CrossRoadsNews, April 7, 2018 by CrossRoadsNews, Inc.

COMMUNITY

MINISTRY

The 1820sera Lyon Farm in Lithonia, among De Kalb’s oldest, will be restored with the help of a $25,000 grant. 2

Moms and their little ones can bond during an April 14 Mother-Daughter Breakfast at Antioch-Lithonia Missionary Baptist Church. 6

Historic preservation

Let’s Keep DeKalb Peachy Clean

Mothers, daughters unite

Please Don’t Litter Our Streets and Highways

EAST ATLANTA • DECATUR • STONE MOUNTAIN • LITHONIA • AVONDALE ESTATES • CLARKSTON • ELLENWOOD • PINE LAKE • REDAN • SCOTTDALE • TUCKER • STONECREST

April 7, 2018

Volume 23, Number 49

www.crossroadsnews.com

Jail inmates to be relocated during $1.5 million repairs By Rosie Manins

Up to 300 DeKalb County Jail inmates will be temporarily relocated over the next three months to other correctional facilities in metro Atlanta while the Sheriff ’s Office undertakes a $1.5 million project to repair mold and water damage. Sheriff Jeffrey Mann said April 5 that “Operation Clean Jail 2018” will begin on April 9 even though he has yet to ask the DeKalb Board of Commissioners for funding. “This is an unbudgeted expenditure that I believe is essential for the onward health and safety of our staff and inmates, and for

“This is an unbudgeted expenditure that I believe is essential for the onward health and safety of our staff and inmates, and for the uninterrupted operation of the Sheriff’s Office.” Jeffrey Mann, DeKalb County Sheriff

the uninterrupted operation of the Sheriff ’s Office,” Mann said at a press conference he called to announce the project. Mann said leaking showers have caused water damage to floors, ceilings and walls in more than 35 areas throughout the jail,

which currently houses 1,800 inmates. The extent of mold and water damage was revealed by a full survey of the facility and testing in early March, after routine Please see JAIL, page 5

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office and Jail on Memorial Drive in Decatur is riddled with mold and water damage from leaking showers and needs repairs estimated at $1.5 million.

Freedom bells ring at Stone Mountain for MLK King family leads celebration on Auburn Avenue

Members of the late Dr. Rita Jackson Samuels’ family ring bells to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Samuels, a champion of women’s and civil rights who worked alongside King, died on March 27 at age 72. Senator Emanuel Jones is at right.

By Rosie Manins and Tekia L. Parks

Dozens of silver bells rang out 39 times on April 4 from the base of Stone Mountain in celebration of the legacy of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The “Let Freedom Ring” ceremony was one of thousands held around the state, country and the world on the 50th anniversary of King’s assassination on April 4, 1968. More than 100 local, state and federal elected officials, community leaders and civilians gathered in Memorial Hall at Stone Mountain Park for the occasion. Among them were commissioners, mayors, state representatives, senators, current and former Congressmen, civil rights activists and family members of foot soldiers of the movement who spent a lifetime fighting for rights alongside King. Standing under the world’s largest Confederate monument – Stone Mountain’s 1.5-acre carving of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson – a dozen speakers took turns interpreting King’s legacy and the work that still needs to be done to realize his dream. State Rep. Sandra Scott (D-Rex) said we must be reminded that King’s work to bring racial, social and economic equality was not stopped by a bullet on a balcony in Memphis. “Let us recall how far we have come as a nation and as a society, yet let us Sandra Scott remain committed to the journey ahead, for there’s still work to do,” said Scott, who represents House District 76 in Henry County. “We’ve got some difficult days ahead, but we must continue to stand and stay woke.” King was 39 years old when he was shot as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine

Rosie Manins / CrossRoadsNews

Motel in Memphis, Tenn. He died at 7:01 p.m., the time at which his children Martin Luther King III, Bernice King and Dexter Scott King, his sister Christine King Farris, his granddaughter Yolanda Renee King and other family members rang a large silver bell at The King Center in Atlanta on Wednesday, in front of his and his wife Coretta Scott King’s tombs at the King Center. That ceremony was attended by more than a thousand people who filled the streets of Auburn Avenue.

Cindy Moffett of Atlanta, who was in the crowd, said it’s more critical now to stand up and be active citizens. “We can’t just live off of works he did 50 years ago if we want his vision to go further,” she said. King family members also placed a wreath at King’s tomb. As they walked around the reflecting pool surrounding the white marble tombs, a woman’s voice rose above the crowd, singing “My living won’t be in vain.” Many people wiped tears from their faces.

Members of King’s Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity also placed a wreath on the historic Ebenezer Heritage Sanctuary, where King served alongside his father. The Stone Mountain ceremony harkened to King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, in which he said: “Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.” Plans are afoot by the Martin Luther King Jr. Advisory Council to erect a replica of the Liberty Bell on top of Stone Mountain, where Please see BELLS, page 4

Community

CrossRoadsNews

April 7, 2018

“I have not embezzled any money ever and I have not taken or embezzled $429,000 from Howard University.”

Arabia High alum caught up in Howard financial aid scandal By Tekia L. Parks

Arabia Mountain High School alum Tyrone Hankerson Jr. is caught in the middle of a $1 million financial aid scandal at Howard University that is trending on social media. Hankerson, who was class president of Arabia Mountain’s first graduating class in 2011, went to Howard on a full academic scholarship and was an undergraduate student worker in the financial aid office from 2011 to 2015. Now a Howard Law School student, he is also a fashion blogger and internet star for the stylish duds he wears to class. In the wake of the university firing six employees in the financial aid office for misappropriation for funds, Hankerson, 25, has been accused on the internet of getting $429,612 in financial aid. He was not one of the fired employees. “As of today I have never been contacted by Howard University,” he told Roland Martin on March 30. The financial aid scandal, which went viral March 27 in a Medium.com blog, has also made the news on sites such as Huffington Post, Yahoo.com, thegrio.com, and abc. com. Memes and hashtags have depicted him as “living high on the hog.” Photos of him wearing furs and designer clothes, Gucci bags and other accessories have been posted and reposted on social media sites. Flanked by his attorney James L. Walker Jr. while talking with Martin in what was billed as “exclusive” on RolandSMartin.com, Hankerson said the days since news of the scandal broke have been very difficult. “I have not embezzled any money ever and I have not taken or embezzled $429,000 from Howard University,” he said. “That is absolutely false.” In a March 28 statement, Howard President Wayne A.I. Frederick said he was alerted in December 2016 that “there may have been some misappropriation of Universityprovided financial aid funds.” He said the audit concluded that between 2007 and 2016, the school gave grants and tuition remission to some student employees that exceeded their total cost of attending the university. Frederick said all of the misappropriated money came from the university, not from federal or donor-directed funds. “An investigation of individual employee actions was completed in September 2017 and as a result, six employees have been fired for gross misconduct and neglect of duties,” the statement said. “We will refer this matter for criminal prosecution, as appropriate.”

Online allegations that Tyrone Hankerson Jr. has received excessive financial aid are fueled in part by social media posts showing him in stylish clothing.

“He is posting some of the latest fashions he is wearing and folks have said, ‘some money is missing over here. We know six people were fired; were you one of the six fired? Wow, money is missing. Look at how he is dressing.’ ” James L. Walker Jr., Hankerson’s attorney

Members of Howard University Student Association are upset that the university did not alert students of the fraud until last week when the story broke on the internet. A writer going by the name “Veritas 1867” posted a story to Medium.com saying that $1 million in financial aid was diverted between 2013 and 2017. The story said that records obtained by a Howard University financial aid administrator show that two people – former associate director of financial aid Brian Johnson and Hankerson – received nearly $1 million in financial aid funds between 2013 and 2017. Frederick has not specified an amount. The Medium.com story alleged that Hankerson received $429,612 in grants and various scholarships over four years. During briefings and public statements on the University’s fiscal health, Frederick has said the university’s financial aid office is in debt for about $9 million, and has attributed the debt to students’ failure to pay their tuition. Until the March 28 statement, Frederick had not said the debt was in part due to staff theft and misallocation of funds. The Medium.com story said the alleged embezzlement was first discovered by a student employee who noticed that the office was dispersing refund checks nearing $100,000 in a single aid year. It said that federal law and financial aid policies limit the amount students can receive toward the

cost of attendance budget. For the 2017-2018 school year, Howard University’s website lists the amount at $43,501. In the Roland Martin interview, Hankerson’s attorney said that the $429,612 was not all financial aid. “When it first came out there was this false image that he had gotten that for four years,” said Walker, who is with Washington, D.C.-based J. Walker & Associates LLC. “He has been at Howard for seven years.” Walker said part of the money was salary for working in the financial aid office. “He worked at the school, so part of that money that he was getting every year was student stipend, and student salary as a student working in the financial aid building,” Walker said. “I want to make it clear to folks that there is the scholarships that you get, the grants you get. There is going abroad. There is also money you get when you work in an office. So it looks like 60 or $70,000 a year but if you bifurcate it, it can be easily explained.” Hankerson told Martin that as an undergraduate, he received about $200,000 including scholarships, grants and work. “But that also need to add some context,” he said. “Because I was a student year-round, I went to school for the fall semester, the spring semester and I also went during the summer and studied abroad. So there are details that are out there that are inaccurate

contextually that are painting a picture that is inaccurate.” Hankerson said the money awarded to him was at the discretion of university officials who had the authority to make those decisions. Walker, a Howard alum, pointed out that Hankerson is a 4.0 student. “So you get these kinds of trips,” Walker said. “Everybody at Howard don’t get to go overseas. I know I didn’t. They don’t get to do mock trial.” Hankerson said that part of the calculation or his scholarship and grants was based on need. During his time at Howard, he said his entire family contribution was zero. Hankerson, who is graduating from law school in May, said that he is being made a scapegoat in a student-led effort to oust Frederick from office. “I was the ideal profile to go after Dr. Frederick,” he said. About his stylish image, he said Howard students are taught to represent themselves well and he was that way before he came to the university, and will be that way when he leaves. Hankerson, who has done some minor modeling, said he knows Howard alums who were well-connected in the fashion industry in New York who give him things. He said he also shops at discount stores. “Also, my mom believes in balling on a budget,” said Hankerson, who was raised by a single mother. Walker said people have jumped to conclusions because Hankerson posts photos of himself in fashionable clothes. “He is posting some of the latest fashions he is wearing and folks have said, ‘some money is missing over here. We know six people were fired; were you one of the six fired? Wow, money is missing. Look at how he is dressing.’ ” Walker said. “It is easy to try to equate all of those things together. But when you meet the young man, he is the epitome of the kid who spoke at commencement at Howard. Dr. Frederick knows him personally, which is why I am waiting on the university to issue something to exonerate him.”

DeKalb approves $225K grant to restore historic Lyon Farm The historic Lyon Farm in Lithonia will be restored with the help of a $225,000 grant from DeKalb County. The DeKalb Board of Commissioners on March 13 unanimously approved the funds to stabilize the farm, which dates to the 1820s. The homestead on the 100-acre Lyon Farm, believed to be one of the oldest in the county, is part of the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area. It includes a historic farmhouse and smokehouse and is identified as a future site for tourism and youth education. This funding will restore the structural integrity of the farmhouse and smokehouse, repair the roof, and provide much-needed weatherproofing. The Lyon Farm, which is located on the 33-mile multi-use Arabia Mountain PATH Trail, will eventually tie directly into Atlanta’s Beltline. The Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance will coordinate the restoration project and look for opportunities to add some “sweat equity.” Mera Cardenas, the Alliance’s executive director, said the public-private partnership

The Lyon farmhouse, smokehouse and other buildings were placed on the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s “Places in Peril” list in 2016.

will help control project costs and ensure that the restoration meets the requirements for historic preservation. “The dedication of financial resources to preserve and stabilize the Lyon House by CEO Michael Thurmond and the Board of Commissioners will create a legacy protecting this cultural treasure and preserving it for future generations,” she said. The Lyon farmhouse was built by Joseph Emmanuel Lyon, a former British soldier who was awarded 100 acres for taking the Oath of Allegiance after being captured and

serving with the patriots during the American Revolution. He originally built a log cabin on the property in the 1820s and expanded it in 1853 and 1893, creating the structure that stands today. The homestead, built in a vernacular architecture style, and its various outbuildings reflect a self-sustaining farm where the cultivation of cotton, apples, muscadines, pears, lemons, sorghum, and bees were a part of life. Its slave quarters are still intact.

The property is the last remaining intact farm in what once made up the agricultural area called Flat Rock. DeKalb Watershed Management (DWM) acquired the Lyon property in 2006 as part of its Pole Bridge Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant and Sprayfields. Because of excessive damage to the roof and other structural elements, the homestead and its structures were placed on the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s “Places in Peril” list in 2016.

April 7, 2018

Community

CrossRoadsNews

“Several of the rounds struck and killed Ms. Bowman while she was still in the vehicle.”

Reward offered in death of 3-year-old Boyfriend arrested in shooting death of Stone Mountain woman By Rosie Manins

Police have arrested Keitran Foots on murder charges in the shooting death of his girlfriend Sharika Bowman. Bowman, 35, who has five children, was gunned down while sitting in her GMC Denali in the driveway of their Wyndam Drive home in Stone Mountain. Foots, 30, was arrested over 400 miles away in North Carolina early on Keitran Foots April 1 by Granville County law enforcement. He allegedly shot Bowman multiple times about 10 a.m. on March 30. Bowman’s teenage son and eldest child was in the house at the time waiting for his mother to take him to school. He called 911. Police found Bowman, a licensed practical nurse, in her bullet-riddled car. There were at least five bullet holes in the driver’s side window. Investigators said Foots approached Bowman with a gun and fired multiple gunshots into the vehicle. “Several of the rounds struck and killed Ms. Bowman while she was still in the vehicle,” the police said. Bowman, who was studying to become a registered nurse, had just pulled into her driveway from an early morning appointment and was about to take her son to school. DeKalb Police said Bowman and Foots lived at the house together with her five children. The youngest was just one month old.

T’Rhigi Diggs was riding in the back seat of a rental car driven by his mother, Roshonda Craig, when police say someone fired a single gunshot into the car, killing him.

Police found Sharika Bowman in the driver’s seat of her SUV on March 30. She had been shot multiple times.

By Rosie Manins

11Alive

Investigators said on March 31 that Foots had fled the scene in a black 2012 Hyundai Genesis, and was considered armed and extremely dangerous. DeKalb County police detectives and the DeKalb Sheriff ’s Office’s fugitive unit worked with the Granville County Sheriff ’s Office in North Carolina to apprehend Foots. They located his vehicle in Granville County about 2:30 a.m. on April 1. “After a brief pursuit, Foots left the car on foot,” DeKalb Police said. “The responding agencies were able to set up a perimeter and take him into custody without further incident.” Foots is currently in the Granville County jail awaiting transport back to DeKalb County.

A $10,000 reward has been offered for information about the drive-by shooter who fired into an SUV, killing 3-year-old T’Rhigi Diggs while he slept in the rear passenger seat. Jedidiah Brown, the Justice Organization’s national president, told WSB-TV on April 3 that his group has offered the money to Crime Stoppers to help apprehend the killer or killers. T’Rhigi was riding in the car on Eastland Road with his mother, Roshonda Craig, at 11:30 p.m. on April 1 when his mother said a grey Dodge Charger with a temporary tag pulled alongside her, and it appeared someone fired from the car. Craig, 26, a cosmetologist, told police that she first thought it was paint gun until she heard what sounded like a firecracker and her son started crying. She said she thought she saw a paintball gun but heard a real gun. “When I heard the gunshot, my baby started crying,” Craig said on WSB-TV. “I thought the gunshot scared him. I didn’t

know my baby was shot.” When she stopped less than a mile down the road to check on her son, he was unresponsive. Craig said she wants justice for her baby. “Please help me,” she said. T’Rhigi, who is Craig’s only child, celebrated his third birthday on March 30. DeKalb police spokesman Lt. Lonzy Robertson said April 2 it appeared that someone in the Charger fired a shot into Craig’s rear passenger door. “There is no motive at this time,” Robertson said. The suspect’s vehicle is a newer model gray Dodge Charger with a temporary “drive-out” tag, he said. Crime scene investigators found one bullet hole in the SUV, where the child was sitting. Craig, who called the incident “a nightmare,” thinks the shooting might be a case of mistaken identity because she was driving a rental vehicle. Anyone with information about the shooting or the Charger should call Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477).

Forum 2346 Candler Rd. Decatur, GA 30032 404-284-1888 Fax: 404-284-5007 www.crossroadsnews.com editor@crossroadsnews.com

Editor / Publisher Jennifer Parker Staff Writers Jennifer Ffrench Parker Tekia L. Parks Editorial Intern Rosie Manins Front Office Manager Catherine Guy Multimedia Editor Sharif Williams

CrossRoadsNews is published every Saturday by CrossRoadsNews, Inc. We welcome articles on neighborhood issues and news of local happenings. The opinions expressed by writers and contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher, nor those of any advertisers. The concept, design and content of CrossRoadsNews are copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the written permission of the publisher. Advertisements are published upon the representation that the advertiser is authorized to publish the submitted material. The advertiser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless from and against any loss or expenses resulting from any disputes or legal claims based upon the contents or subject matter of such advertisements, including claims of suits for libel, violation of privacy, plagiarism and copyright infringement. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement.

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April 7, 2018

“We can and we must come to love ourselves and one another enough to actively participate in civic life through voting.”

50 years after King’s death, ‘And We Are Not Saved’ By the Rev. Dr. Mark A. Ogunwale Lomax

In 1979, professor Derrick Bell wrote a book titled, “And We Are Not Saved: The Elusive Quest for Racial Justice.” A teacher of constitutional law at Harvard Law School, Bell deftly illustrates several ways the Constitution of the United States comes short of assuring the full and equal citizenship of descendants of formerly enslaved Africans. Shortly after the turn of the century, professor Joy DeGrury wrote a book called “Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome.” Utilizing her skills as a psychologist, DeGrury powerfully revealed that many of the traumatic psycho-emotional impacts of over 300 years of enslavement on Africans in North America persist into the 21st century. In 2006, journalist Harriet A. Washington, who has served as a fellow at both Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, wrote “Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present.” Michelle Alexander, professor of law at Ohio State Law School, shocked the nation with the publication of her book “The New Jim Crow.” Alexander’s research documented persisting inequities between the treatment of blacks and whites in the American criminal justice system. The voices of this roll call of some of America’s most accomplished scholars join those of print, television and radio journalists as well as ordinary citizens armed with nothing more than cell phones who chronicle the fragility of Black Life in America on a daily basis. As public schools are resegregated and state departments of education shift funding and teaching talent from majority black, brown and urban schools to white and suburban ones; as we watch one young black life after another summarily snuffed out by police officers who see skin color as emblematic of danger; as the hallways of city and county jails are filled with mattresses bearing black, brown and impoverished bodies as signs of an overcrowded and woefully unjust and inefficient criminal justice system; as double-digit unemployment persists in black and brown communities and income disparity between black and white people con-

“Fifty years after the assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., ‘We the people’ must continue the struggle for full liberation from the strictures of an unjust society. We are not powerless. There are steps we can and must take to assure a more secure and safer future for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren.” The Rev. Dr. Mark Ogunwale Lomax

tinues to signal systemic and structural racism in the “high places” of corporate board rooms – “We Are Not Saved.” The biblical notion of salvation – in both testaments – is more than a personal relationship with God through the Christ. The Hebrew and Greek words rendered “saved,” “save” or “salvation” in the English Bible is closely related to the Hebrew word “Shalom” which means “peace.” The underlying meaning of the word “peace” in both Hebrew and Greek is “well-being” or “wholeness.” We are not truly saved if all we possess is a personal relationship with God. We are truly saved when conditions of safety and security exist in the environments where we find ourselves. Fifty years after the assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., ‘We the people’ must continue the struggle for full liberation from the strictures of an unjust society. We are not powerless. There are steps we can and must take to assure a more secure and safer future for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren. We can and we must spend our money where we live. Unlike every other ethnic group in America, African Americans do not spend their first dollars in their own communities. In fact, our dollar doesn’t even circulate in our community for one day. Compare that to other ethnic communities where the dollar circulates anywhere between nine and 26 days. We can only build collective wealth and assure ourselves, our children, and small business owners financial security if we spend our money in our communities. We can and we must actively participate in the education of our children. Atlanta’s traffic issues make parental participation in the PTSA extremely difficult. Yet, if our children are to receive the best possible education, parents and grandparents must play an integral role in

instructing them and in assuring that all of the resources they need are available to them. Just as our fore-parents had to make sacrifices for the sake of succeeding generations, so must we. We can and we must come to love ourselves and one another enough to actively participate in civic life through voting, attending public meetings, advocating in the interests of the communities where we reside, and holding our elected officials accountable between election cycles. We can and we must return to the faith of our mothers and fathers. Prayer doesn’t just change things, it changes us. We must remember that we are engaged in a common struggle that unites us as sisters and brothers and that we need each other for moral and emotional support. The church, the mosque and the temple are good places to go to recover a sense of mutual concern insofar as those institutions are interested in the moral, spiritual, financial and physical welfare of those whom they exist to serve. Finally, we can and we must take care of the places and spaces where we reside. Each and every one of us can and should work to assure the cleanliness and safety of public and private spaces. Our fore-parents gave us a dictum that is almost scriptural: “cleanliness is next to godliness.” The burden of our common life is ours to bear. We will only be saved, whether or not we are religious, when we collectively decide that moral, intellectual, political, judicial and financial failure is not an option for those who would be free. The Rev. Dr. Mark A. Ogunwale Lomax is pastor of First Afrikan Church in Lithonia, and Associate Professor of Homiletics at Interdenominational Theological Center.

Reflections include what King might say if alive today BELLS,

from page

the ceremony was originally to take place until inclement weather intervened. Park authorities suspended operations of the cable car to the 825-foot-tall summit because of high winds. Rusty Haygood, deputy commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, said that given that there was still much to do in achieving equality and realizing King’s dream, the changed location was fitting. “It’s probably poignant for us to be here looking at the mountain top right now, and to see that yes, there is something to work for,” he said. “We’ve got work to do.” Fourth District U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson reflected on what King would see looking at America now – 50 years since his death and 150 years since the Emancipation Proclamation. Johnson said he believed King would be proud that an African-American president had been elected twice, serving without scandal, and that he would be proud of the nation’s youth who have united to march for common causes. But Johnson said the seat of power in America has been overtaken by “racism, xenophobia, sexism and homophobia.” “I believe that Dr. King would be alarmed by the prospect of a deranged individual starting a nuclear war that could consume humanity,” Johnson said. “I’m certain that Dr. King, with the fierce urgency of now, would boldly challenge us all to let freedom ring,” he said.

At the King Memorial site on Auburn Avenue, members of the King family rang a silver bell 39 times to mark the precise moment that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. died on April 4, 1968.

Tekia L. Parks / CrossRoadsNews

DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond, who delivered the ceremony’s keynote address, urged everyone to dedicate themselves to fulfilling King’s work, and to remember that during his life, King was not the “demigod” that people today make him Hank Johnson out to be. “He was a despised man,” Thurmond said. “We don’t like to remember that. He was a radical person.” Thurmond said black men must be valued, as should people of all colors and creeds. He said King’s life paralleled that of Moses, who too “led his people out of discrimination and poverty and despair, and on a sojourn through the wilderness.” “These two great leaders led their people to the precipice. Both died without ever setting

foot in the promised land,” Thurmond said. Paris Murphy-Doctor, niece of the late Dr. Rita Jackson Samuels, a champion of women’s and civil rights who worked alongside King, spoke briefly at the ceremony, and Samuel’s 9-year-old great-nephew Bryce Love was a bell ringer. Samuels, a founding member of the Martin Luther King Jr. Advisory Council, died on March 27 at age 72. A proclamation from Gov. Nathan Deal, recognizing the ceremony and its significance, was presented to Sen. Emanuel Jones, chairman of the Martin Luther King Jr. Advisory Council. Camryn McGregor, a University of West Georgia student, reminded the crowded room that hate can only be driven out by love. She said freedom must be demanded by the oppressed. “We are still marching on and we ain’t gonna let nobody turn us around,” she said.

April 7, 2018

Community

CrossRoadsNews

“This is maybe the most special award I have received in my life.”

DeKalb Jail repairs to take 3 months JAIL,

Jennifer Ffrench Parker / CrossRoadsNews

Juanita Baranco (2nd from left) pose with from left Judge Phinia Aten, Renee Knorr and Diane Adoma after receiving award at Adoma’s Women’s History Month Empowerment Breakfast.

Baranco gets Lifetime Achievement Award Over her decades of public service, Juanita Baranco has received more awards than she can count, but when U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson declared March 31 as “Juanita Baranco Day” in the 4th Congressional District, it was extra special. “This is maybe the most special award I have received in my life,” Baranco said in her acceptance speech. The Congressional declaration accompanied a Lifetime Award that Baranco, who lives in Stonecrest, got from her councilwoman, Diane Adoma at her Women’s History Empowerment Breakfast. Baranco, who with her husband Gregory

Baranco is partner in Mercedes-Benz of Buckhead, told the primarily female audience to remember that women rule the world, and that every business works better when there are women at the table. She said that 45 percent of Georgia Democrats are African-American females, and that one of them – Stacey Abrams – is running for governor. She called Abrams “smart, brilliant and effective,” and told her audience not to believe, or be fooled the hype. “This woman is talented,” Baranco said. “We can win this thing y’all, but the most important thing is to get out the vote.”

from page

maintenance uncovered mold in an unoccupied area. Mann said every floor of the millionsquare-foot complex on Memorial Drive in Decatur is affected. “I will be taking this monetary funding request to the administration and Board of Commissioners soon, trusting that they understand that the need for this expenditure is not optional,” he said. Asked why the work is starting before funding has been approved, Mann said he is positive DeKalb commissioners will support the project. “I’m confident that the money will come in,” Mann said. “I’ve actually already spoken with our CEO about that and as I said, the longer we take to start, the worse it could be. We don’t want to take the chance of it becoming worse than it

already is.” The work will be managed by Carter Goble Lee, the Sheriff ’s Office’s contracted maintenance provider. CGL will select and contract with companies to do the remediation and repairs. The mold remediation and repairs are expected to be completed within three months. During the work, inmates will be temporarily relocated, based on their location within the jail and the repair schedule. They will be housed for up to 30 days in either the Atlanta City Detention Center or the Fulton, Rockdale or Clayton county jails. Family members will still be able to contact them through visitation, video and phone connections, he said. Any inmates up for release while relocated will be transported back to DeKalb for release. Mann said this is the first overhaul of jail since it was built.

CrossRoadsNews

Ministry

April 7, 2018

The event is hosted by the ecumenical community to build relationships, foster trust, and lead to understanding.

Ecumenical talks to build bridges Registration open for Youth Lock-In Civil rights icon Xernona Clayton will tell her story on April 10 at “Becoming the Beloved Community: Do You Know My Story,” hosted by the Presbyterian Women PC/ Church Women United in Atlanta. Clayton worked with Xerona Clayton Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the SCLC. The event, which starts at 5:30 p.m., is the first of a series of talks hosted by the ecumenical community to build relationships, foster trust, and lead to understanding of others that will create a pathway to racial healing, reconciliation and transformation.

Carolyn Helsel

It takes place at First Presbyterian Church. Other participants include DACA students and the Rev. Dr. Carolyn Helsel, author of “Anxious to Talk About It: Helping White Christians Talk Faithfully About Rac-

ism.” Cost is $10 to $25 person. For more information, visit http:// d o y o u k n o w m y s t o r y. e v e n t b r i t e . com/?s=83116440. First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta is at 1328 Peachtree St. N.E.

Mother-Daughter Breakfast to celebrate the bonds that bind

By Tekia L. Parks

Mothers and daughters can celebrate their relationships and bond during an April 14 Mother-Daughter Breakfast at AntiochLithonia Missionary Baptist Church. Participants will fellowship over cheese eggs, grits, sausage, bacon, pancakes, toast, fruit, orange juice and coffee. The theme of the 9 a.m. to noon gathering is “Walking Together in Grace.” There will be special scripture reading, and performances

by the praise choir and praise dancers. The annual breakfast meeting, which is in 15th year, is hosted by the church’s Women’s Ministry. Carmentta Hall, the coordinator for the breakfast, said it is for women of all ages. “It gives us the opportunity to grow together in God’s word,” she said. The Mother-Daughter Breakfast will be in the church’s fellowship hall, 2152 Rock Chapel Road in Lithonia. For more information, call 770-482-1277.

Preteens and teens can sign up for FAC Youth Ministry’s 2018 Youth Lock-in. The annual lock-in for youth ages 11 to 18 takes place at First Afrikan Church in Lithonia. The lock-in theme is “Returning God to the Center.” During the overnight event, which runs at 7:30 a.m. April 27 to noon April 28, the kids will explore how music informs our Godcentered identity. Cell phones and other electronics are prohibited. Each participant must bring sleep-

ing bag, pillow, blanket, toiletries and a change of clothes. The cost is $10 per child. Families with more than one children pay $5 for each additional child. A waiver must be completed at registration. Teens, parents and guardians must also sign a behavior and safety agreement form. Space is limited and registration is mandatory. The church is at 5197 Salem Road. For more information and to register, visit firstafrikanchurch.org or email firstafrikanyoouth@gmail.com.

‘Date or Wait’ seminar for singles

Manuel Scott Jr.

Single Christians can receive guidance on dating on April 13 at Berean Christian Church in Stone Mountain. The “Date or Wait” seminar, hosted by the church’s singles ministry, starts at 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles-based

evangelist Manuel Scott, Jr. will share spiritual keys for a healthy relationship and take questions from participants. Childcare will be provided, and dinner will be served from 6:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. Berean Christian Church is at 2201 Young Road. For more information contact Lori Brooks at Lori.Brooks@bereanChristianchurch.org.

Training for aspiring missionaries Aspiring missionaries can get training on mission work abroad at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia. The one-hour class starts at noon on April 8, 15 and 29 in the church’s multipurpose room. New Birth missionaries will go to South

Africa, West Africa, Jamaica, Japan, Israel and/or Selma, Ala., in the coming months. They are looking for people to join them. The church is at 6400 Woodrow Road. For more information, call Elder Patricia Riley at 678-824-1058 or e-mail orassistant@ newbirth.org.

CrossRoadsNews

April 7, 2018

7 04/07, 04/14, 4/21, 4/28

Notice of Petition to CHANGE Name OF ADULT in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Civil Action Case Number: 18FM3705-2

Legal Notices 03/24, 03/31, 04/07, 04/14

Notice of Petition in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Civil Action Case Number: 18FM3050-2 Richard Gray PLAINTIFF VS Mirka Roque DEFENDANT NOTICE OF PUBLICATION TO: By ORDER of the Court service for service by publication dated Mar. 20, 2018. You are hereby notified that Mar. 02, 2018, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for divorce. You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is Richard Gray, 3283 Idle Creek Ct., Decatur, GA 30034. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days

of Mar. 20, 2018. Witness the Honorable Asha F. Jackson, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court. This the 20th day of Mar., 2018 03/24, 03/31, 04/07, 04/14

Notice of Petition in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Civil Action Case Number: 18FM2381-8 Angelica Clarke PLAINTIFF VS Marlon Mullings DEFENDANT NOTICE OF PUBLICATION TO: By ORDER of the Court service for service by publication dated Feb. 21, 2018. You are hereby notified that Jan. 30, 2018, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for divorce. You

are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is 4553 Carriage Park Drive, Lithonia, GA 30038. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of Feb. 21, 2018. Witness the Honorable Linda W. Hunter, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court. This the 20th day of Mar., 2018

Syphrett Randall. Any interested party has the right to appear in this case and file objections within 30 days after the Petition was filed. Dated: Mar. 01, 2018 04/07, 04/14, 4/21, 4/28

Notice of Petition to CHANGE Name OF ADULT

03/24, 03/31, 04/07, 04/14

Notice of Petition to CHANGE Name OF ADULT in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Civil Action Case Number: 18FM3043 Robin Denise Lanier filed a petition in the DeKalb County Superior Court on Mar. 06, 2018 to change name from: Robin Denise Lanier to Robin Denise

Eula Mae Adams filed a petition in the DeKalb County Superior Court on Mar. 01, 2018 to change name from: Eula Mae Adams to Eula Lea Adams. Any interested party has the right to appear in this case and file objections within 30 days after the Petition was filed. Dated: Mar. 01, 2018

in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Civil Action Case Number: 18PA1131-8 Darlane Williams filed a petition in the DeKalb County Superior Court on Apr. 02, 2018 to change name from: Darlane Williams to Darlene Ramirez. Any interested party has the right to appear in this case and file objections within 30 days after the Petition was filed. Dated: Mar. 21, 2018

DeKalb County Sheriff Office

Jeffrey L. Mann, Sheriff • 4415 Memorial Drive • Decatur, GA 30032

Sex Offender

Adil Ali 773 Corundum Ct. Stone Mountain, GA Charge of Criminal Sexual Conduct 5th Degree Convicted 04 04 2008

Andre Brown 5072 Woodridge Way Tucker, GA 30084 Charge of Child Molestation Convicted 02 05 2018

Andre Mitchell 749 Mountain Ridge Way Lithonia, GA 30058 Charge of Child Molestation Convicted 01 18 2017

Bethea Arnold 3657 Boulder Ridge Ct. Ellenwood, GA 30294 Charge of Aggravated Sexual Battery Convicted 01 14 1988

Curtis Riddick 6834 Browns Mill Lake Rd. Lithonia, GA 30038 Charge of Enticing Child for Indecent Purposes and Sex Offender Registry Violation Convicted 08 07 2001

Donte Harvey 563 Rowland Rd. Stone Mountain, GA 30083 Charge of Child Molestation Convicted 02 15 2011

Dustin Hubbard 5346 Ridgemere Ct. Stone Mountain, GA 30083 Charge of Child Molestation 2nd Degree Convicted 09 04 2003

Sex Offender

Gary Brown 2339 Mark Trail Decatur, GA 30032 Charge of Statutory Rape Convicted 08 18 2000

Jared Harris 10301 Fairington Ridge Circle Lithonia, GA 30038 Charge of Sexual Battery, Victim Under 16 Convicted 02 16 2018

Kadeem Rubin 5207 Mainstreet Park Dr. Stone Mountain, GA 30088 Charge of Criminal Attempt to Commit Lewd Act on Child Convicted 06 11 2003

Michael Galloway 3797 Conley Downs Dr. Decatur GA 30034 Charge of Child Molestation Convicted 11 30 2006

Michael Pollocks 1034 Autumn Crest Dr. Stone Mountain, GA 30083 Charge of Unlawful Sexual Activity with Minors 16 to 17 years old Convicted 09 21 1999

Nathan Matthews 4448 Heavitree Ct. Stone Mountain, GA 30083 Charge of Sexual Battery Convicted 12 13 2017

Sex Offender

Reginald Hall 4527 Mossey Dr. Lithonia, GA 30038 Charge of Sexual Battery Convicted 11 02 2017

Roderick Clark 4573 Dogwood Farms Dr. Decatur, GA 30034 Charge of Rape Convicted 09 23 1984

Rodney Ingram 2900 Athena Ln, #F38 Lithonia, GA 30038 Charge of Statutory Rape Convicted 07 20 1995

Stephen Carter 318 Pine Tree Circle, Bldg. P Decatur, GA 30032 Charge of Child Molestation Convicted 07 09 2008

Octavious Fluellen 2252 Ramblewood Circle Decatur GA 30035 Charge of Child Molestation Convicted 06 28 2011

Trenton Wade 5468 Pepperwood Ct. Stone Mountain, GA 30087 Charge of Rape; 2nd Degree Convicted 03 05 2013

The DeKalb Sex Offenders List is published by the DeKalb County Sheriff Office. For more information call the Sex Offender Unit at 404-298-8130.

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CrossRoadsNews

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