jewish Community Center and
Georgia State University as tenants,
and an estimated $7.5 million
renovation cost.
“We would have an immediate
tenant for the building with
immediate funds,” Lewis said. “The
Marcus Foundation does not write
small checks.”
Lewis’s presentation concluded
with asking the council to redirect
funds to demolish the theater
(approximately $500,000) into its
preservation and asking the council
for an additional $1.5 million in
escrow.
According to Lewis’s report,
other forms of funding would come
from historic tax credits, private
and corporate funding and crowd-
See Theater on Page 5A
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