About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 19, 2020)
Friday, June 19,20201 GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.com Braselton Antique Mall is closing down after the death of its owner. LIFE, 4A Honestly Local ‘Ready to really move forward’ Newtown Florist Club holds first open-air conversation with local law enforcement BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com Through dialogue and hearing the voices of the community, the Rev. Rose Johnson said she hopes Gainesville can “rise up to a greater readiness.” “I think that we are ready to really move forward and do things in a different way.... We’re not going to climb the mountain in one day. We’re not going to do it hating each other, and we’re not going to do it condemning each other,” said John son, who leads the Newtown Florist Club civil rights group. “And we’re not going to do it in such a way that it divides us as a community because united together we can grow strong and we can be stronger.” There were roughly 20 speakers who came forward and addressed members of the judiciary and law enforcement, discussing national and local issues pertaining to police accountability, jail treatment and potential abuse of power. The judicial and law enforcement officials in attendance included Superior and State Court Judges, Northeastern Judicial Circuit Dis trict Attorney Lee Darragh, Solici tor General Stephanie Woodard, Gainesville Police Chief Jay Par rish and Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch. The Newtown Florist Club handed a list of policy proposals to the law enforcement and court offi cials in attendance. Those items in brief were: ■ Body cameras for all officers interacting with the public, “estab lish discipline” for officers who make an arrest without body cam era footage and make all use-of- force body camera footage public ■ Please see CONVERSATION, 3A Ready to read? SCOTT ROGERS I The Times A group of Hall County Library Board members pause on the first floor of the Gainesville branch of the Hall County Library System Thursday, June 18, during a tour of the building still under renovation. Gainesville library renovation likely to conclude in early fall BY MEGAN REED mreed@gainesvilletimes.com The renovated Gainesville branch of the Hall County Library System will likely reopen in the early fall, after more than a year of the library operating in a tempo rary space across the street. The renovated space on Main Street will feature floor-to-ceiling windows to let in natural light, a dedicated story time room and additional study rooms. The spiral staircase near the front entrance will remain, and the children’s section will be moved to the back of the building, further from the doors. Library Director Lisa MacKinney said the renovated library will have three rooms for library programming and meetings, while the previous space had one. It will also have more space for youth services. While the genealogy department has been housed in the North Hall Technology Center during renova tions, the reopened Gainesville branch will have a space for genealogy and local history research. Large windows will offer views of down town Gainesville and brighten up the space. “We did a lot of focus groups when we first began planning the building and more light was one of the biggest things that we heard, was how to make it look lighter and more friendly,” MacKinney said. The downtown library has been under construction since spring 2019, and for more than a year, the branch has been in a temporary location at 100 Brenau Ave. across the street. The renovations have involved heavy demolition, including the temporary removal of the exterior walls. “We heard, ‘What happened? Was there a fire?’ We actually got those kinds of questions,” MacKinney said of the early stages of renovations. “Now, it’s just the opposite, and everybody is so excited about how gorgeous the outside looks.” MacKinney said due to the COVID-19 pandemic, inmate labor was unavail able for some portions of the project, and about $50,000 to $60,000 was used to find contractors for the work. There had already been room in the budget for that adjustment, she said. The renovations are being funded by a $2 million grant from the University System of Georgia and about $3 million in city of Gainesville impact fees and county special purpose local option sales tax dollars. Hall Schools makes plans for returning to classroom BY NATHAN BERG nberg@gainesvilletimes.com The Hall County School District will pro vide an in-person learning option for families “as soon as possible” according to a YouTube video released by Superintendent Will Scho field Thursday morning. Schofield did not say explicitly that Hall schools would be reopening for the start of the 2020-2021 school year but did imply that continuing school from home indefi nitely was not a viable option. “We are going to have to shift our thinking as your school district from ‘how do we wait out COVID’ to ‘how do we co-habitate with COVID ■ Please see SCHOOLS, 5A Father of man shot by police files lawsuit BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com The father of a 21-year-old Oakwood man fatally shot by Gainesville Police in September has filed a lawsuit against the department and two of its officers, according to court documents. Adam English was shot around 5 p.m. Sept. 20 near the Northeast Georgia Physicians Group surgical associates build ing on Jesse Jewell Parkway. His father, Joshua Eng lish, is the plaintiff in the suit filed Monday, June 15, against Gainesville Police and two of its officers, Jonathan Fowler and Jose Hernandez. Police received a 911 call around 4:33 p.m. Sept. 20 about a man with a gun. ■ Please see ENGLISH, 3A English Local reaction mixed to Supreme Court DACA ruling Associated Press The Supreme Court on Thursday, June 18, rejected President Donald Trump’s effort to end legal protections for 650,000 young immigrants, a stunning rebuke to the presi dent in the midst of his reelection campaign. For now, those immigrants retain their protection from deportation and their autho rization to work in the United States. The justices rejected administration argu ments that the 8-year-old Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program is ille gal and that courts have no role to play in reviewing the decision to end DACA. Chief Justice John Roberts, joined by his four liberal colleagues, wrote for the court that the administration did not pursue the end of the program properly. “We’re happy for those that are recipients for DACA and that this is going to continue to support them and be able to have them stay in this country and contribute to the state and the nation,” said Vanesa Sarazua, the executive director of Hispanic Alliance-GA Sarazua said there are an estimated 21,000 people protected by DACA in Georgia, often known as Dreamers. “We’ve done renewals for DACA locally at a lower cost with our immigration lawyer that works with us. What we’ve had as far as questions go today is what this ruling means for those that didn’t get a chance to apply for this program,” she said. Rep. Doug Collins, R-Gainesville, said in a statement he felt the court was setting a “dangerous precedent and a double stan dard that should concern every American.” “President Obama said himself that his decision to disregard the law and circum vent the legislative process went far beyond his constitutional power, and it’s disturbing that the Supreme Court chose to uphold his unlawful move,” Collins said in a statement. “Let me remind the Supreme Court: it is ulti mately the role of Congress — and Congress ■ Please see DACA, 5A This e-edition sponsored by:
