Fresh Loaf

On only a couple of hours’ notice, Mayor Shirley Franklin called a surprise press conference Thursday to “discuss the current state of the city.”

After a cryptic opening statement in which she invoked Shakespeare and the “Ides of March,” Herronor told the assembled print, radio and TV reporters: “I came here today for no other reason than to answer your questions.”

And with that, she opened the floor for a no-holds-barred Q&A session. One guy asked about an Atlanta Police Foundation report comparing the size of the APD to other cities’ police forces. Someone else wanted to know the schedule for paying back funds borrowed from the Watershed cash reserves.

But the question that seemed to set Franklin off came from this reporter. I observed that some Council members (cough, cough, Mary Norwood, cough) had publicly blamed the mayor for the current police furloughs, while she has criticized the Council for rejecting her suggestion to raise property taxes – a move she says made the furloughs necessary. My question had something to do with what it might take to break this stalemate, but I never quite got to finish asking it.

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With violent crime on every intowner’s mind right now, Council member Carla Smith hopes the lure of easy money will start loosening lips. As of this writing, the reward being offered for information leading to the capture of the thugs who killed Standard bartender John Henderson already tops $10,000.

John Henderson

“People should know they can make a lot more money turning in their buddies anonymously than they could ever get knocking over a restaurant or stealing flat-screen TVs,” says Smith, whose district includes the Standard, as well as the sites of several other recent murders — in addition to numerous victims of a flat-screen theft ring.

The reward program is being administered by the Atlanta Police Foundation, which has a high-profile marketing campaign designed to appeal to squealers and stoolies. You’ve probably seen the billboards exhorting folks to “Turn in criminals — From your cell to ours.” That’s the work of the APF, which sponsors the Crime Stoppers website and the 404-577-TIPS line. Smith says people whose tips prove legit get paid in cash, no questions asked. Donations can be made online.

While the APF is handling the reward money in the Henderson murder, the Grant Park Neighborhood Association has set up a memorial fund to collect donations for his family. About $6,800 has been collected so far. Donations to the memorial fund are also being accepted online.

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John Henderson

The reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspects who murdered John Henderson, a bartender at Standard Food and Spirits, has doubled.

The AJC reports that the $5,000 reward originally offered by Atlanta Crime Stoppers, a program of the Atlanta Police Foundation, now totals more than $10,000. Much more information is available at the Grant Park Neighborhood Association’s page on the fundraising efforts.

The paper also reports that police are investigating whether the guns fired in the Wednesday morning crime may have also been used in recent robberies.

Police ask anyone with information about the robbery and homicide at The Standard to please call Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477. You can also visit the website.

If you’d like to make a contribution to the John Henderson Memorial Fund, visit the Grant Park Neighborhood Association and follow the links to donate via credit card. Checks and money orders can also be sent to the Grant Park Neighborhood Association, P. O. Box 89235, Atlanta, GA 30312. Designate “John Henderson Memorial Fund” on the donation.

(Photo courtesy of the Grant Park Neighborhood Association)

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