Application filed with the town said dinner not graduation party
“Mayor Hawkins actions were reckless, unprofessional and total disregard for humanity and gave a false perception of who we are in Century,” is a line from a letter written by Tawana Jones to the town of Century and council members following a graduation celebrationevent.
Jones is a Century resident who approached the council Monday night to discuss the outcome of an event she and her family had planned to celebrate the high school graduation of her three nephews, Michael Anthony Jones, Jr., Ossie DeWayne Crusaw III and Nikiel Robinson, and many of their classmates from Escambia Academy at a building owned by the town.
According to a letter Jones emailed the town, Jones and her sister, Tara, had reserved the Century Business Center building to host what she wrote on the building reservation application was a graduation dinner from 8 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, May 19, for the Escambia Academy graduates.
Century Mayor Henry Hawkins told Jones at the meeting that he had seen a flyer on social media that Friday afternoon before the event advertising the event as a graduation party, not a graduation dinner, that also required a charge to get in. Hawkins said Jones broke a policy on the application that states at no time can an admission be charged for an event there, unless it hs been pre-approved. Hawkins said he sent one Escambia County sheriff's deputy to the party to enforce the policy of not charging, although Jones said that five law enforcement officials came to the scene around 8:30 p.m..
“I only spoke to one deputy,” said Hawkins. “I'm only paying one deputy.” Hawkins said at the council meeting. “If they are violating anything down here (on the application), you can shut them down,” Hawkins said he told the deputies that Saturday night.
Jones said the deputies told them at the event to stop the admission charging which they did. Jones said that the deputies searched in and around the building for alcohol.
“All it took was a phone call,” said Jones. “These are bright kids. They have bright futures. There was not one single incident. I was so disappointed,” said Jones.
Jones said that there were more than 20 chaperones at the event and that no security was needed on the town's behalf, but Hawkins said that $180 of the fee is for security.
In her letter to the mayor and council, Jones reminded Hawkins these high school graduates are now voters.
“I want you to know that hundreds of kids attended that party; many are now 18 years of age; and guess what they can vote! And your actions did not go unnoticed by them,” Jones wrote.
Jones requested a copy of the rental agreement in her letter, which she received. It read, “No refund due to terms violation.”
