The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Angry residents cry ‘misogyny’ in payout to chief
Police leader ousted after complaint got $325,000 in deal.
Johns Creek residents expressed outrage Monday at a $325,000 settlement given to former Police Chief Chris Byers earlier in August.
The com- pensation was part of a settle- ment the city gave to Byers when he resigned from his position on Aug. 10 following a two-month investigation into explicit sexual remarks he made to a police department employee in December.
Teenagers, people of color and others who said they’ve experienced abuse in their lives questioned Johns Creek City Council about the payment during a Monday meet- ing. Mayor Mike Bodker and City Council members heard such words as “misogyny,” “sexist” and “racist” from residents who said they are upset by the former police chief ’s actions and how the city managed them.
Johns Creek released doc- uments Friday that detailed a two-month investigation into Byers concerning his sexual remarks, as well as the amount of the settle- ment. The investigation followed — but was unrelated to — Byers’ 1,000-word social media post in June with negative comments about the Black Lives Matter move- ment. Byers addressed the post on his personal Face- book page to pastors and other church leaders who he criticized for supporting the movement.
During more than an hour of comments Monday night, people of color, many from the South Asian community in Johns Creek, said they no longer feel safe in the city.
High school sophomore Sanjana Gopu, 15, was applauded after telling council members Byers’ settlement sends a signal to young men that they can be rewarded for poor treatment of women and minorities.
“It’s not just about him,” she said. “It’s what it says to our community. I am 15 and I shouldn’t be here today ... I just hope all of you understand the magnitude of this issue and it doesn’t affect just him. It affects everyone around us, including me … including every woman out there, including every person of color, everyone.”
Residents accused council members of raising prop- erty taxes to pay off Byers and blamed City Manager Ed Densmore. The Johns Creek property tax rate will increase more than 12% for fiscal year 2020. Council- woman Erin Elwood later pointed out the increase was set in September and remains lower than other north Fulton cities. According to the city, the tax increase means a homestead property with an estimated value of $300,000 would see an increase in its annual property tax bill of about $53.
Johns Cr e ek has n ot explained how they arrived at the amount for Byers’ settlement. His attorney, Darryl B. Cohen, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the settlement reflects Byers’ credible standing in the police department. The agreement was a com- promise on any disputes between Byers and the city of Johns Creek, according to the language of the set- tlement.