The champion newspaper. (Decatur, GA) 19??-current, July 20, 2017, Image 5

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Newspaper Page TextLOCAL THURSDAY, JULY 20,2017 • Page 5A HILL Continued From Page 1A Hill. A court order issued in November of 2016 allowed DeKalb County to demolish four buildings totaling 68 units. On July 13 to July 14, county workers removed debris from two buildings that included 28 units. “You cannot live in this blight, you cannot live in this trash. We need your help, please. We cannot live in this condition anymore,” Bured said. Bured said one of his cousin’s daughters did not want her classmates to drop by her house for her birthday because she was embarrassed by the living conditions. “This is mentally hurtful for a child to go through. We need your help,” Bured said. DeKalb County Development is providing $400,000 in community development block grant funding to address the blighted conditions. An estimated 150 loads of debris will be hauled to the landfill, according to county officials. The complex, which was built in 1973, has 186 inhabited units. Roughly 108 units are in disrepair, according to county officials. During the press conference, DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond said, “Supporting the families that live here in Brannon Hill is our biggest priority. We want to improve the quality of life for all of our citizens.” DeKalb County Sanitation provided trucks and equipment for the demolition process and transporting debris. “Cleaning up Brannon Hill, or any other blighted property, is a matter of improving public health, public safety and quality of life,” said Thurmond. “Reducing blight stabilizes and revitalizes neighborhoods and development, which is why its elimination is so critical.” Thurmond also thanked DeKalb County Commissioners Nancy Jester, Gregory Adams and Steve Bradshaw, who were all at the press conference. Jester said DeKalb County seems to be moving in the right direction in blight remediation. Jester, who said she’s visited Brannon Hill to talk to residents more than 20 times, said it’s time for the county to start taking blight seriously. “We’ve come a long way. I’ve made several trips to this property and talked to the residents and I’ve seen the stressful situations that they are in,” Jester said. “This impacts all of DeKalb County whether you live in District 1 or you’re right here in District 4. This has been a long day coming.” PROTEST Continued From Page 1A for money. Once Larscheid arrived at the scene, McCary—who allegedly told the officer she was a federal agent and gave him a fake badge number—tried to grab the officer’s badge and a scuffle ensued, according to the incident report. Larscheid said he struck McCrary an “unknown amount of times” on her left leg. The incident was caught on video and posted to various social media platforms. Civil rights groups in DeKalb County said the officer went too far and should be fired. “We want justice for this woman. She was accosted by a DeKalb County Police officer because she was begging for money. Where’s the crime in that?” said Dekalb Southern Christian Leadership Conference President Nathan Knight in a protest at the DeKalb County Police headquarters in Tucker July 14. Knight said he respects the DeKalb County Police Department saying, “this is one of the finest departments in the nation,” but wants Larscheid to be held accountable for his actions. In the video posted online, McCrary can be seen on the ground grabbing Larscheid’s baton. Larscheid then said, “let it go or I’m going to shoot you” multiple times. DeKalb County Police Chief James Conroy issued a statement regarding the incident. “The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has agreed to conduct an investigation of a June 4 use of force incident involving DeKalb Police Officer P.J. Larscheid. The request was made following a meeting with DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond, who stressed the importance of a factual, independent investigation based on the new video evidence and other pertinent information,” said Conroy. The DeKalb Pastors Alliance held a press conference at Greenforest Community Baptist Church in Decatur on July 14. In a statement, the DPA said it has “zero tolerance for this type of treatment of any person.” Protests in support of McCrary are planned for this month including a protest by the New Order National Human Rights Organization (NONHRO). A statement from NONHRO said it plans to “interrupt the county commission meeting” and demand Larscheid be fired. The organization said it plans to specifically request commissioners Larry Johnson, Gregory Adams and DeKalb County CEO Thurmond to take action. See related story on page 8A

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The champion newspaper. (Decatur, GA) 19??-current, July 20, 2017, Image 5