About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 2, 2020)
Trump threatens military force against protesters nationwide. INSIDE, 3A Tuesday, June 2,20201 GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.com Honestly Local 10 from area arrested amid local protests BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com Those arrested during weekend protests in Gainesville were mostly from the area and face misdemeanor charges. The Times obtained additional information from local law enforcement about the nine arrested overnight May 30-31, including one person in a group of protesters approaching a Gainesville Police offi cer and yelling, “He’s by himself. Let’s get him. ” A 10th arrest was made the night of May 31 when the confederate monument in the down town square, referred to as “Old Joe,” was vandalized. Protesters began gath ering Saturday evening along Jesse Jewell Parkway and were mostly peaceful. Tensions escalated later in the eve ning. The Hall County Sheriff’s Office made seven arrests between 12:15 and 1:15 a.m. Sun day, May 31, in the Jesse Jewell Parkway area extending to Main and Academy streets. The arrests include two charges of misde meanor obstruction, three charges of disor derly conduct, one reckless driving and one pedestrian crossing outside of a crosswalk. All of those arrested by the Sheriff’s Office had a Gainesville home address, according to an email from Sheriff’s Office spokesman Der- reck Booth. A 19-year-old man allegedly “acted in a violent and tumultuous manner” toward a Gainesville Police officer “by joining a group of protesters running toward the officer, yelling, ‘He’s by himself. Let’s get him,”’ Booth wrote in an email. The officer, Sgt. Kevin Holbrook, was speaking with The Times after much of the crowd had dispersed when the group came toward him. His helmet was flipped off his head and firecrackers were soon thrown in the street. A 23-year-old man was arrested after being ■ Please see ARRESTS, 3A Inside Gainesville’s divisive Old Joe confederate monument vandalized during Sunday night protests, 3A State advises schools on how to reopen BY NATHAN BERG nberg@gainesvilletimes.com Georgia schools received guidance from the state on how to safely reopen in the fall Monday via a document released by the Georgia depart ments of education and public health titled “Georgia’s Path to Recovery for K-12 Schools.” The document provides a tiered approach to reopening, with clear steps that are “built upon the guidance and recommendation of health officials.” The plan is not mandatory, as all school districts retain the independent ability to open how they see fit, but it provides guid ance for school leaders uncertain of the best measures to take. ■ Please see SCHOOLS, 6A ‘Message of unity’ SCOTT ROGERS I The Times The Newtown Florist Club rally Monday, June 1, gave opportunity for young people to discuss their feelings on recent protests and the causes behind them as well as plan out what steps they may want to take next during the event where Rose Johnson, Newtown’s executive director, said the gathering is not a protest but a “community organizing event.” Peaceful rally in Gainesville looks for way to move forward’ BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com Dressed in black save for her face mask, the Rev. Rose Johnson said her goal for the two-hour Monday, June 1, protest was to “create space for the young people to organize to move forward.” “We have so many more steps to go, but if we can do it one step at a time and everybody can stay com mitted and everybody just peel off a little part of what they can do. We understand that everybody can’t do everything, but just a little part, and I think that we have that commitment here,” Johnson said. Organizers asked the attendees to Newtown Florist Club executive director Rose Johnson leads a crowd gathered Monday, June 1, in song as hundreds gather in Gainesville in reaction to the death of George Floyd and the issues of police brutality and systemic racism. follow social distancing guidelines and to wear masks. Several nights of protests were sparked by the death of George Floyd, who died May 25 while being arrested in Minneapolis, Minne sota. A video showed a police offi cer pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck, and the officer has since been charged with third-degree murder. Some of the projects mentioned during the protest included a letter writing campaign to the prosecutors in Minneapolis and encouraging leg islators to pass a hate crime bill in the Georgia General Assembly. The rally brought roughly 200 ■ Please see RALLY, 4A Officials react to killing of Floyd, Gainesville protests BY MEGAN REED mreed@gainesvilletimes.com Gainesville officials said Monday that they supported peaceful protests and were open to conversations with community members about their concerns. Protesters gathered in downtown Gaines ville Saturday and Sunday, joining other groups nationwide following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Min neapolis when an officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for several minutes. Other recent deaths include Breonna Taylor, who was killed in Louisville, Kentucky, when police served a warrant at her home, and Ahmaud Arbery, who was fatally shot in Brunswick while jogging. Police made several arrests in Gainesville over the weekend for charges including dis orderly conduct and public drunkenness. The Confeder ate monument on the down town square, known as “Old Joe,” was also vandalized. Mayor Danny Dunagan said the city would have “zero tol erance as far as anybody van dalizing or looting anything.” “I fully support the First Amendment and the right to protest in a mannerly way, but those that decided to go the other way disappoint me. We’re a better town than that,” he said. ■ Please see REACTIONS, 4A Dunagan Hall County proposes rollback tax rate in budget for FY2021 Hall County is proposing a bud get with the rollback property tax rate for Fiscal Year 2021, which will begin July 1. The rollback millage rate is the rate an average property owner would need in order to avoid a higher tax bill due to an increased property assess ment. Property owners could see higher or lower tax bills, depend ing on their assessments. One mill equals $1 for every $1,000 in assessed value. The cur rent general fund millage rate is 5.098 mills. “As the board continues to ana lyze the effects of COVID-19 on our community, the commission also believes it is prudent to scale back its FY 2021 spending plan in anticipation of a potential reduc tion in revenues,” Hall County Administrator Jock Connell said in a statement. “The mem bers of the board have worked diligently to achieve a lower millage rate even in the midst of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.” The Hall County Board of Commissioners will hear details and hold a public hearing at a 6 p.m. meeting Thursday, June 11. Although the meeting will be streamed online, it will also be open to the public at the Hall County Government Center, with social distancing measures in place. Commissioners will vote on the budget Thursday, June 25. People can watch a live stream of the meetings on the county website, and to comment during a public hearing, they can join the meeting remotely through the county’s online meetings webpage or call 770-718-2327. Compiled from Hall County Government press release This e-edition sponsored by:
