VOLUME 23 NUMBER 2
FREE
APRIL 8, 2017
Published Since April 1995 Serving DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale Counties • www.facebook.com/ocgnews
DeKalb panel to feature Al Sharpton DeKalb County Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson is inviting the community to attend a panel discussion she’s hosting, “The State of America and the Future of Our Youth and Senior Citizens,” featuring the Rev. Al Sharpton of the National Action Network. The panel discussion will be held on Tuesday, April 11, 6 to 7:30 p.m., at the Lou Walker Senior Center, 2538 Panola Road, Lithonia. In addition to Sharpton and Johnson, the panel will include DeKalb Commissioner Gregory Adams; State Representatives Pam Stephenson and Doreen Carter; and Lithonia Mayor Deborah Jackson. Johnson said the panel discussion is critical in light of President Trump’s proposed budget cuts to domestic spending for programs that benefit youths and seniors.
Rev. Al Sharpton
First 90 Days
DeKalb CEO Mike Thurmond tackles water bills, litter, jobs for youths
Conyers sisters big hit on social media
S
ome of the country’s top talk shows are after 6-year-old Dani and 5-year-old Dannah Lockett. Just a few weeks ago, the two Conyers sisters who are students at Fairview Elementary School, made a video with their mom, Dannella Lockett. They were discussing Dannah’s “breakup” with her kindergarten boyfriend. The little drama queens sounded like teens giving “advice” to each other, all the while making facial expressions in their “Say What?” video. The video went viral, generating over 10 million hits. The video begins with a question that every parent asks their children: “How was school today?” But Lockett’s daughters give her an earful that is both insightful and funny: The five-year-old explains she was “dumped.” “We never expected it to get so many hits. We put it on Instagram and everybody started sharing it- and the calls from radio and television began coming in,” said Dannella Lockett, who owns a hair salon, Healthy Hair Studio, located on Salem Road in Conyers. Dannella said the girls have interviewed on V-103 radio and are scheduled to tape for the Steve Harvey television show in a few days. They now have a YouTube page, an See Conyers sisters, page 6
DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond. Photo by Glenn l. Morgan
DECATUR—They applauded him more than 25 times, often erupting into laughter and chorusing “Amen” at his candor. It was DeKalb County’s CEO Michael Thurmond’s first State of the County address and with encouragement from the audience, he ditched his prepared “political speech” and instead spoke from his heart. Thurmond’s address on April 4 came on the 49th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and he paid homage to the civil rights leader and other foot soldiers, thanking them for tearing down the walls of discrimination. In his address, Thurmond, 64, discussed growing up in the rural South, the descendant of sharecroppers, to underscore his upbringing as a hard worker and his determination and commitment to fixing DeKalb’s water billing crisis—his No. 1 priority during his first 90
‘Hate Committee’ gang members convicted in DeKalb killing spree
days in office. Thurmond acknowledged the county has been flooded with complaints about inaccurate high water bills, the result of faulty meters, inefficient software, improper readings and other human error. “For the last 90 days, all—most—of what I’ve dealt with are water meters, trash and sewage,” said Thurmond, dispelling the notion that being CEO is a high profile job removed from the grit and grunt work. Thurmond said, however, he is certain that DeKalb can and will fix the problem. “Let me tell you how I know we can fix it: Because there are cities and counties all over America—all over the world—that have figured out how to send out accurate water bills,”
DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced the conviction by jury trial of two members of the Hate Committee gang who were charged in connection with a deadly crime spree spanning two days. Jurors returned guilty verdicts April 6 against Joseph Broxton, 22, and Daniel Pena, 24, on multiple counts of murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, criminal attempt to commit armed robbery and violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, in connection with the shooting deaths of three people and gunshot injuries to three others following a series of attacks during the summer of 2015. Defendants Broxton (a.k.a. ‘Lil Joe) and Pena (a.k.a. Island) were members of the ‘Hate Committee,’ a local subset of the nationally-known ‘Gangster Disciples’ street gang. The two were ordered by gang leaders to seek out “viola-
See Water bills, page 6
See Gang, page 5