About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 9, 2020)
LOCADSTATE The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Tuesday, June 9, 2020 3A Kemp sends Guard home Governor ends state of emergency after week of protests JOHN BAZEMORE I Associated Press Georgia National Guard troops prepare to enforce a 9 p.m. curfew as demonstrators chant June 2 in Atlanta. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. BY JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA — Georgia’s governor is sending home the National Guard, say ing it’s no longer needed to control pro tests against police brutality and racial injustice. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement Monday that the state of emergency over the protest and the mobilization of the guard would both end on Monday. He said the state would monitor activity and respond if necessary. “I greatly appreciate the men and women of the Georgia National Guard, state and local law enforcement, and all first responders who kept Georgians safe and ensured peaceful demonstra tions across our great state,” Kemp said in a statement. “This coordinated team worked tirelessly to protect communi ties, businesses, and everyone exercis ing their constitutional rights.” Kemp had called guardsmen out after a May 29 protest in downtown Atlanta devolved into burning of police vehicles, smashing windows and loot ing. The National Guard was a visible and at-times heavy presence in the fol lowing days, helping to enforce a city wide curfew and preventing protesters from entering Centennial Olympic Park and certain streets. Tear gas was used multiple times to disperse protesters near the park or Georgia state capitol. Guardsmen remained prominent on streets as late as Friday, but were a less-obvious pres ence on Saturday and Sunday after the city of Atlanta dropped its curfew and no problems were reported. Those supporting the protests said the guardsmen had overstayed their welcome and were hampering people’s ability to protest peacefully. “The National Guard should have left a long time ago. There were imping ing on people’s rights and their free dom of expression. Any type of civil disorder was limited to a few hours on one night” said Gerald Griggs, a lawyer who is the vice president of the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP. “We are confi dent that Atlanta, Georgia knows how to protest peacefully and the protests will continue until their is real reform in Atlanta and Georgia around the issue of police brutality.” Christopher Bruce, political director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, put the response of security forces in Atlanta within the context of past civil rights struggles. “History will look poorly upon this moment when armored vehicles were patrolling the streets of the birthplace of the civil rights movement, the same streets that Dr. King marched on,” Bruce said in a statement. ROAD ■ Continued from 1A The page doesn’t give any more information about Team Wayward- Archangels. Other infor mation about the group wasn’t available Monday. Sarah Foster, who moved to the area from Atlanta in 2019, said she “was shocked to see Jim Crow Road while explor ing Flowery Branch” and before she knew the road’s history. “Words have power and while it is important to remember members of our community, it should not be at the expense of others who have a very different understanding of what the words ‘Jim Crow’ represent,” she said. Jim Crow laws targeted African Americans by enforcing racial segrega tion throughout the South. Speaking Monday about the subject, Randy Crow said he wouldn’t be in favor of the change. “It’s who the man was and when you change (the street name), you’re tak ing him down a notch,” he said. “He did a lot of good things for the people who lived on the road and for Flowery Branch and South Hall. He stood up for them when they needed some one to speak up.” At the same time, “I know it’s a sore spot and ‘He did a lot of good things for the people.’ Randy Crow descendentof Jim Crow it’s not the end of the world to me if they do change it.” Flowery Branch City Manager Bill Andrew said that all but 400 feet of the 2-mile road, which runs from McEver Road to Old Federal Road near Lake Lanier, is in the city. “Ido not know if the City Council would be inclined to make this change” on the city’s portion of the road, he said. “I can say that none of the businesses within this 400-foot portion of the road would have to make a change to their address since they all front on either McEver or Rad ford Roads.” “This issue has been raised before,” Hall County spokeswoman Katie Crumley said. “How ever, Hall County has received no current for mal request to change the name of Jim Crow Road. ” “Should a request be made, it would first come before the (Hall County) Planning Commission and then before the Board of Commissioners, where it will be carefully and thoughtfully evaluated.” County looking at realignment of White Sulphur Road BY MEGAN REED mreed@gainesvilletimes.com County officials hope to realign White Sulphur Road to eliminate the railroad crossings in preparation for traffic from the incoming inland port and the Gateway Village industrial park. A federal grant from the U.S. Eco nomic Development Administration could provide about $4.6 million for the $5.8 million project. The county would be required to pay the remain ing costs, and SPLOST VII funding would pay for the county’s portion. The county has also applied for a state grant that could help with those costs. The Hall County Board of Commis sioners will vote Thursday to approve the application for the federal grant. The project is planned in anticipa tion of growth in Northeast Hall and industrial development off Ga. 365. “All we are trying to do is realign White Sulphur so not every truck has to go over a railroad crossing and therefore get stuck. It saves time and it’s also for safety purposes,” Public Works Director Srikanth Yamala said. Yamala said the project would take 10 to 12 months, so if funds are secured, construction would begin in the late fall this year and end in fall 2021. He said the realignment design has not been finalized, but right-of- way acquisition would be required. The grant application will be included in the commissioners’ con sent agenda Thursday. If the county is awarded the grant, commissioners will vote again to accept it and set aside funds for the project. The 6 p.m. meeting will be streamed online and will be open to the public at the Hall County Govern ment Center. People can watch a live stream of the meetings on the county website, and to comment, they can join the meeting remotely through the county’s online meetings webpage or call 770-718-2327 before the agenda item comes before the board. SCOTT ROGERS I The Times Hall County is planning about $5 million in improvements to White Sulphur Road and is applying for a federal grant to cover most of the project’s goal of getting rid of railroad crossings. JOIN OUR TEAM! GREAT BENEFITS, COMPETETIVE PAY, JOB STABILITY! 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