A former member of the Norcross Discovery Garden Board has filed a restraining order against a man renting one of the park’s raised garden beds after he allegedly threatened her life on Oct. 13.
A clerk at the Gwinnett County Magistrate Court confirmed with Rough Draft Atlanta on Oct. 15 that a judge signed a restraining order against the man whom the former board member, Carlotta “Lottie” Jackson-Kelly, Ph.D., alleges threatened her life at her workplace in the early morning of Oct. 13.
City leadership has so far declined to discuss the specifics of the Oct. 12-13 incident, other than to acknowledge Jackson-Kelly’s resignation and that it takes her concerns about board operations seriously.
Threats over bush cutting
“Five hours later [after she resigned], I got an [email] message from a man asking, ‘Did I cut his Rosella bush?'” Jackson-Kelly said in a phone interview with Rough Draft. “I’m thinking, like, ‘What in the world? I don’t even know what that is,’ so I went to work that night, and I’m not even sure how this person found me.”
The man allegedly appeared at her workplace, a restaurant outside the Norcross city limits, about 12 hours after she submitted her formal resignation, accusing her of cutting his bush at the community garden and threatening her life.
Jackson-Kelly said the man initially entered the restaurant like a regular customer and struck up small talk, but then brought up the subject of the garden bush.
“He said, ‘Did you resign from the board last night?’ and I was like, ‘What are you talking about?'” Jackson-Kelly said. “And he said, ‘Did you cut my bush?’ I said, ‘Huh?’ And he was just repeating himself.”
She said one of her work colleagues, grill operator Antonio Johnson, heard the man threaten to kill her and called the police. She said the man left shortly after.
“We have video of him speeding out there,” she said. “I called the police, and since I didn’t know his name or anything, at that point … they couldn’t do anything.”
Johnson, who spoke with Rough Draft Atlanta on Oct. 15, confirmed Jackson-Kelly’s description of the events.
Jackson-Kelly calls authorities
Jackson-Kelly identified the man by matching his email about the bush with the corresponding garden bed at Discover Garden Park. She said she has never seen the man before and that he is not a board member.
“Because of the repeated death threats and my growing concerns for my safety, I am also taking steps to relocate,” she wrote in an Oct. 15 email. “What frightens me most is that I don’t know how long this individual may have been watching me or whether he knows where I live.”
The nine-member Discovery Garden Park Board manages and recommends projects within the public greenspace at the intersection of Lawrenceville and Academy streets.
Rough Draft has requested comment from the garden bed renter.
Rough Draft also contacted the Gwinnett County Police Department about the incident and Jackson-Kelly’s police report, but has not heard back. It is unclear whether law enforcement is investigating the incident or intends to bring any charges.
Jackson-Kelly submitted her resignation via email before the board’s regularly scheduled monthly meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12. No public meeting files are published on the city’s online portal.
“I fully understand that board service carries responsibilities and expectations,” Kelley wrote in her Oct. 12 letter. “However, I believe those responsibilities should be accompanied by empathy, mutual respect, accessibility, and a willingness not only to listen but to take action when someone requests assistance.”
Allegations before resignation
Her resignation letter raised concerns about disability accessibility and what she experienced as dismissive and unequal treatment. Jackson-Kelly, a Black woman, said she initially enjoyed her time on the nine-member citizen board.
“I started on the board maybe about two years ago and loved it,” she said. “I was rocking it out for about a year and a half, and I had a major surgery, and things just kind of shifted for me and for the board.”
Jackson-Kelly said she disclosed her health issues to board members and offered potential solutions for garden bed renters who were disabled or older with mobility restrictions.
“It got to the point where it became more of a stressor than anything,” she said. “I hated even going to the meetings, so I thought to get a Zoom link, and I finally did, and it was just too much, so I decided to resign.”
Jackson-Kelly said another former board member described similar mistreatment and discrimination during her last year on the volunteer board.
Rough Draft asked city officials if anyone had information about Jackson-Kelly’s resignation and her allegations. The request for a phone interview with the communications team and the city manager’s office on Wednesday, Oct. 14, received a written response.
“The City has received Dr. Jackson-Kelly’s resignation from the Discovery Garden Park Board and takes the concerns expressed in her letter seriously. The City has no further comment at this time,” the statement said.
