About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 17, 2020)
JL-il Athens boxer Hall runs f/A V ‘No Kids Left Out’ program to ft i Jr - 1 train at-risk youths, spokis,™ Explore downtown Gainesville while learning city’s history. life,2B Midweek Edition - JUNE 17-18, 2020 | $1.00 | GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.com Honestly Local ‘I’m committed to this vision’ SCOTT ROGERS I The Times Newtown Florist Club executive director Rose Johnson has been been helping the club reach its goals since she was a child, when she attended her first meeting with some of the older club members. Newtown Florist Club leader has Inside r i . . • i . • 1*111 1 Area college students speak on fought to right wrongs since childhood | police brutality, systemic racism, 4A BY NATHAN BERG nberg@gainesvilletimes.com Joining the Newtown Florist Club was never a choice for Rose Johnson. It was simply a way of life. Johnson — who attended her first Newtown Florist Club meeting in the late 1960s at the age of 12 and has served as executive director of the club since 2014 — was born and raised in the Newtown community, where she grew up in a three-room shotgun house right around the corner from an open ditch that “smelled like raw sewage 24 hours a day.” Homelessness and unemployment were rampant in the primarily black community, and Johnson said members of the Ku Klux Klan would often ride through the streets of Newtown to terrorize the people living there. When she began going to club meet ings, school desegregation was one of the primary topics of interest. And while she was one of the younger members then, Johnson said her involvement in the club as a child was not such an unusual thing. “It wasn’t just me getting involved,” she said. “It was just the way the com munity was. Everybody was involved. It was just the natural way of life for us.” Johnson vividly remembers the reg ular meetings the club used to have in the living room of Ruby Wilkins, one of the club’s founding members. While many neighborhood kids played basketball on the court outside of Wilkins’ home, Johnson was inside, developing a passion for social activ ism and for making her community a better place. ■ Please see ROSE, 8A ‘It wasn’t just me getting involved. It was just the way the community was. Everybody was involved. It was just the natural way of life for us.’ Rose Johnson, Newtown Florist Club executive director Gainesville OKs budget, rollback rate BY MEGAN REED mreed@gainesvilletimes.com The Gainesville City Council unanimously voted Tues day, June 16 to approve a budget for the next fiscal year that includes a rolled back property tax rate. The rollback millage rate is the average rate a city taxpayer would need in order to avoid receiving a higher tax bill due to a higher property assessment. Some tax payers could see higher or lower bills, depending on their assessments. The millage rate has been rolled back from 3.322 mills to 3.241 mills. One mill equals $1 for every $1,000 in assessed value. The $28.8 million budget is 9.8% lower than the cur rent year’s budget. It includes an expected 12% overall decline in revenues due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The council also approved a rate of 6.614 mills for the Gainesville Board of Education, which will be doing its budget process in July. If the rate changes, it will come back before the Council for another vote. The budget is available on the city website. The city’s fiscal year restarts July 1. Man suspected of robbery dies in wreck after chase BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com A 44-year-old man was found injured and later died after he eluded deputies following an alleged robbery at a Gainesville home, according to authorities. The man will not be iden tified by law enforcement until the next of kin has been notified. During the pursuit, the man wrecked his car, got out and ran, according to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office. “When they found him, he had visible injuries to his face and head from the traffic accident,” Sheriff’s Office ■ Please see ROBBERY, 10A Inside Man charged after Friday chase through 3 counties, 5A Petition opposed to renaming Jim Crow Road surfaces BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com A petition to rename Jim Crow Road in South Hall is drawing opposition of its own. As of Tuesday, June 16, 325 people had signed a petition seek ing to “save” the road’s name. The road was named after Glen- non “Jim” Crow, who once owned the property along its path and was considered to be a commu nity leader. “So, in memory of this great man who had a road dedicated in his honor, stop the race baiting,” the petition says. “Leave our town and our roads alone. This is not a racial issue. Educate yourself and stop trying to dishonor this man. Every original Flowery Branch resident understands this road, please sign this petition to keep it.” The petition counters one that has called for the road name to be changed and, as of Tuesday, had more than 7,100 signers. The peti tion says, “The longstanding his tory of slavery and mistreatment of African Americans is being represented by this street name.” A group known as “Team Way- wardArchangels” suggests the name change to Crow Road. “This will remove the negative connotation and make people feel more comfortable announcing which street they live on, while also still honoring the family and the importance that Jim Crow had for that community.” The pro-street name petition says “it’s not difficult to under stand why some Atlantans want to change the street’s name. Jim Crow laws targeted African- Americans for almost a century, suppressing their voting rights and enforcing racial segregation throughout the South.” The petition goes on to trace the road’s roots to Crow, who has been described by his grandson, Randy Crow, as not having a “racial bone in his body.” He has said his grandfather offered a hand to both white and black families who lived near his farm he started in the early 1930s “This road is the complete opposite of racist,” the pro-street name petition says. The petition goes on to call for America to “stop hating each other and work together on loving each other. Never apologize for the color you were born. You are your own person and race doesn’t define you. It’s time for America to stop being 2-year-olds.” SCOn ROGERS I The Times A petition is circulating to keep the name of Jim Crow Road in Flowery Branch. 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