About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 26, 2020)
LOCA^OP STORIES The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Friday, June 26, 2020 3A Police: Suspect accused of using pepper spray during robberies BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com A Gainesville woman allegedly pepper sprayed one per son and threatened to use it against others after a pair of armed robberies in June, police said. Gainesville Police investigated a theft case from mid night Saturday, June 20, at the Jesse Jewell Parkway CVS, where police say Summers allegedly stole items worth less than $300. Cpl. Jessica Van said Summers was near the store clerk and showed the clerk the pepper spray. Around 9 a.m. the next day, Summers allegedly left the Family Dollar on Atlanta Highway without paying for items stashed in a plastic tote, Van said. The employee approaching Summer was allegedly sprayed in the face with pepper spray. The employee suf fered superficial injuries and irritation from the spray. Surveillance footage helped police “piece together” Summers’ identity, Van said. Gainesville Police officers responded around 6 a.m. Wednesday, June 24, to the West Ridge Road QuikTrip to a report of a woman knocking over shelves and threatening to use pepper spray on the convenience store employee. “Gainesville Officers quickly arrived on scene and immediately recognized Summers’ name from previous investigations,” Van said. Van said the police’s investigation into these three cases “have led to Summers’ connection to other pending cases throughout the county and city.” The case is still under investigation. Defense attorney Brett Willis declined to comment. Flowery Branch OKs 2020-21 budget, proposed tax rate Flowery Branch’s proposed tax rate and budget for 2020-21 received final approval at the City Council meeting Thursday, June 25. The city’s proposed tax rate is staying the same at 3.264 mills, with 1 mill equal to $1 per $1,000 in assessed property value. Under that formula, a $250,000 home would be taxed at $326.40. That means a hike for residents with rising property assess ments. The tax bill would remain the same for homeowners who saw no change in home values. While property tax revenues are generally the same in the $5.1 million budget taking effect July 1, there are revenue losses elsewhere, such as in local option sales taxes, which are dropping from $1 million to $750,000, or by 25%. Local governments have had to wrestle with lost revenue from the COVID-19 pandemic. Jeff Gill Commissioners vote to begin right-of-way for Sardis Connector The Hall County Board of Commissioners voted Thursday to approve a contract with the Georgia Department of Transporta tion that will begin the right- of-way acquisition process for the Sardis Connector. Hall County is responsible for the design, engineering and right-of-way acquisition for the project, while the state will pay for construc tion. The county contribu tion is $27.5 million, with $17.5 million coming from the county’s current special purpose local option sales tax, SPLOST VII. SPLOST VIII funds will be used for the other $10 million. The state’s contribution will be about $31 million. The connector road will begin at the Sardis Road and Chestatee Road intersection and go north to Ga. 60 near the intersection of Mount Vernon Road. Maps are avail able on the county website. Right-of-way acquisition is expected to be finished in July 2022, with 156 parcels affected. Construction is projected to be done in 2024. The contract was approved as part of the com missioners’ consent agenda. All commissioners voted to approve the consent agenda, with the exception of Commissioner Jeff Stowe, who abstained from voting to avoid a potential conflict of interest on another item. Megan Reed ADAME ■ Continued from 1A their cars over protesters,” McCall said in a statement to The Times. “We’ve all seen the comments on social media livestreams. Some of these comments have even been reported with no arrests. We believe that Mr. Adame’s statements are not threats but that he’s been arrested because he has been a longtime activist who has been vocal about the need for police reform. It is seri ous concern to anyone who values the First Amendment that a man can be arrested for a retweet.” When asked for more information regarding the arrest, the Sheriff’s Office said the “probable cause sup porting the charge and arrest is very clear and is outlined” in the information previously provided to The Times. “Mr. Adame was arrested because he broke the law,” Sheriff’s Office spokesman Derreck Booth wrote in an email. “While we understand the desire for details, we just can’t disseminate evidence during an open and active investigation.” The Times has sent follow up questions asking if other people have been investi gated and what prompted the Adame investigation. The case is still under investigation. House Dems pass police overhaul; Senate stalls Congress at impasse as GOP policing bill blocked earlier in week House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., joined by House Democrats spaced for social distancing, speaks during a news conference on the House East Front Steps on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 25, ahead of the House vote on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020. BY LISA MASCAR0 Associated Press WASHINGTON - House Democrats approved a far- reaching police overhaul Thursday, a vote heavy with emotion and symbolism as a divided Congress struggles to address the global outcry over the deaths of George Floyd and other Black Americans. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gathered with mem bers of the Congressional Black Caucus on the Capi tol steps, challenging oppo nents not to allow the deaths to have been in vain or the public support for changes to go unmatched. But the collapse of a Senate Repub lican bill leaves final legisla tion in doubt. “Exactly one month ago, George Floyd spoke his final words — ‘I can’t breathe’ — and changed the course of history,” Pelosi said. She said the Senate faces a choice “to honor George Floyd’s life or to do nothing.” The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is perhaps the most ambitious set of proposed changes to police procedures and account ability in decades. Backed by the nation’s leading civil rights groups, it aims to match the moment of demonstrations that filled streets across the nation. It has almost zero chance of becoming law. On the eve of the vote, President Donald Trump’s administration said he would veto the bill. And Sen ate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has also said it would not pass the Republi can-held chamber. After the GOP polic ing bill stalled this week, blocked by Democrats, Trump shrugged. “If nothing happens with it, it’s one of those things,” Trump said. “We have dif ferent philosophies. ” Congress is now at a familiar impasse despite protests outside their door and polling that shows Americans overwhelm ingly want changes after the deaths of Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others in inter actions with law enforce ment. The two parties are instead appealing to voters ahead of the fall election, which will determine con trol of the House, Senate and White House. “We hear you. We see you. We are you,” said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., during the debate. It has been a month since Floyd’s May 25 death sparked a global reckon ing over police tactics and racial injustice. Since then, funeral services were held for Rayshard Brooks, a Black man shot and killed by police in Atlanta. Lawmakers who have been working from home during the COVID-19 cri sis were summoned to the CAROLYN RASTER I Associated Press Capitol for an emotional, hours-long debate. Dozens voted by proxy under new pandemic rules. During the day, several Democratic lawmakers read the names of those killed, shared experiences of racial bias and echoed support of Black Lives Mat ter activists. Republican lawmakers countered the bill goes too far and failed to include GOP input. “All lives mat ter,” said Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz. New York Rep. Pete King said it’s time to stand with law enforce ment. House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy decried the “mob” of demonstrators. NATHAN BERG I The Times Nathaniel Shelton helps paint a recreation of Karen Hawk’s mural originally put up on the OddFellows Building in 1974. Painting for the new mural began on Thursday, June 25, at the Midtown Greenway in Gainesville. MURAL ■ Continued from 1A underway on Thursday, June 25. Volunteers from the Gents Club, Hispanic Alliance GA, Beulah Rucker Museum Mentors and Men- tees, the Black History Society as well as members of the Vision 2030 Public Art Committee and students from UNG are working to complete the project, which is expected to be finished by Saturday, weather permitting. Hawk’s design, which was based in part on the song “Jesus Loves the Little Children,” includes the colors red, yellow, black and white, and is meant to represent the melting pot of American cultures, according to Hawk. “I think it’s really good timing for this sentiment to be brought out,” she said. “It takes all of us to paint and put it up on the wall, and it takes all of us to be a country.” The mural’s design began as a doo dle Hawk made as a college junior in 1974 that caught the eye of one of her art professors. She and the professor worked to find a building on which to display the design, and once a loca tion for the mural had been identi fied, Hawk received help painting it from an unlikely source. The Gents Club was a group orga nized by Nathaniel Shelton, a former Butler High School science and math teacher. Shelton brought together 13 boys “who people didn’t want to deal with” to form the club and started getting them involved in community service projects. The group did every thing from raking leaves to putting on pageants, and when Shelton heard about the planned mural project, he was quick to get the Gents Club involved. Shelton, along with a few former members of the Gents Club, came out Thursday to be a part of the new project. As he painted the very same design he and his club helped put up nearly 50 years ago, memories of Gents Club activities started to flood back to him. “It was a learning process for the kids,” Shelton said. “As well as it was an experience of what the commu nity was like, and the people in the community getting a chance to know these kids.” The re-creation of the mural started to come together around a year ago when Frank Norton Jr., chair of Vision 2030 Public Art Com mittee, discovered a black-and-white photo of the mural on a Facebook page dedicated to Gainesville history. After doing some research, Norton contacted Hawk about the project, and things started to get underway. Fox Gradin, an artist born and raised in Gainesville who also studied art at NGCSU, recreated an outline of the mural earlier this month. Gradin said it took her about 14 total hours to get the outline of the mural drawn and ready for volunteers to paint. In addition to Hawk, Shelton and Gents Club member Tim Mize were among the first people to start add ing color to the mural. Mize said he was excited to get involved with the project, partly because he did not get to help with the original mural since it was put up during football season, when he was too busy to participate, and partly because he supports the mural’s message of unity. “It’s just time for people to come together,” he said. “Because I don’t want my kids to grow up going through the same thing I went through, and they don’t want their kids to do the same thing. It’s time for black, white, brown, any race to get together and be a part of this that’s going on right now.” COUNTY ■ Continued from 1A Parks and Leisure. Based on the school system’s current millage rate, 65.02% would go to Hall County Schools. The school system has not yet finalized its budget for the next fiscal year. The county’s fiscal year restarts July 1. The budget was approved as part of the commissioners’ consent agenda. All commissioners voted to approve the consent agenda, except for Commis sioner Jeff Stowe, who abstained from voting to avoid a potential conflict of interest on another item. Megan Reed SCOUT ■ Continued from 1A reasons unrelated to the Scout camp. Selman said both the boy and the other seven members of his group were isolated while their par ents were contacted and informed of the situation. The boy was picked up by his parents and taken home. The other seven Scouts remained at the camp for the day, as their parents opted not to come pick them up. Selman said the boy was not exhibiting any symptoms of COVID- 19 as of Wednesday. The daily number of confirmed cases across the U.S. Thursday, June 25 closed in on the peak reached during the dark days of April. While greatly expanded testing probably accounts for some of the increase, experts say other mea sures indicate the virus is making a comeback. Daily deaths, hospital izations and the percentage of tests that are coming back positive have also been rising over the past few weeks in parts of the country, mostly in the South and West. The U.S. recorded 34,500 COVID- 19 cases Wednesday, slightly fewer than the day before but still near the high of 36,400 reached on April 24, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University. The daily aver age has climbed by more than 50% over the past two weeks, an Associ ated Press analysis found. Whether the rise in cases trans lates into an equally dire surge in deaths across the U.S. overall will depend on a number of fac tors, experts said, most crucially whether government officials make the right decisions. Deaths per day in the U.S. number around 600 after peaking at about 2,200 in mid-April. “It is possible, if we play our cards badly and make a lot of mis takes, to get back to that level. But if we are smart, there’s no reason to get to 2,200 deaths a day,” said Dr. Ashish Jha, director of Harvard’s Global Health Institute. The nation’s daily death toll has actually dropped markedly over the past few weeks even as cases climbed, a phenomenon that experts said may reflect the advent of treatments, better efforts to pre vent infections at nursing homes, and a rising proportion of cases among younger people, who are more likely than their elders to sur vive a bout with COVID-19. “This is still serious,” said Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “But I’m asking people to recognize that we’re in a differ ent situation today than we were in March or April.” Several states set single-day case records this week, including Ari zona, California, Nevada, Texas and Oklahoma. The U.S. has greatly ramped up testing in the past few months, and it is now presumably finding many less-serious cases that would have gone undetected earlier in the out break, when the availability of test ing was limited and sicker people were often given priority. But there are other more clear- cut warning signs, including a rising number of deaths per day in states such as Arizona and Alabama. The number of confirmed infec tions, in any case, is a poor measure of the outbreak. CDC officials, rely ing on blood tests, estimated Thurs day that 20 million Americans have been infected with the coronavirus since it arrived in the U.S. That is about 6% percent of the population and roughly 10 times as many infec tions as the 2.3 million that have been confirmed. Officials have long known that many people were infected without knowing and many cases are being missed because of gaps in testing. Worldwide, over 9.4 million peo ple have been confirmed infected, and nearly a half-million have died, including over 122,000 in the U.S., the world’s highest toll, by Johns Hopkins’ count. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
