About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 9, 2020)
Defense seeks to move Dixon trial Attorneys: Too much publicity around case From left, Hector Garcia-Solis, London Clements, Brayan Omar Cruz and Eric Edgardo Velazquez. BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com Superior Court Judge Jason Deal heard arguments Monday, June 8, for and against changing the trial venue in the case of Hall County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Nicolas Blane Dixon’s death. The motion was one of dozens submitted in the case by attorneys representing Hector Garcia-Solis. Garcia-Solis was charged with murder along with Brayan Omar Cruz, London Alexander Clem ents and Eric Edgardo Velazquez regarding the July 8,2019, death. All four men have pleaded not guilty. Dixon, 28, died July 8, 2019, after pursuing four suspects in an allegedly stolen vehicle on Jesse Jewell Parkway in Gainesville, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Dixon and another deputy reached the suspects on Highland Avenue. Dixon was shot one time in an exchange of gunfire, accord ing to the GBI. The Monday hearing was held at the Chicopee Woods Agricultural Center, where participants and attendees were separated 6 feet apart and wore masks. Attorney Matt Cavedon argued the amount of pre-trial publicity and county-wide knowledge of the case would affect Garcia-Solis’ chance at a fair trial. “Hall County is a tight-knit com munity,” Cavedon said. Cavedon submitted a stack of local news reports to the court and called on a pair of public defend er’s office employees to testify. One investigator said he had been asked to look into pre-trial public ity of the case and made screen- ■ Please see DIXON, 5A SCOTT ROGERS I The Times A petition is circulating to change the name of Jim Crow Road in Flowery Branch to Crow Road. The road is named for a farmer named Jim Crow, but many residents want to eliminate any perceived connection with segregation. Road name ‘a longstanding issue’ Petition seeks to honor farmer while eliminating perception of segregation BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com A petition is circulating to rename South Hall’s Jim Crow Road, which has no relation to the segregationist South, but rather traces its history to a man who was a community leader. The petition, with more than 5,500 names and growing rapidly as of Mon day, June 8, says, “The longstanding history of slavery and mistreatment of African Americans is being repre sented by this street name.” Randy Crow of Flowery Branch said in a 2019 interview that in the late 1980s the Hall County Board of Com missioners named the road in honor of his grandfather, Glennon “Jim” Crow, who once owned the property along its path. He said his grandfather offered a hand to both white and black families who lived near his farm he started in the early 1930s. “There was no racial bone in his body,” Crow said. The petition acknowledges the road’s history but doesn’t back down from its plea. “Honoring the man, Jim Crow, is important to his grandchildren and the rest of the Crow family,” the peti tion says. “Losing the name has been a longstanding issue for the community I Officials want to realign road for traffic, safety issues, 3A and for the family. ” “However, Team WaywardArch- angels would like to make a sugges tion to the town of Flowery Branch to change the name from Jim Crow Road to Crow Road. This will remove the negative connotation and make peo ple feel more comfortable announc ing which street they live on, while also still honoring the family and the importance that Jim Crow had for that community.” ■ Please see ROAD, 3A Hall schools to spend $100K on PPE BY NATHAN BERG nberg@gainesvilletimes.com The Hall County Board of Education voted unani mously Monday evening to approve an expenditure of $100,000 in 2020 ESPLOST money to purchase materi als that will address “district wide safety and security I Buford plans to bring students back, 5A concerns”. HCSD superintendent Will Schofield said the money will be used to purchase new hand dryers, sanitizer, masks, gloves, plexiglass windows to be installed in front offices and “addi tional mitigation devices that we’ll need” in prepara tion of potentially reopening schools for in-person learn ing this August. Schofield said the district has not yet made a decision on what school will look like come August, but either a full or partial reopening would require the implementation of many new safety mea sures that HCSD is trying to assess. “It’s come to the point where I believe what we’ve got to think about is how do we coexist with COVID,” he said. “COVID is not going away today. It’s not going ■ Please see SCHOOLS, 5A This e-edition sponsored by: Hall Sheriff’s employee on leave over posts BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com A Hall County Sheriff’s Office employee is on leave after “inappropriate remarks” made on social media while off-duty. The employee, who was not identified by the Sheriff’s Office, is on leave pending an internal investigation. In a statement, the Sheriff’s Office said the comment “in no way reflect the opinion of the Hall County Sher iff’s Office in any way, shape, or form.” “Our employees are expected to maintain a profes sional demeanor at all times - both off-duty and on,” according to the statement. Pandemic puts Gainesville hotel on hold for now BY MEGAN REED mreed@gainesvilletimes.com Gainesville’s plans for a downtown hotel have been put on hold due to the economic effects of the COVID- 19 pandemic, but city officials are still hopeful that a hotel could eventually go up at the corner of Jesse Jew ell Parkway and West Academy Street. The city owns the 1.7-acre lot at that intersection, and a city park housing the historic Engine 209 occu pies part of that property. In January, the city issued a request for proposals asking developers to submit their ideas for a hotel there. But city officials announced Monday, June 8 that all proposals had been rejected and the project was shelved indefinitely. The decision was made “due to the uncertain hospitality market conditions” caused by the pandemic, according to a notice sent to prospective developers. City Manager Bryan Lackey said officials still believe the property would be well-suited for a hotel when economic conditions improve. “When economic times recover, we have every intention of pursuing this again,” he said in a state ment. “Right now, the timing’s just not quite right.” The Gainesville Redevelopment Authority took over the site in 2018. Georgia law allows cities to create development authorities that can purchase, lease and sell properties. City governments have to sell land to the highest bidder, but development authorities can be more selective. Gainesville created its redevelopment authority in 1999. Local developer Tim Knight had planned to build a mixed-use development on the Engine 209 site, but in February 2019, the Gainesville City Council voted to release his option to purchase it, as Knight had decided to not move forward with the development. The Northeast Georgia Health System was also given the option to purchase the property for $1.2 million as part of an agreement with the city when Gainesville took over NGHS’ $10 million contract for the property on the end of the downtown pedestrian bridge. NGHS decided not to purchase the property in April 2019.
