Community Mixed on Plea Deal

Community leaders and neighbors of Kathryn Johnston had a lot to say about the controversial case on Thursday.Some saying the grand jury indictments against three Atlanta police officers is a victory, while others saying it was not enough."I must first thank God for the clearing of my aunt's name and her reputation," said a letter Sarah Dozier, Johnston's niece.The words of Johnston's closest living relative were read by her lawyer.Some in the northwest Atlanta neighborhood said that healing in the community will not begin with a plea deal."The neighborhood is not happy at all," said Ga. Rep. Mable Thomas, who lives in the area. "They believe that when it comes back that the time will not be representative of the crime.""And I hope that the sentences -- the actual time that they spend in jail," said state Senator Vincent Fort. "Are the appropriate sentences for the murder of a grandmother in this community."Johnston's family supports the plea deal with officers Gregg Junnier and Jason Smith -- a move they hope will bring sweeping changes to the Atlanta Police Department faster than a trial. "This will be used as a tool to rid this community of the kind of corruption that happened and led to Ms. Johnston's death," said Rev. Markel Hutchins. "So I want people in this community to know that the family has been kept abreast of the crimes and what the punishment will be." Some worry that the changes will come too late."We feared the drug dealers at one time, and now we fear the police," Fort said.Contractors said that fear is driving buyers away from the neighborhood. New houses that were selling before the shooting, now stand empty."Since the shooting, it really has hurt the property values a lot," said builder Tony Morgan.A lawyer for the Johnston family said the family is focusing on the big picture -- Johnston's legacy. They want her to be remembered as the catalyst to make the Atlanta Police Department and the neighborhood better.