Dunwoody Crier — June 11, 2020

Page 1

DeKalb County Schools puts forward new name for superintendent

Visit thecrier.net for elections results ► ONLINE

► PAGE 6

J u n e 1 1 , 2 0 2 0 | T h e C r i e r. n e t | A n A p p e n M e d i a G r o u p P u b l i c a t i o n | S e r v i n g t h e c o m m u n i t y s i n c e 1 9 7 6

Hundreds rally against racism, police brutality By CARSON COOK carson@appenmediagroup.com DUNWOODY, Ga. — Chants of “Black lives matter!” and “What do we want? Justice!” mixed with a cacophonous chorus of car horns along Ashford Dunwoody Road on June 2. A line of several hundred protesters started in front of City Hall and stretched two blocks south to Meadow Lane. The crowd was a mix of all races, though noticeably skewed younger. Their signs called for an end to racism and read the names of victims of police violence: Eric Gardner, Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd. Floyd died May 25 in Minneapolis when then police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck

for eight minutes, as captured on video. Chauvin has been charged with thirddegree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Three other officers involved in the death have been fired and charged with abetting second-degree murder. Protests erupted across the county over the following weekend, largely peaceful but with instances of looting and rioting in some cities including Atlanta. Dunwoody’s June 2 protests ran from around 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. without violence, vandalism or arrests. “I walked up and down that line making sure nobody was standing in the street, making sure nobody was using profanity in front of the kids, making sure everybody stayed hydrated, mak-

See PROTESTS, Page 2

CARSON COOK/CRIER

A crowd of several hundred wave signs along Ashford-Dunwoody Road June 2 in a protest against racism and police brutality.

Tilly Mill Road bike lane project moves forward with higher budget By CARSON COOK carson@appenmediagroup.com DUNWOODY, Ga. — Plans to improve bike and pedestrian connectivity around Georgia State University’s Dunwoody campus may cost the city more than originally expected. In March 2019, the City Council approved a $790,000 contact to construct sidewalk and bicycle lanes on Tilly Mill Road between the campus and North Peachtree Road. Prolonged negotiations between the city’s sidewalk contrac-

tors, Georgia Development Partners, and Georgia Power delayed work on the project. At its June 1 meeting, the council unanimously approved increasing the amount available for the project to $850,000, reflecting an updated contract with Georgia Development Partners. The costs of the project are covered by sales tax revenue, mostly left over from previous years. Staff noted surplus funds from the Roberts Drive improvement project could cover additional costs. The Tilly Mill

project is expected to begin construction this month and be completed next spring. The new sidewalk and bike lane will complete a half mile of connectivity from Womack Road to North Peachtree. In other business at the June 1 meeting, the council continued its discussion on allowing bicyclists of all ages to ride on sidewalks. Georgia law only allows bicycles to travel on sidewalks if the rider is 12 years old or younger. However, city ordinances can supersede the state law if cities choose to allow older bicyclist, City

Attorney Bill Riley explained. Dunwoody does not have such an ordinance, but at a May 11 meeting, Councilman Joe Seconder kicked off a conversation for making a change. The draft ordinance presented June 1 would allow bicyclists of all ages to ride on sidewalks on roads with speed limits greater than 25 miles per hour and where no physically separated bicycle facilities exist. The ordinance would require bicy-

#1 Agent Coldwell Banker Atlanta 40 Years Experience 770.804.6226 • 404.403.6561 (cell) www.robinblass.com • robinblass@blassprop.com

5591 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd Bldg 1300, Ste 100 Dunwoody, GA 30338

See COUNCIL, Page 6


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.