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APRIL 18 - APRIL 24, 2018
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Downtown merchants, police discuss rally strategy
PHOTO BY CLAY NEELY
Local business owners Amy Murphy and Margaret Sanders voice their concerns about how the upcoming white supremacist rally may affect downtown merchants. Police held an open forum at the Public Safety Complex in an effort to keep an open line of communication between business owners and the city.
OWNERS DEBATE KEEPING DOORS THEIR OPEN DURING THE UPCOMING WHITE SUPREMACIST RALLY BY CLAY NEELY
clay@newnan.com Tu e s d a y m o r n i n g , downtown Newnan business ow ners gat hered at t he New na n Police Department for a Q&A with city officials regarding the upcoming white supremacy rally slated for April 21. Since the announcement of t he ra lly last week, a question has been looming – will downtown be open that day, or shut their doors? Pol ice C h ief D ou g-
las “Buster ” Meadows opened the session by breaking down the plan for keeping the peace during a rally often accompanied by conflict. “The safety of our citizens and their property is our No. 1 goal,” Meadows said. Traff ic control plans were discussed, including the implementation of routes commonly used while filming is in town. With an initial roadblock starting at Spence Avenue, Greenville Street
residents will be able to access t hei r proper t y prior to the solid roadbl o c k a t t h e C owe t a County Justice Center. With roadblocks beginning at 10:30 a.m., police are encouraging people to avoid the area entirely. “T hese people wa nt a n a ud ie n c e , a nd we don’t want to give them o n e ,” M e a d ow s s a i d . Wit h severa l events pla n ned i n dow ntow n Ne w n a n on t h e 2 1 s t , police will maintain a heavy presence through-
out the day, Meadows said. Once the NSM rally begins at 3 p.m., members from over two dozen agencies will be on hand to assist and monitor the rally. “ We have 400 additional officers coming in to assist, and we’re still looking for more,” Meadows said. “We will remain on scene until we know the groups are gone from our area.”
MERCHANTS , page 5
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Heritage High School students perform in New York City ➤ page 6
Churches planning to pray over rally area, hold unity service, bring food to emergency workers BY W. WINSTON SKINNER winston@newnan.com A rea chu rche s a re lo ok i n g for p o sit ive ways to respond to plans by a national neo-Nazi group to hold a rally in Newnan, and Newnan P ol i c e C h i e f B u s te r Meadows gave t hem some options and advice on Monday. Meadows invited area clergy to meet with him at the Newnan Police Department on Monday morning. About 40 pastors attended the meeting, including pastors of both black and white churches and an array of denominations – Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal and non-denominational. Meadows asked pastors to encourage their members to stay away from Greenville Street Park on April 21 when the National Socialist Movement has scheduled a rally from 3 -5 p.m. Local officials are expecting Antifa counter-protesters to be in Newnan that afternoon, as well. “These groups feed off each other,” Meadows said. “Everywhere they go, there are problems.” Meadows told pa stors it will be easier for
local law enforcement to handle the situation with fewer people in the protest area. He also said extremist groups will cou nt at tenda nce by local citizens as support for their cause. “We need to help law enforcement,” stressed D r. Wa y n e Je n k i n s , Western Baptist Association missionary. “We don’t need to do anything that will ma ke their job tougher.” Meadows told the pastors he wanted them to be able to recommend some options to their members – ”something to do besides sitting at home fuming about sitting at home.” Apostle Debra Harris of Kingdom Connected Mi n istries International and Ignite the Fire invited Christians to attend a prayer service at the Greenville Street Park on April 20 at 7 p.m. People participating in that activity may also prayer walk the downtown area. A u n it y ser v ice i s being planned for 3 p.m. on April 21 at St. Smyrna Baptist Church on Heery Road on Newnan’s west
CHURCH, page 2
Local musician, business owner to tour with Indigo Girls DOUG KEES IS TAKING A HIATUS FROM HIS DAY JOBS TO PLAY ROCK-N-ROLL BY MELANIE RUBERTI
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Singer, songwriter, guitarist and Georgia native Michelle Malone belts out one of her signature blues / rock songs during a live performance. The twice Grammy- nominated performer just released her latest album titled “Slings and Arrows.”
melanie@newnan.com Doug Kees will hitting the road this May with his electric guitar and some high-profile names. T he owner of Musicology off Spring Street in New na n, Kees will perform a longside his friend, singer/songwriter Michelle Malone and fellow mu sici a n s a s t he opening act for the Indigo Girls. “For me, it’s a great cha nce to stretch a nd challenge my abilities. To find my role in a new combination of players,” said Kees. “I’ve always liked that ‘side role’ …. help her (Malone) feel confident, cut loose and do her thing. The challenge is, there’s a lot of songs to learn and you want to play them without really thinking about it.” Malone will debut her new record “Slings and Arrows,” on the tour. The
album officially launched on March 2. The bluesy, rock-n-roll album has already landed on the Billboard Blues chart, said Malone. “It is s really an Americana Blues rock record,” she said. “Most of the songs were written with intent to inspire people and bring them together. T here ’s b e en a g re at divide in our countr y within the past year and half or so. I want to bring people together, no matter what side of the aisle you’re on, no matter the political or religious affiliation. I wanted to be part of solution, not part of the problem.” Malone, a Georgia native and two-time Grammy-nominated arti st , descr ibed “ Sl i ngs and Arrows” as a Georgia record. Almost everything affiliated with the album – from the studio it was recorded in to the
visual arts designers – are located in the Peach state. “Why do I need to go somewhere else? Everyt h i n g I ne ed i s r ig ht here,” Malone said. “This is where I feel the most comfortable. The ‘Georgia sound’ comes out of me naturally and I don’t want to change that.” The state designation a lso encompa sses t he musicians who worked on the album – including Kees. “About this time last yea r, she reformed a n e a rl i e r b a n d o f h e r s wh ic h w a s si g n e d to Arista in early 90’s (Drag the River). But the guitar player didn’t want to come back, so I took his place,” Kees said. “She said, ‘I have a new album I need to work on, but no concept.’ So, she came down and we played some
TOUR , page 2