By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Three Atmore City Council members and Mayor Jim Staff didn’t deal with any major issues among the nine items on Monday’s (December 9’s) meeting agenda. It was what followed the business portion of the meeting that caught the attention of the scattered few who attended and sparked nods of agreement from the four city officials.
Police Chief Chuck Brooks, who announced just over five weeks ago that some type of curfew could be imposed within the city if gun violence continued to be a problem, addressed the mayor and council members Jerome Webster (District 2), Eunice Johnson (District 3), and Shawn Lassiter (District 4) in the wake of a weekend that was one of the bloodiest here in recent memory.
District 5 Councilman Chris Harrison and District 1’s Webb Nall were reportedly out of town and were unable to attend Monday’s meeting, although Harrison called the police chief and expressed his support for a curfew, if the chief feels a curfew is warranted.
“It’s sad day in Atmore, for sure,” said Brooks, who was born here and has lived here all his life. “The last couple of months, we’ve had a black cloud over us. No one is more concerned than I am about all the gun violence we’ve had. I’m heartbroken, and I want to do everything possible to bring justice to the families of these victims.”
Three Atmore men were shot to death in two separate incidents, one on Friday night (December 6) at a local apartment complex, followed by a double slaying on Sunday night (December 8) inside a car parked at a vacant Ashley Street house.
The police chief said he has contacted City Attorney Larry Wettermark, who is drafting a proposal for a curfew in at least some areas of the city. Brooks added that he has ordered increased patrols in areas where gunfire has been most prevalent but has otherwise reached the limits of his department’s capabilities unless some type of action is taken.
“We’ve got to do something,” he said. “We have put extra officers on the streets and they’re riding through neighborhoods, trying to do whatever they can to see that this stops. The only other answer is a curfew.”
He noted that any possible curfew, which if imposed would be the first here since Hurricane Ivan devastated the city in 2004, would be implemented only after the public is informed of the details and only if there is public support for such a drastic move.
“Any time you restrict the public’s right to free travel, you have to have a public forum,” Brooks said. “You have to decide who is going to be under curfew, what areas the curfew will cover, a lot of other things before a curfew can be imposed. There are a lot of variables that need to be discussed, and the community needs to have input in any such decision.”
Lassiter, who was also born here and grew up here, confirmed Monday night that he has given Brooks his blessing to take whatever steps he feels are needed to lessen or put a stop to gun violence.
“I had gone to see the chief because he originally made the statement that we needed to consider a curfew,” Lassiter said. “By the time I got to his office Monday morning, Jerome, Chris and Eunice had already called him. I’m in agreement with anything that can put a stop to this. We need to do whatever it takes to keep our community safe.”
Prior to the chief’s news, council members:
*Approved a purchase agreement in the amount of $65,000 for a Trammell Street building owned by local CPA Randy Nichols. The building is one of three with foundations that have been compromised due to the overflow from a drainage ditch that runs beneath the city street.
*Approved a request by James McNeil Jr. to hold a car show in the parking lot of the Chickadee Club (in the curve on Carver Street) on January 20 in conjunction with the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. Carlos McNeil told the council the car show would give kids something positive to dwell on and will also feature (besides cars) free food and drinks, cash and other door prizes, inflatables and more.
*Appointed Ronnie Huskey to replace Kenny Smith on the city planning commission.
*Approved a lease agreement with Sky Warrior Flight Support Inc., which manages the local airport, for a hangar that was badly damaged by Hurricane Ivan. The 30-year lease agreement (which is published in its entirety in this edition) calls for Sky Warrior to repair the 65-feet-by-100-feet hangar in exchange for lease payments of $200 per month, an amount that will be adjusted every 5 years in an amount determined by the Consumer Price Index.