Another Day in the Life of Henry County
Do you really want this to become the Atlanta South that is constantly preached to citizens in the area. These four hoodlums break into a home while a child calls his mom and stays safe. This report from Channel 46 News is a story of a regular occurrence now in Henry County. The citizens must demand help in fighting back against this in the area before it is lost totally to gang activity. It can be done if people demand it from the board of commissioners who are over the police department. Henry County can do better if they want to.
Report shared from CBS 46:
MCDONOUGH, GA (CBS46) -
An 11 year-old boy kept his cool and calmed his mother over the phone as four teens broke into the family's home.
The incident happened inside the family's home in McDonough.
The 11 year-old boy, whose mother doesn't want to be identified, says he heard a window breaking so he ran to a safe place to call his mother. The child's mother, who we'll only identify as Tenisha, says it seemed like a movie playing out in real life.
She says she felt terrorized when her son called her to tell her that something wasn't right.
"The only thing that I could see in my mind was the movie 'Taken'," said Tenisha. "I could just see somebody just coming in and taking him away. I was asking what was wrong and he said 'Mommy, I think someone is robbing the house'."
Tenisha says her son was alone at home when he heard a knock at the door. He saw four people circling the house and then heard the smashing of glass. That's when the boy ran to his room and called his mother.
Tenisha says the first thing her son told her was, "Mommy, I need you to stay calm. That's the only way I'm going to stay calm. I need you to stay calm".
"It's a good thing that he was quickly responsive to what he heard because it could have been so different," said Tenisha. "I've always told him if you get into a situation, the only way that you're going to be able to think clearly is if you stay calm."
The police were called and Henry County officers arrived as the burglars were attempting to get away. They were apprehended and all four teens are facing burglary charges.
The suspects are:
Cody Demarcus Daniels, 17
Jordan Lamar Jones-Kurdi, 18
Terry Nichols Lucien, 19
Trelan DeJuan Spencer, 18
Fortunately, the boy wasn't hurt. The family says they don't think the burglars even knew he was in the house.
(Staff Report from the Henry Community News Blog)
"Taxes and Keeping Your Political Job"
With more BOC elections coming in the next year, those sitting on the Henry County BOC voted to roll back the millage rate for the county portion 100%. Of course it won't do the 1st District Commissioner any good since he lost his election yesterday. What the citizens must realize is that the millage rate is the same and the school board has the line share of the millage rate. They are maxxed out. If your home was reassessed at a higher value over last year your taxes will increase. That is a given. Listening to the budget director you can understand what is coming down the road for the citizens. They will be dipping into the fund balance to pay for the increases promised to the police and fire departments. They will have to be matched and made even higher in next years budget and then the commissioners will have no choice, but to raise your taxes. It is a given that this vote taken on the 27th of July was done for political purposes not for good sound judgment in budget matters. These commissioners said that the workers of the county tightened their belts to give this roll back to the people. They have to eat and live as well. How much of the BOC gave their salary back to the county? They are like those in Washington they want their paycheck and the retirement that goes with serving. But who do they really serve? Think about that when you go to pay your property taxes this year after your evaluation came up.
Morgan Bitterman, III
The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following a link on this site. Any article sent by citizens are their own property.
The Madness Must Stop
Over the past few days law enforcement has taken a beating over various things. I have seen FBI bashing on Facebook over the director’s comments and lack of prosecution about Hillary Clinton’s EMail scandal. I have seen people that I thought were friends say things like the FBI are a bunch of thugs and are trash. As someone that worked in the Federal Law Enforcement field for six years till I was injured on the job, I find this very offensive and shows a lack of understanding. There is a lot about law enforcement the general public does not understand unless you have lived it yourself.
As I write this I am thinking of the fine men and women of the Dallas Police Department on the loss they have suffered of losing officers in a premeditated attack. Back in the 1990’s, I would go and visit my now late fiancee in Dallas and had the opportunity to interact with the very professional officers of the Department. They were some of the finest I had come across. They are hurting right now and need our support as they deal with the events that took place July 7th 2016. I ask that you pray and think about the families of the officers lost and those that are still keeping you safe. The families go through so much that you may not realize. When I got hurt my fiancee cried on the plane ride from Texas to Georgia worrying how I was and how bad I was hurt. Even before I was hurt she would worry about me knowing the job and the dangers and it took a toll on her. These families are now going through this same thing and some are going through a more difficult time with funerals to plan and attend to say goodbye to their loved ones for the last time. Christian Chaplains are being flown in from around the nation to help comfort members of the Dallas Police Department and the families of those who lost family members and had others who were wounded.
So, please I ask you to stop the madness of bashing law enforcement until you know the facts. And if you can’t do that then if you're on my Facebook friends list I will delete you as a friend and hope you can learn to understand, so you understand the wrong you are doing.
Alfred Britt.
Chairman of County Commission WRITE IN CANDIDATE
DON HENDERSON·MONDAY, JUNE 13, 2016
This morning I filled out the paperwork that is necessary to become a WRITE IN CANDIDATE for the Henry County Georgia County Commission.
Why a WRITE IN CANDIDATE? Because of two reasons.....Reason number one is that I am not a Democrat nor Republican and if I wanted to run as an Independent I would have to gather over 55oo signatures to gain ballot access,something the Democrats and Republicans have been very successful in controlling, and I WILL NOT PAY TO PLAY as the saying goes..
In order to have your name on the ballot you have to PAY almost 1700 dollars and that is not going to happen with me.....
As time goes on I will post some of the many reasons I moved to Henry County but I want to tell you WHY I want to stay in Henry County and what I believe will better the county with your help.
If elected I will be beholding to NO ONE other than the citizens who WRITE IN my name on their ballot and I will make no promises that I can not keep.
My first motion will be to reduce the compensation of the county commission members by 50% and if that is not supported I will challenge each member to contribute 20,000 dollars to a police/fireman fund that will be used off set unforeseen expenses that they , the officers and fireman incur due their duties in public safety AND I will do said same whether other members do or not....This fund will fall under the authority of the Quartermaster and 1 member of the police department, 1 member of the sheriffs department and 1 member of the fire department. It will be they who determine who receives benefits and how much....not some appointee of the BoC.
Secondly I will appoint or cause an audit of EVERY DEPARTMENT in Henry County Government as well as an inventory of all county owned equipment.
I will cause to be initiated an inventory of ALL county owned property ,its use, its value, and the reason the county MUST maintain ownership of any property not in current use. If a use is not deemed immediate then I will initiate thru proper channels that the property be disposed of on the open market....this will be done by a lottery system among qualified Realtors whose business is located in Henry County and have a proven ability to market said properties.
I will DEMAND that all government contracts be offered to Henry County businesses and if after review by qualified purchasing agents the contracts are deemed excessive only THEN will they be submitted to outside the county contractors...
I will under no circumstance vote for,support or initiate a tax rate increase,a millage rate increase,or any act to create a new tax including SPLOST....I have always had to live within my budget I do not believe that governments should not be held to the same constraints.
I will hold ALL department heads and staffers who have access to a government credit cards,government check books, government cars or any government owned asset to be accountable and random audits will be conducted on a regular basis.
Folks I believe government has but three purposes , PUBLIC SAFETY being number one.If we are to be a great county then we need the best equipped police and fire departments.
We need the best trained police and fire departments and we need the best PAID police and fireman...as it stands now a sitting commissioner in Henry County Ga makes more than an entry level policeman who puts his life and the future of his family on the line EVERY SINGLE DAY 24/7......THAT IS WRONG.
Secondly infrastructure/roads/intersections/traffic flow......and on Jonesboro Rd, Mcdonough Rd and Jodeco Rd...it is shameful that the railroad controls traffic flow, funny how Mr. Bowman when he was district IV commissioner got a bridge on Rock Quarry Rd ...and least folks from Stockbridge can get to the hospital in an emergency.
Thirdly government should create an environment and tax structure that attracts businesses not attacks businesses...and I do not ascribe to the principle of government and private business partnering to do business because the TAXPAYER always winds up losing.
I use to think that government should be run like a business but a very wise gentleman who WAS a commissioner when I said that told me “you can’t run government like a business” and I am seeing that he was correct....business is easy to run government is like trying to herd a pack of squirrels because each department wants to be first to the pecan tree...
Now what I believe ...
I am PRO LIFE period
I am PRO 2nd AMENDMENT
I believe that marriage is between ONE WOMAN and ONE MAN
I am PRO MILITARY and PRO AMERICAN
I don’t believe in spending more than I make
I believe that EVERYONE must play by the same rules ( or we won’t have rules)
I believe in free enterprise
I am a Capitalist
I oppose both NAFTA and TPTA
I am neither a Democrat nor Republican
I am equal opportunity
I am 100% for term limits in all levels of government
I do not support government unions
I do not believe that welfare should be a career
I believe the down trodden deserve a hand up not a hand out
I believe that as long at there is a jobs wanted ad in the paper there should be no unemployment payments made....no one is over qualified for low level jobs.
I believe parents should be held responsible for the actions of their minor children.PERIOD
I believe in prayer and I know I am nothing more than a sinner saved by Gods grace.
I have said things I wish I could unsay and I haven’t said some things I should have said.
My wife, my sons and their families are the reason for my getting up in the morning.
I have been retired from Delta Airlines for almost 17 years
Prior to working for Delta Airlines I was a full time musician for 15 years my claim to fame was as the touring bassist for Ronny & The Daytonas of “Little GTO” fame
My hobbies are , music,writing,shooting,fishing,hunting,my Harleys,our boat and motorhome,cooking jambalaya,yard work,recording in my studio,a little bit of golf but mostly trying to spoil my wife because you can see from above that she has spoiled me for over 46 years.
Folks I currently have two of my three sons serving in the United States Army ...Major Ronald Henderson and C O 2 Thomas Henderson a Blackhawk instructor pilot so please know the Henderson family love America and Henry County and I will never ever do something to discredit their service or our name...
If you will write in DON HENDERSON for Henry County Commission Chairman I will do the job that you hire me to do or will resign....
I do ask one other thing that I know isn’t politically correct but neither am I
PRAY FOR ME.
Henry County Police Services Needs a Helicopter
With the population being well over 200,000 today, Henry County could use a Police Helicopter instead of depending on other counties to fill their need. DeKalb, Clayton and Fulton Counties have been called upon in the past to help Henry County with search helicopters. This would be a good idea for the citizens to ask the best since they are paying a premium in taxes. It would also be a great idea to cut down on response time from having to request a copter from another jurisdiction. Ask this questions of those running for office this year and let's see what answers you may receive.
Edward Setter McDonough, GA.
Millenials Want Everything Too Fast
The group so citizens that call themselves "millenials" are coming from a generation that think they must have everything right now. They don't want to wait like their parents and grandparents who made this county. These citizens should realize that those older citizens remain here and they still have a say in what happens as well. That is part of the crux of the problem with these citizens calling themselves millenials thinking this way and those who promote this type of thinking is harming the area and the generations ahead. That is why crime is a such a high in the southern crescent because these millenials want it right now and don't want to wait so they take it. That is the wrong moral thinking they have adjusted to. This is promoted by people such as Stockbridge Councilman Alexander who frequently speaks of millenials. And just recently at a seminar in College Park this is what a McDonough City Council member had to say.Talking about the role of millennials in the region, McDonough City Councilwoman Kamali Varner said traffic gridlock discouraged her generation – who nationwide comprise about 25 percent of the population – from making the region home.
“I really feel like traffic is horrible,” she said. “Transportation is horrible. As a millennial, I like to move quickly and I like to move fast and I want everything to be at my fingertips for walkability and I don’t necessarily have that in the south metro area, the Henry County area.”
Varner said the south metro region needs to do a better job getting millennials – those born between 1982 and 2000 – involved in future planning.
“It’s important,” she said. “It’s important if we want to have kids; it’s important for our families; it’s important for the future of Georgia.”
Now this is what the thinking is of a millenial who holds a position of authority in McDonough. This type of thinking is quickly destroying the area.
Jonathan Bohannan, Sr.
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The People of Stockbridge May be Behind the Eight Ball
The Henry County Board of Commissioners on December 1, 2015 voted to impose an additional $743,000 to the city of Stockbridge for police services on the $500,000 now being paid that has been on hold since December 2014. The county said it would be paid in quarterly installments beginning April 1 according to the paper. Also, the tickets written in the city will go before a city judge, but the county will take 40% of all the fines generated. And the county shall levy, assess and collect ad valorem taxes within the city limits at the same millage rate as are levied, assessed and collected in the unincorporated areas of the county for police services. The city will have to agree to this arrangement before it is final. The county knows the city cannot afford its own police force at this time and is taking advantage of the situation.
Horace McNeely, Stockbridge resident
Hi there at the Henry County Community News Blog. I am Richard Marks of Rockdale County and have been watching the events over in Henry County. I have done an extensive study of the crime in your county. It is very apparent that 62.45% of the crimes that are committed are by African Americans. Most of the violent felony crimes are committed by them. This is a dramatic increase since 2005 when at that time 45.6% of the crimes were committed by African Americans. I am an African American myself and I see a horrible trend here. Families need to become more active in what is happening to their youngsters since gangs and other problems such as drugs are so prevalent in the community today. I have watched as the northern section of the county has become more and more in line with these types of crimes. Home burglaries, thefts, robbery and even some other heinous crimes. As a community that has shifted more to the African American’s you can do
better. This is beginning to spill into Rockdale County. If this trend continues then the area will become more blighted like what happened in Detroit. I am afraid not for myself, but for my grandchildren as they will have to live in this turmoil. There have been some in both the white and black communities who have tried to put a wedge in between the races and cause more trouble. It is evident if you just look around at what is happening under your noses. It shouldn’t be left up to some community organization, police or government to correct this problem it must begin at home. But woefully many of those who have children in crime are criminals themselves. The children are just living the lifestyles of the parents. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said in 1967 that in order to have better relations that we must do better ourselves.
Richard Marks, Rockdale County
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Stockbridge City Manager Michael Harris issued a statement containing the city’s opinion and the financial terms being discussed.
“The City of Stockbridge and Henry County are in the process of renegotiating their long-standing agreement for police coverage for residents of Stockbridge,” he wrote. “The Henry County Police Department has provided coverage for the City of Stockbridge since 1978. Stockbridge officials assure residents that there will be no lapse in police protection for the city as negotiations continue.”
Aside from paying a previously agreed-upon fee of $500,000 per year for police services, Harris stated that the city has provided additional funds that average $2,617,639 per year over the last five years, and the city also has provided a police precinct building valued at $253,876 annually.
The county has proposed raising the $500,000 fee to $2 million per year over the next ten years, according to Harris, while the city made a counterproposal of $750,000 per year and asked for supporting documentation from the county that would support any increase.
“We believe the County has understated the amount that the City of Stockbridge has been paying for police services,” Harris wrote. “In the meantime, we expect that Henry County will continue to provide police protection for our citizens as we negotiate in good faith.”
Watching the Henry County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday evening was very irritating for my family to watch. We have all known for years that the reason Henry County was hired to provided police services for the City of Stockbridge is because of the bad police department that existed in the middle 1970’s. Old Chief Collier and his men were always going after people with out of county tags. The State of Georgia came down hard on the City and when Rudy Kelley was elected Mayor in 1978 he dissolved the police department with the aid of the Stockbridge City Council and in the process hired Henry County to provide police service for the city. Now the Board of Commissioners feel that it is time for the city to pay much more money and the city cannot see tripling the price they pay for their service and then let them have a nice precinct building for a low price. Sounds like the $10 a year rent on that old bank building. We listened as the
Commissioners were ready to throw the citizens of Stockbridge out with the bath water. Commissioners Holmes and Prince were being very vocal about not wanting to work with the city anymore. Commissioner Barham felt that the police service should not be turned away from the people. My brother said that the citizens pay enough property taxes to the county to cover any police service that is offered. He said it sounds like double pay to him. Mr. Prince made a remark saying that it wasn’t fair to the people of Locust Grove not to have a police unit available because it is in Stockbridge. He needs to understand that Locust Grove has had it’s own police department all along with over 20 officers at any given time. And I have a good friend who lives in the Locust Grove area and he said that there are always police and sheriff’s vehicles going to the shooting range outside Locust Grove. My brother said that Prince needs to do another assessment
of the situation. If it weren’t for the begging of current sitting County Manager Cheri Mathews and County Attorney Jaugstetter the commissioners would have taken the police from Stockbridge last night. Instead they will meet again on July 7th and hopefully the people from the county manager’s office can meet further with the people from the city of Stockbridge and bring a resolution to this matter that will be the best for both parties. If the City of Stockbridge has to create its own police department then they will likely have to start having another city property tax for the citizens. This will make many growl because they haven’t had a property tax in years. The whole matter is using the citizens as pawns in the game that is being played with the lives of those who must be protected. My father said that our only hope lies with the talks between the County Manager and the City Manager Mr. Harris and hopefully Mayor Thompson. We live off
of Flippen Road and in the complex across the road from our home is where the gang killing happened several years ago. With the influx of people the police will be needed in Stockbridge. The people are waiting for answers and decisions instead of threats and bickering. That has gotten old. It is time for those who are elected to lead to become true statesmen and lay aside petty grievances.
H.B.
Stockbridge
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