After previous outbursts, new security measures in place this week at Athens City Hall

New security procedures went into effect this week at Athens City Hall, making the venue a weapons-free facility.

The changes came as Athens-Clarke County’s mayor and commission geared up for Tuesday’s return of their regular meetings to the building following an April incident in the commission chambers.

At the commission’s crowded April 2 meeting, 55-year-old self-proclaimed local messianic Jew “rabbi” Richard Camden Pace had to be physically restrained, wrestled to the floor and tased by a police officer. An Athens-Clarke County police officer is routinely assigned to meetings in the commission chambers.

The confrontation came as Pace refused to relinquish a microphone during a public comment period after confronting a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators also attending the meeting and ripping a sign held by one of them.

Previously:Venue for Athens commission meetings temporarily moving to more secure school district HQ

Mayor Pro-Tem Ovita Thornton and the commission quickly adjourned the meeting amid the fracas.

The April 2 incident came after a previous tense commission meeting where Mayor Kelly Girtz and other local officials were loudly threatened with recall elections. The calls came following the February death of 22-year-old Athens nursing student Laken Riley, for which 26-year-old undocumented Venezuelan immigrant has been charged with murder.

Pace was charged with felony obstruction of a police officer and disorderly conduct, and is barred from City Hall. He was released from jail on bond, and his case has been assigned to the local district attorney’s office, where it is awaiting action, according to court records.

The commission moved most of its May and June meetings to the nearby Clarke County School District headquarters amid discussion of boosting security at City Hall. The new Athens-Clarke County budget approved last month included funding to meet that goal. Commissioners have been on an informal holiday, largely free of meetings, since mid-June.

As of Monday, according to a news release from the local government, all visitors to City Hall during regular business hours must enter through a security checkpoint at the 301 College Avenue building’s ground level entrance facing College Avenue. Regular hours at City Hall are 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Security screenings will also take place for public meetings in City Hall outside regular business hours. “For meetings that involve a quorum of the Mayor and Commission, the ground floor ADA-accessible entrance will remain open, while an additional security screening entrance will also be provided on the second-floor entrance to City Hall on College Avenue as staffing permits,” the government noted in the news release. “Additional entrances may be opened for screenings based on circumstances and the availability of security personnel.”

There will be no provisions for storing items not allowed in City Hall at security checkpoints, so the government is asking visitors to plan accordingly before entering the building. Items now not allowed in City Hall include firearms, stun guns, knives, bludgeon-style weapons, blackjacks, fighting chains, throwing stars, and knuckle weapons made of brass or other materials.

When leaving City Hall, visitors must leave through a security screening area or via exits on the lower ground floor. As of this week, according to the news release, “second floor doorways will only be used as emergency exits when not open as secondary security screening areas.” 

Visitors to City Hall are being advised to allow some additional time for entering the building as the new security measures are implemented.