CrossRoadsNews, March 31, 2018

MINISTRY

YOUTH

Eighteen of Towers High’s Marching Titans are go­ ing to London and Paris to perform, learn and see the sights. 6

Lithonia teen Christopher Ballenger (left) won a statewide technology com­ petition with an app he created for CrossRoads­ News. 7

Pioneering travel plans

Award-winning tech

Let’s Keep DeKalb Peachy Clean Please Don’t Litter Our Streets and Highways

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

Copyright © 2018 CrossroadsNews, iNC.

March 31, 2018

Volume 23, Number 48

www.crossroadsnews.com

DeKalb needs public input on new transportation study

By Rosie Manins

A new transit plan for DeKalb County will be developed over the next year to improve public and general transportation services for residents, and leaders are urging civilians to give their input.

The DeKalb County Master Transit Plan (MTP), with a 30-year scope, will identify how transit services in the county are working, what needs exist, how services can be improved and at what cost.

Up to $1.25 million in funding has been allocated by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) to develop the plan by March 31, 2019.

“I can go all the way to Northlake Mall but I can’t even get to South DeKalb on transit. Please help us get regular transit in south DeKalb. We need it now and not in 30 years.”

File

The ARC is accepting requests for proposals from prospective plan development firms before April 16. It expects to award a contract by early May. DeKalb residents will have more than 30 public meetings countywide to give input

Stephanie Johnson, Decatur resident

File

and county leaders have already started col- ing involved in the “historic” and “critical” process. lecting feedback from some residents.

“Transportation is the critical issue facDeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond hosted two town halls on the transit plan in Litho- ing our county and it has been for a long nia and Brookhaven on March 26 and 28 respectively, thanking those present for bePlease see INPUT, page 3

Bells to toll for King worldwide on April 4 7:01 event to mark 50th anniversary of assassination

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., center, stands with, from left, Jesse Jackson and Ralph David Abernathy on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. on April 3, 1968, a day before he was assassinated in the same spot.

Jackson and Abernathy were also with April 4 when he was shot to death.

By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

Bells will toll 39 times at 7:01 p.m. Eastern Time around the world on April 4, 2018 to mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. At the same time, the children and granddaughter of King and his wife, Coretta Scott King, and other family members will toll a bell and lay a wreath at the crypts of their parents at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta.

King, who was born Jan. 15, 1929, was slain by an assassin’s bullet on April 4, 1968 on the balcony of Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn.

He was 39. Had he lived, he would have been 89 years old this year.

Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of the King Center, said that as we remember her father’s death, we must remember the purpose and power of his life. “Although this day is challenging for our family Bernice King and for many around the world, I encourage you to hope today and to hope always,” she said.

In DeKalb County, elected officials and others will make a pilgrimage to the top of Stone Mountain to remember King.

The Bell Ringing Ceremony, hosted by Sen. Emanuel Jones (D–Decatur) and the Martin Luther King Jr. Advisory Council, will commemorate King’s life and service.

The noon to 2 p.m. ceremony is open to the public, and several state department heads and other leaders from across Georgia have been invited.

County CEO Michael Thurmond, who will deliver the keynote speech at the ceremo-

AP Photo/Charles Kelly

ny, said that King’s death 50 years ago inspired him to become involved.

“I remember watching the black and white TV and I was angry,” said Thurmond, the son of sharecroppers who grew up poor in Clark County, M. Thurmond Ga. Thurmond, who was 15 years old when King was murdered, said King’s death was not unexpected “because so many people were being murdered. Among them Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, Lemuel Penn, the three civil rights workers, Andrew Goodman, Michael “Mickey” Schwerner, and James

Chaney, who disappeared in Mississippi, and the four little black girls, Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson and Carol Denise McNair, who died in the 16th Street Church bombing.”

“There was just random ongoing violence,” Thurmond recalled. “I was just basically angry that [King] had been murdered and I wanted to do something to seek justice.

I just knew I had to do something with my life.”

That something manifested itself in public service, and by the time he was 29 years old, Thurmond sought election to the Georgia House. He didn’t win on his first try, but he kept at it.

Looking back over the last five decades,

Thurmond says that tremendous progress has been made because of the sacrifices of King and thousands of others who fought in the civil rights movement.

“But there is still so much to be done,” he said March 29. “Dr. King’s life and sacrifice transform America and opened opportunities for people of color and in that spirit, we must continue the work he started and thank God for him and those who worked with him.”

Teresa Hardy, president of the DeKalb NAACP, will also make the trip to the top of Stone Mountain for the bell-ringing ceremony. She was born in 1972 – four years Please see KING, page 5

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Community

CrossRoadsNews

March 31, 2018

Stewart, who had been on the run more than a day, was apprehended with the help of investigators from five law enforcement agencies.

Uncle who killed 14-year-old niece and man in custody

By Tekia L. Parks

Royce Stewart, who allegedly stabbed his 14-year-old niece and his sister’s finance to death, is now in custody.

Stewart, 36, who police say killed Shykia Ward-Reese while she slept in her bed, and Manuel De Jesus Franco, 35, during an argument on March 25, was on the run for more than a day before the DeKalb Sheriff Fugitive Unit captured him near Mercer Woods subdivision off Covington Highway in Decatur Royce Stewart after a car chase and a foot pursuit on March 26.

He is charged with two counts of murder and theft of a vehicle after police say he stabbed Shykia, an eighth-grader at Renfroe Middle School, and Franco at their Trinity Walk apartments in downtown Decatur.

Kimberly Ward, who is Shykia’s mother and Stewart’s sister, said she was getting ready for work on Sunday morning when

A memorial of balloons and stuffed animals grows on the steps of the apartment building where Shykia WardReese lived, and near where she was stabbed to death on March 25.

she heard her brother arguing with her fiancé over a car. After he stabbed Franco and fled, she discovered her daughter dead in her bed.

No motive was given for the attacks, but Ward said Stewart, who has a troubled past, was staying with her for a couple of days in hopes of her getting him help. She said he

had been using drugs.

Stewart’s criminal history dates to 1999.

In 2003, he was charged with murder and went to prison for five years for involuntary manslaughter in 2005.

Shykia, a student-athlete, was remembered by hundreds of family, friends and teachers at a March 27 candlelight vigil. They

said she “lit up a room when she entered it.”

Her mother said everybody loved her.

“Just them talking about what kind of person she was, was very uplifting,” she said.

Shykia funeral takes place March 31 at 11 a.m. at the Hands of The Lord International Church on Austin Drive in Decatur.

Sheriff ’s Office up for review; residents invited to comment on April 9 DeKalb residents can give input on the performance of the DeKalb County Sheriff ’s Office as it seeks re-accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA).

To maintain accreditation, the Sheriff Office must undergo every three years a comprehensive and stringent on-site CALEA peer review of its Field, Court and Administrative Services divisions.

This year’s review takes place April 9-12, and CALEA is hosting public informa-

tion sessions by phone and in person on April 9.

Comments are limited to 10 minutes per caller or speaker. Residents can also send written comments to the agency, which administers the accreditation process through which law enforcement agencies demonstrate that they meet professionally recognized criteria for excellence in management and service delivery.

Telephone callers can comments from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at 404-298-8504.

The public information session from 6:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. takes place at the Northlake-Barbara Loar Library, 3772 LaVista Road in Tucker.

Letters must be mailed directly to the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc., 13575 Heathcote Boulevard, Suite 320, Gainesville, VA 20155.

All public comments must address the Sheriff ’s Office’s Field, Court, and Administrative Services divisions’ compliance with

CALEA standards.

The DeKalb County Sheriff ’s Office has maintained its CALEA accreditation since July 2000 and in 2015, it received a CALEA Meritorious Certification for maintaining accreditation for 15 consecutive years.

To obtain a copy of CALEA standards, call Tameka Blossomgame, accreditations manager, at 404-298-8504, or pick up a copy weekdays from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at DeKalb County Sheriff ’s Office Headquarters, 4415 Memorial Drive in Decatur.

Cultural Exchange Community Breakfast hosting candidate forum Candidates running for office and voters who want to hear from them can attend the DeKalb Cultural Exchange Community Breakfast on April 7 at the House of Hope Atrium in Decatur.

The monthly breakfast meeting, which

takes place 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., is co-hosted

by DeKalb District 5 School Board member Vickie Turner and Stonecrest District 2 City Councilman Rob Turner.

Rob Turner said the April meeting was moved up a week from its regular second Sat-

urday date to avoid conflict with the DeKalb NAACP’s Unity Breakfast on April 14.

He said candidates seeking office in the May 22 primary and nonpartisan races have been invited.

“Many of the candidates have already

Educating & Empowering the Community

confirmed,” Turner said. “We expect a great turnout from the community.”

A hot breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m.

The forum starts promptly at 9 a.m.

The House of Hope is at 4659 Flat Shoals Parkway in Decatur.

Educating Educating & & Empowering Empowering the the Community Community

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March 31, 2018

Community

3

CrossRoadsNews

“Students and teachers were inside their classrooms or in the cafeteria.

They were not aware of what was taking place.”

Toney Elementary teacher arrested in 2016 double murders Michael De’Sean White, a teacher at Toney Elementary School in Decatur, is facing murder charges for the alleged gang-related killings of two children in Jonesboro.

White, 26, was arrested at the Decatur school at 7:45 a.m. on March 23, in connection to the Oct. 22, 2016, double murders.

Clayton County Police investigators say he was involved in the shooting deaths of 11-year-old Tatiyana Coates and her 14-year-old brother Daveon Coates during a home Michael D. White invasion on Libby Lane.

The children were killed while they were

staying at a friend’s home and men broke in looking for someone who wasn’t there.

White, who joined DeKalb County Schools in March 2017, had been teaching fifth grade at Toney Elementary since Daveon Coates August.

Andre Riley, a school district spokesman, said that White was removed from his position and is on paid administrative leave until official results of an investigation are released.

“DeKalb County School District’s first priority is the safety of our students and staff,”

Riley said, adding that the school district is “fully cooperating” with law enforcement agencies.

Riley said White underwent two background checks in 2017.

“On both occasions, nothing indicated this Tatiyana Coates employee may be involved in criminal behavior,” he said.

In a March 23 letter to parents and guardians, Toney Elementary Principal Oliver Deal said White was quietly escorted out of the building and was not handcuffed until he was outside the school.

“Students and teachers were inside their

classrooms or in the cafeteria,” he wrote.

“They were not aware of what was taking place. At no time was the safety of any of our students or staff members jeopardized.”

Clayton County Maj. Tina Daniel said March 27 there were more than one perpetrators at the murder scene and that the investigation is open and ongoing.

Through Thursday, 11 people were arrested, and nine were charged with murder.

A gun recovered in Chattanooga, Tenn., in a gang-related incident days after the killings is believed to be the murder weapon.

Daniel said White was identified with the help of an artist’s sketch.

White’s attorney Nicole Fegan said he was not involved in any gang activity.

DeKalb’s future is bright, says CEO during State of the County address

By Rosie Manins

DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond says the county is on the up with a $75 million annual surplus in the bank, the sewer system being fixed and mass transit expansion in M. Thurmond the cards.

Thurmond, who has been in the job for 15 months, delivered his 2018 State of the County address to state, county and municipal leaders, business executives, first responders and citizens at two events this week.

Speaking to more than 500 people at a ticketed business luncheon in Stone Mountain on March 28, Thurmond said that “against seemingly insurmountable odds,” the county has achieved a lot in the last 12 months.

“DeKalb County is up, the giant is stirring, and an economic juggernaut is rising in East Metro,” he said. His speech at the Stone Mountain business event, hosted by the Council for Quality Growth and the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, was followed with a free public State of the County Address at the Lou Walker Senior Center on Panola Road in Lithonia on March 29.

Fixing the county’s aging sewer and water system is Thurmond’s top priority, with mass transit expansion a close second.

“We have much to celebrate today, but the journey to exceptional leadership, to exceptional service, has just begun,” he said.

“We are prepared, we are ready, and we will lead the renaissance of transportation and mass transit in metro Atlanta.”

Thurmond said he will continue to lobby MARTA executives about expanding transit in DeKalb, continue to try to save shopping

centers like the Mall at Stonecrest, and work to drive economic development.

“For 40 years plus, we have paid hundreds of millions of dollars into MARTA and we are proud that we are the backbone of MARTA, but MARTA has not treated South DeKalb fairly,” he said. Thurmond is enthusiastic about the county starting a master transit plan, which will feed into an updated comprehensive transport plan for DeKalb.

He said the county’s top achievements in the last year include passage of the county’s first Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), eliminating the county’s $27 million deficit and replacing it with a $75 million surplus, cleaning 220 miles of sewers by removing 5.1 million tons of debris from the system, and releasing 37,000 previously held water bills.

Thurmond said the county’s consent decree programs are “back on track,” with $78

million worth of work already contracted to improve the sewer system over the next two years.He said the county also replaced 3,000 manhole covers, secured and demolished over 70 dilapidated structures, eliminated 51 illegal dump sites, and removed 5,600 tons of litter from local streets over the past year.

He congratulated the county’s “courageous” first responders, citing a January apartment fire in Decatur in which a rescue officer caught and saved a baby thrown from a window, and he applauded the county’s Watershed Management team for repairing in record time a 48-inch water main that broke on March 7 near Buford Highway.

“And to top it all off, as I was waking from my slumber two Saturdays ago, I got a call and I was told that we had corralled a herd of horses galloping up Highway 78,” Thurmond said. “We are a hell of an organization I can tell you that.”

DeKalb’s transit needs will feed into regional transportation plan INPUT,

from page

1

time,” Thurmond said at the March 26 town hall, held at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church on Woodrow Road in Lithonia, “It’s about jobs, it’s about quality of life, and it’s about economic development going forward,” he said.

DeKalb’s Master Transit Plan will form the transit component of an updated Comprehensive Transport Plan (CTP) for the county and will feed into regional transit and transportation plans.

Fulton County just finished its MTP in January, and Gwinnett County expects to complete its MTP within a few months.

DeKalb last updated its transportation plan in 2014.

Thurmond said it’s a good time to gauge transit needs in the county in the wake of the county’s first Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), approved by voters in the November 2017 general election.

The penny tax, which becomes law on April 1, is set to generate $600 million for DeKalb over the next six years. County commissioners have earmarked 85 percent of that for road and transportation improvements.

The Master Transit Plan will be managed by the ARC, but led by Thurmond, the DeKalb Board of Commissioners and the DeKalb Municipal Association with input from the MARTA, Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA), State Road and Tolls Authority (SRTA) and Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT).

Thurmond said existing MARTA services in DeKalb will change through the MTP. “They will be better and more customerfocused,” he said. “That’s not a promise, that’s a fact.”

Lithonia Mayor Deborah Jackson, who

represented the DeKalb Municipal Association at the March 26 town hall, urged the 70-plus residents in attendance to participate in the plan’s development by sharing their transit demands, concerns and hopes.

Deborah Jackson “We’re looking at how we can make connections between our respective communities, because we’re all about one DeKalb,” she said. “ We know that having transportation and a plan that identifies what the opportunities are is really important for the ongoing economic development and viability of our county.”

But not all stakeholders have been enthusiastic.

Several South DeKalb residents who spoke at the Lithonia town hall said DeKalb doesn’t need another transportation plan.

What it needs is immediate action based on past plans and studies that have already identified needs and solutions, they said.

“We are sick and tired of coming here, listening to the same old song,” said Joel Edwards, a MARTA retiree who lives off South Hairston Road.

Edwards said there have been too many Joel Edwards transportation studies.

“DeKalb doesn’t need another study,” he said.

“Everything is already laid out, all you have to do is implement it.”

Teresa Hardy, president of the DeKalb NAACP agreed.

“We’ve done a lot Teresa Hardy of studies and we don’t

need another one to tell us that transit is inequitable in South DeKalb,” said Hardy, who lives on Rainbow Drive in Decatur.

Faye Coffield, a Lithonia resident, said DeKalb needs better transit connections between the north and south of the county, as well as a train to Stonecrest and Faye Coffield a train from Stonecrest to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

“Like everyone is saying, at some point you have to stop studying and start doing,” she said. “I’ve been to Third World countries that have a better transportation system for their people than we have here. The train should have been at Stonecrest years ago.”

Stephanie Johnson, a Decatur resident, had a simpler plea: for public transport services to extend along Flat Shoals Parkway to the intersection of Wesley Chapel Road and Flakes Mill Road.

“I can go all the way to Northlake Mall but I can’t even get to South DeKalb on transit,” she said.

“Please help us get regular transit in

South DeKalb,” she said.

“We need it now and not in 30 years.”

Decatur resident Vera Whitaker, who hitchhiked to the Lithonia meeting, said sometimes she “risked it” and drove to doctor appointments Vera Whittaker despite being mostly blind because the MARTA Mobility service will not pick her up from her home on White Castle Drive in Decatur.

“I’ve paid the MARTA tax for nothing, because I can’t get MARTA Mobility without driving to the Wesley Chapel area. They won’t come to my door,” Whitaker said.

Details about the Master Transit Plan and how it will be developed over the next year will be posted at www.dekalbcountyga. gov where residents will also be able to find information on future public meetings as they are scheduled.

Lori Sand, an ARC transit executive and planner, said the bulk of DeKalb’s transit plan will be developed by the end of the year, allowing three months of review and finalization before the contract completion date of March 31, 2019.

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CrossRoadsNews

Community 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.

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March 31, 2018

“The parties involved in the case may provide you with the information you requested, but we cannot.”

Commissioner guilty of sexual Wright suing couple harassment, investigation concludes for defamation and

By Rosie Manins When Wright responded “no,” Adams emotional distress texted back “Really? Why not? I thought we

DeKalb C ounty Commissioner Gregory Adams sexually harassed a female subordinate in 2017, violating county policy, an internal investigation launched by the Gregory Adams county found.

The investigation by national law firm Nelson Mullins, which has an office in Atlanta, was initiated by the county in May 2017 after Adams’ former district director Ashlee Wright claimed she was sexually harassed by the Super District 7 commissioner earlier in the year.

The investigation report, dated Sept. 6, 2017, was obtained by CrossRoadsNews under the state’s Open Records Act. Adams, who won the office in a December 2016 special election, denies that his behavior and conversations with Wright constituted sexual abuse. Wright contended that his conduct created a hostile work environment which she found stressful.

Wright was hired by Adams, first as his executive assistant before becoming his district director in January 2017.

The county’s investigation concluded Adams violated the DeKalb County NonDiscrimination and Anti-Harassment Employment Policy when he called Wright “sexy, beautiful and intelligent”; repeatedly asked to see pictures of her in a bikini; referred to himself as “big daddy,” and Wright as “my baby”; and invited himself to her hotel room at 3 a.m. during an April 27-29 conference of county commissioners in Savannah.

The investigation report recommends that Adams, a pastor and husband of 38 years, attend sexual harassment training “to ensure he understands the kinds of comments and behavior that are not appropriate for a professional setting and the impact that such comments may have on the recipient regardless of the intended effect or joking manner in which they were made.”

Adams has said his comments to and about Wright were taken out of context and were not intended to offend or to be taken seriously.

He said he never had any sexual interest in Wright, whom he thought of like a daughter, and that he had a complimentary and joking manner with most people.

Adams attributes some of his behavior, including the 3 a.m. text to Wright in Savannah and inviting himself to her room, to prescription medicine for an ailment he’s had since being in the armed forces.

Adams said the medicine – redacted from the report – makes him do odd things of which he has no recollection.

Wright said Adams would call her at all hours of the day or night, sometimes to talk about his wife; that he got uncomfortably close to her when photographs were being taken; that he wanted her with him all the time – more so than other staff – and that he referred to her good looks often and inappropriately.

Wright said Adams insisted she stay at the same hotel as him during the Savannah conference, which was also attended by Adams’ wife, Jacqueline.

At 3 a.m. on April 29, Wright received a text from Adams, in which he said “Good night young lady. I can’t sleep. I may come down to see you. Do you want company?”

In early May 2017, Wright complained about Adams’ conduct to County Attorney Overtis “O.V.” Brantley and showed her text messages from Adams, saying that she did not want to make a formal report but wanted Adams’ behavior to stop.

On May 3 at 10:48 p.m. Wright received a text from Adams, asking if she had sent him a picture of herself in a bikini.

were cool like that, but that’s cool. What’s love got to do with it?”

Also on May 3, Adams texted Wright “Hello, I thought you loved me”, to which Wright responded “Yes sir, I do. Night.”

Adams then texted, “I just asked for a picture of you in your bikini. The world saw it, but you won’t let me see it,” referring to a photo Wright had posted on Facebook.

Wright then made a formal complaint about Adams to the county triggering the Nelson Mullins investigation, even though Wright continued to work as Adams’ district director.

In early June, after a meeting with Adams, Wright told him she intended to run for office, and Adams replied that her leaving would be akin to “aborting their baby.”

Wright taped the conversation, unbeknown to Adams.

She also made recordings of two other conversations with Adams, in which he can be heard saying “my baby [Wright] takes care of me, she knows what big daddy likes” and that Wright was “sexy, beautiful and intelligent.”

On June 12, 2017, Wright went on unpaid leave and filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which launched its own investigation in August 2017.

The EEOC declined to comment publicly on the investigation.

Terrie Dandy, the EEOC’s Outreach & Training director, said because of the confidential nature of their investigations, they do not comment on any cases the EEOC has received, processed or resolved through its administrative processes, i.e., investigations, mediations or conciliations.

“If a lawsuit was filed, then that information would be of public record,” Dandy said. “The parties involved in the case may provide you with the information you requested, but we cannot.”

In her July 7, 2017, interview with Nelson Mullins, Wright said Adams’ behavior toward her changed and became curt after she complained to the county attorney about him. She said Adams retaliated against her, used subliminal messages, and started rumors about her sleeping with men.

Nelson Mullins concluded there was no evidence that Adams retaliated against Wright in his capacity as her boss.

The firm interviewed Adams on July 11, in the presence of his wife.

Adams said he had a pleasant relationship with Wright and that his comments about her being sexy and his requests to see pictures of her in a bikini were playful and part of a running joke between them.

Adams said because of his prescribed medication, he could not recall sending the late-night text to her in Savannah.

Adams said his relationship with Wright soured after he suggested she was slacking at work and asked her to improve.

He also said that Wright, who got a $3,000 raise when she became his district director in April 2017, complained to get money to fund her political campaign and that she had a romantic interest in him.

Adams, who is seeking his first full fouryear term in the May 22 primary elections, is facing three opponents.

The investigators recommended that Adams attend a sexual harassment training to ensure to ensure he understands the kinds of comments and behavior that are no appropriate for a professional setting and the impact that such comment may have on the recipient; and that he be counseled on the importance of confidentiality when dealing with matters of this nature, as well as refraining from any conduct that would have the potential of impacting the integrity of investigations into allegations of workplace misconduct.

Jacqueline and Gregory Adams are being sued for alleged false comments made about his former district director.

By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

Ashlee Wright, who has accused DeKalb Commissioner Gregory Adams of sexual harassment, has sued him and his wife, Jacqueline, for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, punitive damages, and attorney’s fees.

In two separate lawsuits, filed Jan. 23 and 24, 2018, Wright, who Ashlee Wright was the commissioner’s district director from January to June 2017, also demanded jury trials.

The lawsuits come in the wake of a DeKalb County internal investigation that found that Gregory Adams engaged in actions that “fall within DeKalb County’s Non-Discriminarion and Anti-Harrassment Policy’s definition of sexual harassment.”

During the investigation, Wright produced text messages – some sent as late as 3:39 a.m. – that Adams sent to her inviting himself to her hotel room while they were attending a county association conference in Savannah in 2017; and repeated requests for a photo of her in a bikini; and statements that she was sexy, and “my baby takes care of me,” and knows what “big daddy likes.”

The lawsuits claim that after Wright reported Adams’ behavior to the county, he and his wife made false statements about her in several different newspaper articles calling her a liar, and saying anything can be fabricated and doctored. She said her former boss also said she was trying to use sexual harassment as an opportunity to get money for her city council campaign.

The complaint also said that the Adamses refused to retract “the false and defamatory statements, and acted maliciously, recklessly and in bad faith.”

In answers filed to the lawsuits on March 20 by the couple’s attorney, Bruce Morris of the Mariettabased Barnes Law Group, the Adamses asked for the complaints to be dismissed and for Wright to pay all costs.

The commissioner, who was elected to the Super District 7 seat in a December 2016 special election, denied the allegations of sexual harassment and said the statements alleged in Wright’s complaint are “a matter of public concern” and is “absolutely or conditionally privileged.”

Adams also denied that he has committed any act which would allow the award of attorney fees, and said the service of the lawsuit is improper because he was not served within five days of the filing of the action.

Jacqueline Adams also said her statements “is a matter of public concern and is privileged” and that any statements she made was in the scope of her “exercising her right of free speech guaranteed by Amendment I and XIV of the Constitution of the United States … and the 1983 Constitution of Georgia.”

On March 20, DeKalb Superior Court Judge Gail Flake, who presides over Division IV, recused herself from the case and ordered that it be randomly assigned to another division.

“It is hereby ordered that said action be remanded to the Court Administrator for reassignment,” the order said.

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CrossRoadsNews

March 31, 2018

RemembeRing mLK

Faith, civil rights and labor leaders will help train hundreds of “I Am 2018” Dream Corps activists.

‘I AM 2018’ to mobilize civic engagement in honor of Dr. King Civil rights and church leaders, King family members and stars of the film and music industry will descend on Memphis, Tenn., on April 2-4 with the launch of a new national “I AM 2018” campaign to mark the 50th anniversary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.

The three days of training, speeches, discussions, and commemoration marches will transform Memphis into the birthplace of a new political movement and aggressive voter education and civic engagement program to mobilize turnout for the 2018 elections and beyond.

The American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and Church of God in Christ (COGIC), which are co-launching the national effort, say they want to ensure that King’s legacy and that of the 1968 Memphis sanitation strikers live on with a new generation of activists.

King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, on the balcony of Lorraine Motel in Memphis. He was in the city to support black garbage workers who were fighting for better working conditions and equal pay, and had marched with them on March 28, 1968.

The “I Am 2018” campaign is luring some of the most prominent civil rights, faith, labor, entertainment and other leaders to hold first-of-its-kind trainings, mobilization and commemoration activities across the city, including at Mason Temple COGIC, where King made his final, prophetic “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech on April 3, 1968.

Faith, civil rights and labor leaders from AFSCME, COGIC and other civic organizations will help train hundreds of “I Am 2018” Dream Corps activists to kick off a new nationwide voter education and civic engagement program.

At a Youth Town Hall, activists and leaders at the forefront of fights for economic and racial justice will discuss urban youth issues and make plans for November 2018

AP Photo/Jack Thornell

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (center) is flanked by Bishop Julian Smith (left) and Rev. Ralph Abernathy (right) during the March 28, 1968 sanitation workers march in Memphis, Tenn.

Bernice King

Martin King III

Common

and future elections.

Prominent journalists, academics, community leaders and subject experts will join a three-day Mountaintop Conference featuring panels on criminal justice reform, minority youth education, the future of American workers and the intersection of labor, faith and civil rights.

Lee Saunders, president of AFSCME which represents 1.6 million public service workers, said the “I Am 2018” campaign isn’t just a reflection on the past.

“It’s a call to action for the future,” he said in a March 27 press release. “Dr. King and the Memphis strikers knew that you can’t achieve

Danny Glover

Lee Saunders

economic justice without racial justice. And yet, 50 years after Dr. King’s Mountaintop speech, working people are still fighting those same fights.”

Saunders said that they are embarking on a historic partnership with COGIC to build and grow a network of trained, energized activists to connect our generation’s struggles with the unfinished work of the heroes of Memphis: Dr. King, the Memphis strikers and the faith leaders who stepped up together to bend the moral arc of the universe towards justice.

Charles E. Blake Sr., presiding bishop of the COGIC, which has nearly 6.5 million

adherents and churches in 87 countries worldwide, said the church and the labor movement are united on the “I Am 2018” campaign that comes 50 years after King declared from the Mason Temple pulpit that “We, as a people, will get to the promised land.”

“In April, together with AFSCME, we are telling the world that it Charles Blake must come together to fight poverty and prejudice and advance the freedom of all people as we never have before,” he said.

As a lead-up to the April events, activists, elected officials, students, workers and other “I Am 2018” campaign leaders have been organizing and building support for their work this year and beyond.

On Feb. 1, more than 70 cities observed a coordinated moment of silence to honor Memphis sanitation workers Echol Cole and Robert Walker, who were crushed to death in 1968, which triggered the strike of 1,300 sanitation workers that brought King to Memphis.

On Feb. 24, two days before the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on a case that could threaten workers’ rights, thousands of working people, civil rights, labor leaders and families flooded the streets of major U.S. cities to demand freedom from want and hate and to call for the U.S. to un-rig its broken political and economic systems.

Since then, college students and other young filmmakers have been submitting videos that connect King’s fight for justice to today’s movements for social change.

The winning submissions, judged by Hans Charles, Dorian Parks, co-founder of Geeks of Color, and award-winning filmmakers Madeleine Hunt Erlich and Shahin Izadi, will be screened at Mason Temple on April 3.

Free admission to the Center for Civil and Human Rights on April 4 Guests at the Center for Civil and Human Rights will join people around the world for a Bell Ringing at 7:01 p.m. to mark the official commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.

Atlantans can reflect on Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy at the Center for Civil and Human Rights on April 4 – free of charge.

The museum is opening at no cost to guests for its 50th Commemoration of the Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with support of FedEx Express, which is picking up the tab for everyone who visits the museum on April 4 from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Brian Tolleson, the center’s interim CEO, extended the open invitation in a March 27

press release.

“On April 4, I invite Atlanta to come to The Center to reflect on the life of Dr. King and transform the way we live his legacy every day,” he said.

Shannon A. Brown, FedEx Express senior vice president, said King’s vision, courage and commitment to service inspired people from all walks of life.

“FedEx is honored to celebrate Dr. King’s extraordinary legacy by offering free public admission to the National Center of Civil

and Human Rights,” said Brown, who is the company’s chief human resources and diversity officer.

Along with free admission, The Center is hosting a day of activities that challenges visitors to continue King’s legacy.

Activities include: n Live the Legacy photo booth – 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the Second Floor Main Lobby.

Share how you Live the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and inspire your

peers to take human rights personally on social media with a photo booth. n “Atlanta: Living the Legacy” art exhibition – 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the second and third floors.

Savannah College of Art & Design students created art pieces that explore the rapid development and growth of Atlanta and the role the city plays in living King’s legacy. n “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top” performances – 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m. in the Glenn Room on the first floor.

Austin Broughton performs Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top” speech. n Global Bell Ringing Ceremony – 7:01 p.m. on the second floor Main Austin Broughton Lobby.

Guests will join people around the world to mark the official commemoration of Dr. King’s assassination at 7:01 with a Bell Ringing.

For more information, call 678-999-8990 or visit civilandhumanrights.org.

Bells to toll worldwide on the 50th anniversary of King’s assassination KINg,

from Page Page

1

after King’s death. She also did not learn why King died until she was an adult.

“In my high school, we were told that he was a Nobel Peace Prize winner,” said Hardy, who grew up in Lineville, Ala. “In college, they focused only on his accomplishments.”

Hardy, who attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham, sees the 50th anniversary commemoration of King’s death

as “a sort of rebirth of the reasons to continue to fight for human rights.”

“Fifty years later we are still fighting for the things he died for,” she said March 29. “That’s the sad part. But with the momentum that we have Teresa Hardy right now, we are standing up against gun violence, and for health care, voting rights, equal rights, and equal wages

so that his death is not in vain.”

As people remember her father, Bernice King said that, like her father said in his Nobel acceptance speech on Dec. 10, 1964, she still has “an audacious faith in the future of mankind.”

“Our family encourages you to not be angered by my father’s death; be bolstered by his teachings and awakened by his work.

Fifty years later, let us remember him by embracing the truth that ‘Together We Win with Love for Humanity.’ ”

King said she is certain that her father would be profoundly grateful that we are gathered to grow together and help move humanity forward.

“Not only will we be honoring him, but we will be committing our energy and efforts to building the Beloved Community,” she said.

The King Center is hosting commemorative events April 2-9. For a full list, visit www. mlk50forward.org or www.thekingcenter. org.

6

CrossRoadsNews

Ministry

March 31, 2018

“We gotta understand what the other side of the world is about.

I want my students to be put in the position to be versatile.”

Beating the odds: Towers High Titans headed to London, Paris Eighteen members of Towers High’s marching band who scored high on discipline, dedication, integrity, and their “ride or die” mentality will share techniques and see the sights in two of Europe’s most iconic cities.

Tekia L. Parks / CrossRoadsNews

By Tekia L. Parks

Eighteen members of Towers High School’s Marching Titans are in London and Paris for a week to perform and learn from international brass bands.

The sophomore and seniors – Jelena Herriott, Marcus Andrews, Tanecya Knolton, Danny Lindley, Khadijah White, Jermaine Taylor, Kaylyn Harris, Kyle Davis, Myles Brown, Monet Smith, Curtis Grayson, Jalen Daniel, Karmen Smith, Mykel Taylor, Karla Harris, Michael Elliott, Kashmir Loveless and Jamyss Morales – along with band director Shawan Baptiste departed from HartsfieldJackson International Airport on March 28 for cultural exchange trip.

For most of the students, it will be the first time that they have left the state and traveled internationally.

Baptiste picked the students for the trip from the band’s 70 members. The lucky travelers scored high on discipline, dedication, integrity, and the “ride or die” mentality they show on a day-to-day basis.

The trip’s first leg begins in London, where the band will attend a master class and

rehearsal with the Wembley-based Regent Brass Band, and visit Buckingham Palace, and St. Paul’s Cathedral for Easter Sunday service on April 1.

In Paris, the students will tour the Louvre Museum, the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, and the Palace at Versailles. The students will also share their American and marching band standards with students from different schools in the two cities.

Band captain Michael Elliott, who is 17 years old, has never been outside Georgia.

He said meeting and performing with new people is the most exciting part for him.

“The only thing I’m looking forward to is the master class,” the senior said.

Michael, who has 10 music scholarships under his belt, says he owes this opportunity to Baptiste.

“If it wasn’t for her, I’d be lost,” he said.

Baptiste, who was an exchange student in her teens, said it will be refreshing for the students to explore other genres of music which could open doors in music in their future.

“We gotta understand what the other side of the world is about,” she said. “I want

my students to be put in the position to be versatile.”

Because of the negative perception of Towers High, Baptiste said she stuck her neck out to show the community that their kids can do something different.

“They don’t believe, nobody has ever believed,” she said. “It’s never happened before.”

The trip has also created excitement and curiosity among students who are not in the band.

“They’re always asking am I going to Paris, can I bring them something back,” Michael said.

He believes their trip is encouraging students to join the band next year.

The band and booster parents have been raising money since October to pay for the trip, which is costing $50,000. Through March 15, they had raised $45,000.

Initially, the band did not receive much support from the community or school district.

“A lot of times we stood on corners asking people to patronize us and support us,” Baptiste said.

Parents Joann Davis, Nichelle Andrews and Linda Smith are three of the four parents going on the trip. They solicited donations at intersections and invested in cookie dough, popcorn palace, Krispy Kreme, and Cash App fundraisers to make sure that the students could have the trip.

“Our kids deserve the same respect as other schools,” Davis said.

Baptiste, who came to Towers in 2012, has brought $9 million in student scholarships. She plans on making the trip an annual event.

Michael says he and his band mates are passionate about music, the band and their school.

“We rep us,” Michael said. “Even when were outside of here, were just Towers all the way.”

Want to help?

The Titans are still $5,000 shy of their goal. To donate, send checks and cash to Towers High School, Attn: Titans Band Boosters, 3919 Brookcrest Circle, Decatur, GA 30032, or use Cash App $titansbandfam@gmail.com.

April 1 is the deadline to apply for education grants from Wells Fargo Groups and organizations working to eliminate the achievement gap in K-12 public education can apply through April 1 for grants from Wells Fargo.

Grants will also be awarded to programs that help to eliminate the achievement gap

in K-12 public education, advance education through arts, culture, science and history programs or that preserve the environment through educational programs.

The new grants come in the wake of Wells Fargo awarding $1,196,500 on March 21 to

support community development in Atlanta, to 48 organizations that focus on affordable housing, adult financial education and workforce development for low-to-moderate income wage-earners and communities.

Grant recipients include the Atlanta Chil-

dren’s Shelter, Drake House, Georgia Justice Project, Georgia Micro Enterprise Network and the Urban League of Greater Atlanta.

For more information and to apply for the new round of grants, visit www.wellsfargo. com/donations.

in the Superior Court of DeKalb County State of Georgia

Legal Notices 03/10, 03/17, 03/24, 03/31

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

Civil Action Case Number: 18FM1953-3 Lanisha D. Coates PLAINTIFF VS Alton Coates, Jr. DEFENDANT NOTICE OF PUBLICATION TO: Alton Coates, Jr. 3800 Flat Shoals Pkwy, Apt. 16D Decatur, GA 30034

By ORDER of the Court service for ser­ vice by publication dated Mar. 01, 2018.

You are hereby notified that Feb. 05, 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: Lanisha D. Coates, 1402 David Cir., Decatur, GA

30032. Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of Mar. 01, 2018.

Witness the Honorable Clarence F. Seeliger, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court.

This the 1st day of Mar., 2018 03/10, 03/17, 03/24, 03/31

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

Civil Action Case Number: 18FM2097-1 Egbert Samuels PLAINTIFF VS Hyacinth Samuels DEFENDANT NOTICE OF PUBLICATION TO: Hyacinth Samuels 32 Mimosa Ave. Kingston, Jamaica

By ORDER of the Court service for service by publication dated Mar. 02,

2018. You are hereby notified that Feb. 13, 2018, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for divorce w/o minor children. You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: Egbert Samuels, 4213 Wingfoot Ct., Decatur, GA 30035.

Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of Mar. 06, 2018.

Witness the Honorable Courtney L. Johnson, Judge of the DeKalb Supe­ rior Court.

This the 06th day of Mar., 2018 03/10, 03/17, 03/24, 03/31

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

Civil Action Case Number: 18FM2097-3 Egbert Samuels PLAINTIFF VS

Hyacinth Samuels DEFENDANT NOTICE OF PUBLICATION TO: Hyacinth Samuels 32 Mimosa Ave. Kingston, Jamaica

By ORDER of the Court service for service by publication dated Mar. 02, 2018. You are hereby notified that Feb. 07, 2018, the above-named Plaintiff filed suit against you for divorce w/o minor children. You are required to file with the Clerk of Superior Court, and to serve upon the Plaintiff’s attorney whose name and address is: Egbert Samuels, 4213 Wingfoot Ct., Decatur, GA 30035.

Answer in writing within sixty (60) days of Mar. 06, 2018.

Witness the Honorable Clarence F. Seeliger, Judge of the DeKalb Superior Court.

This the 05th day of Mar., 2018 03/24, 03/31, 04/07, 04/14

Notice of Petition

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 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 Syphrett Randall.

Any interested party has the right to appear in this case and file objec­ tions within 30 days after the Petition was filed.

Dated: Mar. 01, 2018

7

CrossRoadsNews

March 31, 2018

youth

“I wanted to make this app because it fulfilled a purpose in my life.... It was one of the biggest things I’ve done and I was proud of myself.”

Teen wins state technology contest with CrossRoadsNews app

By Rosie Manins

A mobile app created for CrossRoadsNews by 17-year-old Christopher Ballenger has landed him first place in a statewide technology competition.

Christopher, an 11th-grader at DeKalb Early College Academy, won a medal in the 2018 Georgia Educational Student Technology Competition, held March 10 at Middle Georgia State University in Macon.

His Android app, which makes it easy for CrossRoadsNews readers to access the newspaper content on their cell phones, nabbed the mobile apps category for grades 11 and 12 in the competition run by the Georgia Educational Technology Consortium.

The contest, which is in its 17th year, annually attracts more than 1,000 top students in grades three through 12. It is the highest level of student technology competition in Georgia.

Christopher, who lives in Lithonia, was one of 1,120 students from 17 regions statewide who competed in the 2018 competition. His entry was one of 857 projects in 16 categories that included 3-D modeling, video production, robotics, animation, audio production, digital game design and project programming.

Christopher, who is also dual-enrolled full-time student at Georgia State University, was one of 103 first-place winners at the state level, and one of five first-place winners from DeKalb.

To compete for state honors, he first had to win at the DeKalb County School District Technology Fair on Feb. 3 at Elizabeth Andrews High School in Stone Mountain.

Christopher, who aspires to be a digital

Photos By Rosie Manins / CrossRoadsNews

At left, Lithonia teen Christopher Ballenger shows his winning app to CrossRoadsNews Editor/ Publisher Jennifer Parker. He visited the newspaper with his father, James Ballenger (right).

developer, said he is proud of his winning app, which lets users scroll through headlines and photographs, read news articles, and comment through Twitter.

He said he decided to develop the app on his own after he visited www.crossroadsnews.com in December 2017 and realized that, while the newspaper’s website adapts to cell phones, it does not have an app.

“I was like, ‘hmmm, let me see if I can take it upon myself to create one,’ ” Christopher said March 23.

It took him just two weeks to create the app in early January over his winter break.

“I wanted to make this app because it fulfilled a purpose in my life,” he said. “It worked pretty well and it was one of the biggest things I’ve done and I was proud of myself.”

Before his 2018 state win, Christopher entered the DeKalb technology competition five times, starting with his first entry in 2010 when he was in the third grade. That year he won his category and went on to place third in the state competition.

In 2012, 2015, and 2016, Christopher won first in DeKalb County but had varying levels of success at the state level.

Now, after winning first place at both county and state levels, Christopher has his sights set on an encore in 2019 when he is a senior, so he can be eligible for cash scholarships that are only awarded to seniors.

The Georgia competition awards $250 and $500 scholarships to top seniors. This year 18 students, including three from DeKalb County, won $4,750.

Ben Wolfson, from Chamblee Charter High School, won a $250 device modification scholarship, and Klarissa Humphrey and Lillie Williams-Nunn of DeKalb High School of Technology South won a $250 graphic design scholarship.

Christopher is set to graduate in 2019 with an associate’s degree from Georgia State and a high school diploma. He said the best thing about website and mobile app development is succeeding and making people happy.

“With what I’ve learned, I have been able to help other kids in making websites and their own apps,” he said.

The teenager, who attended Oakview, Rainbow and Clifton elementary schools, Wadsworth Magnet School for High Achievers and Chapel Hill Middle School, has the full support of his family – parents James and Sabrina Ballenger, and older sisters Brittne Jackson and Brishawn Parks.

“We’re very proud of what he’s done,” he father said. “He surprises us and amazes us.”

Christopher would eventually like to see his prototype app for CrossRoadsNews perfected and implemented, but for now, he is turning his attention toward a month’s study in Spain and preparation for a national computing competition being held in New Orleans, La., in early August.

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8

CrossRoadsNews

March 31, 2018

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