Nominated by: Andrea Arnold, Linda Harris, Peggy Merriss and Hugh Saxon
"Bryan Downs has served as the Decatur City Attorney since 2000 when he succeeded the late Thomas O. Davis, the incumbent City Attorney, and the person for whom this award is named.
Like the late Mr. Davis, Bryan is smart, hardworking and fearless in representing his community and has brought a new dimension to public service during the tumult of the last 3 years.
In the Fall of 2017, after the City’s Police Department confirmed in a written policy that they would not transport persons to jail who were not under arrest or subject to a valid warrant, a complaint was filed with the state Immigration Enforcement Review Board (IERB) that the City of Decatur was in violation of Georgia law by establishing itself as a “sanctuary city.” The penalties associated with the alleged violation could have affected Decatur’s ability to qualify for federal and state grants, permits and licenses as well as result in the assessment of significant fines. Unlike other communities that had complaints filed against them and who admitted to violations and paid fines, Bryan’s devotion to preserving the Constitution and his strong sense of right and wrong led him to defend the City’s actions and take on the IERB. He determined that the IERB was not following its own rules of procedure, that it had violated Open Meetings laws and that its members were serving on the IERB and making decisions after their terms had ended. After over a year of defending the City and championing a person’s right not be jailed without a valid warrant, Bryan succeeded in getting the complaint dismissed and obtaining a partial reimbursement of the City’s legal fees. Subsequently the IERB was disbanded.
In November of 2019, the City Commission passed a non-discrimination ordinance that includes both federally-protected and non-protected classes based on sexual orientation and gender identity, becoming the 6th city in the State of Georgia to adopt such an ordinance. Bryan worked tirelessly for a year with City staff researching non-discrimination laws in other cities and crafting an ordinance tailored to the City and its goals. The enforcement includes clear steps starting with filing a complaint through resolution in the City’s municipal court or the option of voluntary mediation. Since federal and state laws do not currently offer the same protection for non-protected classes, it took ingenuity and courage to tackle creating an ordinance which clearly reflects Decatur’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
In the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, civil unrest and protests were ignited across the nation. In Decatur, the Confederate monument on the Square, already a symbol of hate and oppression, became a lightning rod for the public’s anger and frustration. Protests and demonstrations intensified on the Square and around the monument. Rhetoric about the monument became more violent and concern grew for the public’s safety as long as the monument remained a prominent fixture on the Square. Rather than hide behind the City’s limited authority to remove the monument, Bryan developed a creative legal argument that resulted in a DeKalb County Superior Court judge ordering the County to remove the monument. Six days later, the monument was removed in the early hours of June 19th, or Juneteenth, a day that celebrates the emancipation of slaves in the U.S. Bryan had the courage and tenacity to do what was right and moral and all by working within the legal system.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bryan has drafted the emergency orders and resolutions adopted by the City Commission to help protect the public health of our community and has been instrumental in the development of the City’s local loan and grant programs that provide needed local and federal assistance to support the businesses and non-profits that are the heart and soul of Decatur and help give our small city its unique identity and charm.
Bryan Downs serves the City of Decatur tirelessly on a regular basis. These four extraordinary achievements show his integrity, attention to the law, and standing up for the right thing in the face of potential adversity that he brings to every issue he tackles for us and for all of his clients."