Author: On Common Ground News

DECATUR — DeKalb Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) will distribute cloth masks, hand sanitizer and a limited supply of food weekly in June. This is part of DEMA’s mission to provide temporary relief during the month of June for vulnerable populations in communities that have been significantly impacted by COVID-19. DEMA’s first distribution will be today, Tuesday, June 2, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Planet Fitness parking lot, located at 2460 Wesley Chapel Rd., Decatur. DEMA will distribute 250 reusable cloth masks made by DEMA staff and Community Emergency Response Team volunteers, hand sanitizer and approximately 250 boxes…

A four-year-old child is in critical condition and a DeKalb County man is dead after someone went on a hit-and-run spree on Sunday (May 31), DeKalb County Police spokesperson Michaela Vincent said. Vincent said in a news release that the Marietta Police Department today (June1)recovered the silver Hyundai Sante Fe used in a hit-and-run that injured the child and was involved in another incident. The recovered vehicle was filled with occupants but not the black male who is the person of interest whom police are seeking, Vincent said. The silver Hyundai belonged to the man who died after he was…

Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) Superintendent Terry Oatts was recently distinguished as part of the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “Who’s Who in Education” for 2020. This special section honors the top men and women leading the way in K-12 and postsecondary education in metro-Atlanta. “I am honored to join those of my colleagues who have been duly recognized by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as a top educational leader,” said Oatts. “What I am most proud of is the progress we have made as a district during the last two years. While we certainly have more progress to make, we have already…

The murder of George Floyd, the unarmed black man, who was killed by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota sparked protests, a number of them violent, across the U.S. Photographer Joshua Smith captured these scenes in downtown Atlanta on Sunday, May 31, around 6:30 p.m.  Protestors and authorities face off during a peaceful demonstration. A convoy of the National Guard rolled through the streets. Police, dressed in riot gear, were ready to enforce the 9 p.m. curfew set for demonstrators to be off the streets. Just two days earlier, protestors had clashed with the police and vandalized…

DECATUR—DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson and Dairy Queen on Flat Shoals Parkway celebrated the frontline medical staff at Emory Hillandale Hospital with an ice cream social. Dairy Queen donated 200 blizzards to the staff to say “thank you” for their tireless efforts and to help brighten their day. Johnson said the real heroes are the frontline workers who are putting in long hours daily in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are excited to partner with Dairy Queen to make things happen in our community. It is all about giving back.  This small token of appreciation made an already sweet staff, even sweeter,” Johnson said. Johnson was joined on…

Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) announced today, June 1, that his 2020 Congressional App Challenge (CAC) for middle and high school students is officially open. The CAC accepts computer programs (or apps) written in any programming language, for any platform (desktop/PC, web, mobile, raspberry Pi, etc.). The Challenge’s submission portal is now open and students may register entries here. All apps are due by Oct. 19 but students are encouraged to register online by Sept. 10. “The competition is open to all students who meet the eligibility requirements, regardless of coding experience,” said Rep. Johnson, chairman of the Judiciary subcommittee…

ATLANTA – The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus (GLBC), chaired by State Rep. Karen Bennett (D-Stone Mountain), issued the following statement  today, June 1, in response to the weekend protests against racial and police violence: “While our country is trying to stave off the threat of one disease, another disease continues to plague our communities. America has to find the courage to confront its racism and how it undermines our greatness and corrodes our soul. The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus prays and advocates on behalf of victims who have died for no other reason than being black in America. During the…

The DeKalb County Police Department is investigating a fatal shooting that occurred today, June 1, at the Walmart store at 24727 Gresham Road, Decatur. Officers responded to the scene around 2 p.m. in reference to a person shot, police said. The incident began as a dispute between two men, in which in his mid-60s was shot inside the store. That man later died on the way to the hospital. A man in his late-50s has been detained. The investigation is ongoing, police said.

Rev. Robert C. Wrigh and George Floyd ATLANTA—The Right Rev. Robert C. Wright, 10th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, issued the following statement in response to the killing by police of George Floyd: “From the founding of our country we have had a white supremacy problem. In three vivid and tragic incidents this week, this founding flaw has been revealed again. What looks like the behavior of a few bad actors is actually a system producing what it was designed to produce, the denial of dignity and safety to black and brown people, specifically black men. My heart…

By Orrin C. Hudson Founder and CEO Be Someone Inc. Bad things happen when people stay on the sidelines and do nothing, we must make boss moves. This is one of those times. As I watch the aftermath of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, I’m moved to raise my voice calling for peace and brotherhood. What you sincerely desire for your others will happen for you. I want and seek both justice and peace. In  my 6+ years of being a law enforcement  officer, everyone I stopped -color mattered not –  I treated like they were the most important…