Author: On Common Ground News

By Mackenzie N. Morgan Dozens of Rockdale County citizens and law enforcement officials came together for a town hall meeting on July 12 seeking solutions following two fatal officer-involved shootings of African American men, one in Baton Rouge, LA., the other in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Those shootings sparked the ambush retaliation murders of five police officers in Dallas, Texas, touching off even more rallies and cries for peace around the nation and town hall meetings like the one in Rockdale. Rockdale Chairman Richard Oden called the meeting in an effort to encourage dialogue between the community and government officials to…

As the flags in front of my building are at half-staff, I can only sit and reflect on last week’s events. The death of five law enforcement officers following the death of two black men, once again glued us to the television watching the videos. It’s early in either case, but much of the public is wondering if any of these shootings are justified. Incidents of deadly force, with and without videos, seem to come with saddening regularity, and for much of the uneducated public, feel as if it involves a white officer and an unarmed black man. It has…

ATLANTA Fifth Annual Black Homeschool Expo: “Our Culture is Our Cure” Families seeking to homeschool their children are invited to attend a three-day homeschool exposition July 15-17. The first day of the expo will be held 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., at the Omenala Afrikan History and Teaching Museum, 337 Dargan Place SW, Atlanta. The remainder of the conference will take place at Georgia Piedmont Technical College Conference Center, 495 North Indian Creek Drive, Clarkston. Presented by Liberated Minds, the theme for this year’s black homeschool and education expo is “Our culture is our cure: cultivating the black genius in…

  Off-duty DeKalb County police officers are patrolling commercial properties on Wesley Chapel and Panola Roads in Decatur under a new initiative launched by the East Metro DeKalb Community Improvement District (CID). Officers are working staggered shifts, primarily during overnight hours, to provide protection and increased visibility to the Wesley Chapel/Panola Road businesses that are located in the CID. Sgt. Susan V. Sowell, who is leading the patrols, said CID property owners may contact DeKalb’s East Precinct to report areas of concerns. “I will use a variety of enforcement options, such as high-visibility patrols, the operation of speed detection…

DeKalb County’s Gresham Park will soon have an outdoor basketball court, thanks to The Atlanta Hawks Foundation. The foundation donated $48,000 to develop the basketball court, expected to be completed by late Fall. DeKalb County Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs and Foundation representatives held a groundbreaking ceremony on July 14 at the park, located at 3113 Gresham Road, Atlanta. About 100 children participating in the county’s summer parks program joined officials for the ceremony. The new basketball court, county officials say, will not only provide recreation for residents in the area but enhance the overall health and wellness…

  The Greater Lithonia Chamber of Commerce will host its Third Wednesday Luncheon on July 20, 11:30 a.m., at This Is It banquet facility, 2853 Panola Road, Lithonia. A discussion on how mental health issues are impacting the community at large will be led by Major Jordan, a peer education outreach specialist for Beacon Health Systems, which provides mental health services for the state of Georgia. Jordan also will discuss resources available. Chamber members may attend the luncheon at no cost with pre-registration or pay $10 at the door. Guests may attend for $20 with pre-registration or pay $25 at…

Join DeKalb County officers for Coffee With A Cop on July 27, 8 to 10 a.m., at Bojangle’s restaurant, 2695 Panola Road, Lithonia. Discuss your concerns and find out about policing initiatives in the community.

To avoid conflicts with the upcoming runoff election, DeKalb’s Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs Department has changed its July 26 regularly scheduled Citizens Advisory Board meeting to Tuesday, July 19, 6 p.m. The board will meet at the Manual J. Maloof Building, 1300 Commerce Drive, Third floor, Decatur.

Hundreds of residents met DeKalb County government representatives and learned about services that can improve their quality of life at the Seventh Annual DeKalb Neighborhood Summit, which was held July 9 at Greater Traveler’s Rest Baptist Church in South DeKalb. “The summit was a valuable opportunity for DeKalb County government, community leaders and residents to meet and share ideas about how to make our county even better,” DeKalb Interim CEO Lee May said. “I was pleased with the turnout, the energy and the dialogue at the summit.” In light of recent events in Dallas, St. Paul and Baton Rouge, the…

Hien Zaidai Nguyen, a Clarkston resident, has filed a petition to run as an Independent in the Nov. 8 General Election. He is seeking the Fourth Congressional District seat held by long-time Democrat Hank Johnson. The district encompasses portions of DeKalb, Gwinnett and Newton counties and all of Rockdale County. Johnson, who took his seat in Congress in 2006, is now serving his fifth term in office. Qualifying for Independent candidates was held June 27 to July 1. Georgia’s Secretary of State’s Office qualified candidates running for federal and state offices, while county elections officials qualified local candidates. Nguyen’s petition…