Athens Justice and Memory Project

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the October 19 meeting will be remote. The regular meeting for the Athens Justice and Memory Project will be available to watch live on YouTube at the link available on the ACCGov calendar. Meeting Minutes Athens Justice and Memory Project Team Meeting #2 Monday, October 19, 2020 5 pm – 6:30 pm Virtual WebEx Meeting A. Meeting began with a moment of silence for Linnentown descendants a. The Committee will take a moment of silence to acknowledge and show respect to those who are no longer with us. B. The chairperson will ask that all participants state their name before speaking, since some members are calling in via phone a. The secretary will lead a roll call of team and support members i. Members Present 1. Hattie Whitehead, Committee Chair and First Descendant of Linnentown 2. Christine Davis Johnson, First Descendant of Linnentown 3. Bobby Crook, First Descendant of Linnentown 4. Freddie Jackson, First Descendant of Linnentown 5. Mariah Parker, ACC Gov Commissioner 6. Jennifer Rice, UGA Professor and Researcher, Parliamentarian 7. Charlene Marsh, UGA Alumna, Secretary 8. Kelly Girtz, ACC Gov Mayor, non-voting/supporting member 9. Krystle Cobran, ACCGov Inclusion Office and non-voting/supporting member 10. Blaine Williams, ACCGov Manager and non-voting member 11. Shayla Lee, ACCGov Inclusion Fellow, non-voting member 12. Alison Kaye, ACCGov Inclusion Fellow, non-voting member ii. Reading of the last meeting minutes 1. A motion made by Ms. Hattie Whitehead was passed to amend 9/2/20 meeting minutes, indicating Ms. Freddie INCLUSION OFFICE THE UNIFIED GOVERNMENT OF ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY, GEORGIA P. O. Box 1868 ∙ Athens, Georgia 30603 (706) 613-3015 ∙ Fax (706) 613-3029 www.accgov.com  Jackson, Ms. Geneva Johnson Eberhart, and Mr. Bobby Crook’s inability to join due to technical difficulties C. The team will review verbal information shared during the last meeting with open discussion after each: a. Urban Renewal Sign i. Notes: 1. Mr. Crook: childhood home was shown in a photo of the GA R-50 project sign; spoke about the degradation of the community due to urban renewal and its shifting of residents from home ownership to public housing. 2. Ms. Davis Johnson: mother was required to continue paying rent until she found other accommodations. 3. Ms. Jackson: family had town homes in Linnentown, yet they did not receive enough money from the City of Athens for one home post-displacement; Linnentown was not a slum, as the residents took care of their homes and the neighborhood at-large; City of Athens paved portion of Peabody St. where white Athenians lived, stopping below Ms. Whitehead’s family’s home 4. Ms. Whitehead: (answering question about Minority Affairs subcommittee) committee did not engage with residents of Linnentown b. House/dorm picture i. Notes: 1. Crook family home was shown in the shadow of a University high-rise building (Brumby Hall) 2. Ms. Davis Johnson: Remaining families left with only one entrance/exit and dealt with sound of bulldozers c. Minutes of meeting from commission meetings from 1950’s i. Notes: 1. Ms. Whitehead shared key portions of City of Athens Mayor and Council meeting minutes, indicating unfulfilled (but approved) requests for paving, sewage, and lighting for Linnentown neighborhood 2. Mayor Girtz: Linnentown community was “blown off” and proof of infrastructure improvements in other African American neighborhoods demonstrated City of Athens’ will to invest in some places but not others 3. Jenn: proof that Linnentown community was advocating for themselves d. Note: Aforementioned documents provide justification for a statement D. Update of work in subcommittees a. Ms. Whitehead – Resolution Wording INCLUSION OFFICE THE UNIFIED GOVERNMENT OF ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY, GEORGIA P. O. Box 1868 ∙ Athens, Georgia 30603 (706) 613-3015 ∙ Fax (706) 613-3029 www.accgov.com  i. The chairperson will present the resolution to the Athens Justice and Memory Team 1. Notes: a. Subcommittee: Bobby Crook, Hattie Whitehead, Mariah Parker, and Mike Hamby b. Changed wording “white supremacy” to “racism” based on desire for resolution to move forward, as previous opposition to wording existed amongst ACC Commission and community groups c. Mayor Girtz: mentioned barriers due to practicalities and legalities from city government perspective before full commission vote; can refer to commissioners on team and city attorney 2. Action Item: Commissioners Parker and Hamby will move forward with resolution to investigate legal and practical constraints ii. The parliamentarian will call for a vote to accept the resolution from the Athens Justice and Memory Team 1. Motion for a vote made by Ms. Whitehead; Commissioner Parker seconded 2. Resolution accepted by Athens Justice and Memory Team by unanimous approval b. Jenn – Wall of Recognition i. Notes: 1. Subcommittee comprised of Jenn, Broderick Flanigan, Bobby Crook, and Rachelle Berry met twice (virtually and for site walk-through) 2. Formal recommendations in 2 weeks 3. Mr. Crook spoke on desire for more former residents’ opinions on Wall of Recognition subcommittee 4. Blaine will connect with Jenn for site visit along with ACC crew members E. Develop flow chart of direction of work when the resolution leaves the Athens Justice and Memory Team a. The chairperson will discuss the impact of the resolution with the team, and request clarity on the next steps for the resolution. The chairperson will also request a volunteer to chart the flow and timing of the next steps for the resolution (on paper) so that all members of the Athens Justice and Memory Team understand i. Notes: 1. Mayor Girtz: complete timeline is less than or equal to 6 weeks INCLUSION OFFICE THE UNIFIED GOVERNMENT OF ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY, GEORGIA P. O. Box 1868 ∙ Athens, Georgia 30603 (706) 613-3015 ∙ Fax (706) 613-3029 www.accgov.com  2. Action item: forward resolution as is to two commissioners on team and city attorney INCLUSION OFFICE THE UNIFIED GOVERNMENT OF ATHENS-CLARKE COUNTY, GEORGIA P. O. Box 1868 ∙ Athens, Georgia 30603 (706) 613-3015 ∙ Fax (706) 613-3029 www.accgov.com