SANDERSVILLE, Ga. — Washington County leaders recently changed the hours for one Sandersville park.
Kaolin Park is a hot spot for weekend activities for the Sandersville community, but now that the park is closing earlier, Jrametries Kirksay is worried it'll do more harm than good.
"Everyone wants to enjoy their summer. No one wants to be stuck in the house, in the country, in the summer with nothing to do, no pool, no city pool, there's nothing to do here," he said.
Kirksay remembers coming to Kaolin Park as a little boy. He says he just wants the kids in his community to have the same experience he did.
"There's nowhere for the kids to go to hangout. There's no YMCA, there's nothing to do, so what I try to do on Sundays is bring excitement to the city, bring people out and bring good vibes to the park," Kirksay said.
With summer around the corner, Kirksay says the county's decision to move the park's closing time from 9 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the weekends has a major effect on bringing the community together.
"I think we're being targeted as a young, black community in this city, that's how I feel," Kirksay said.
In February 2016, Quintarius Griner was shot and killed at Kaolin Park where police found his body on the soccer fields on a Sunday afternoon.
Washington County Recreation Department Director Jane Colson says their decision to close the park earlier is an effort to keep the community safe by cutting down on drug use, car racing, and loitering that was mostly reported during weekend afternoons.
Kirksay believes the park staying open does more good for the community than bad.
"This is the only nice park we got, and at 6 o' clock today the guys won't be able to play basketball, you know the gates will be locked, and that's the perfect time to come out, it's cool," Kirksay said.
He's afraid the county's decision to close the park earlier on weekends may have the opposite effect.
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"If anything, I'm helping the crime rates to go down, cause I got everybody in one place," Kirksay said. "I think we can work together on it besides them just trying to kick us out of the park. If we can come to an agreement on something, it'll be a whole lot better, cause you're punishing the whole city, and everyone don't deserve it."
Kirksay is holding a community gathering at Kaolin Park next Sunday, April 14 at 2 p.m. to push county leaders to change the weekend hours back to 9 p.m.